Ian Bostridge Joins Canadian Chamber Orchestra Les Violons du Roy 5/6

The Harris Theater for Music and Dance is pleased to present one of the world's finest lieder tenors, the "superbly accomplished and deeply affecting" (The New York Times) English tenor Ian Bostridge, performing with the innovative Canadian chamber orchestra Les Violons du Roy on Friday, May 6, 2011 at 7:30 pm-the only Midwest engagement of the ensemble's 2011 tour. Founding Music Director Bernard Labadie will lead this performance celebrating the tenor voice, featuring works from the "bel canto" (beautiful singing) period that dominated 18th century Europe.

Accompanied by Les Violons du Roy, Ian Bostridge will perform works originally composed for the most virtuosic tenors of the 18th century, including operatic highlights from Handel's Tamerlano, Giulio Cesare, Hercules, and Poro; Vivaldi's Arsilda Regina di Ponto and Ipermestra, Gasparini's Il Bajazet and more. The "sumptuous, finely etched orchestral playing" (San Francisco Chronicle) of Les Violons du Roy, known and admired for their meticulous performances of early music, will also be displayed with engaging, authentic renditions of Handel's French-inspired Alcina Instrumental Suite and Concerto Grosso in F Major, Op. 3 No. 4, as well as works by British composer and Handel contemporary Boyce and Geminiani. Tickets, which range from $25 - $55, are on sale now at the Harris Theater box office located in Millennium Park at 205 E. Randolph Dr., by calling 312-334-7777 or by visiting www.HarrisTheaterChicago.org.

The program for the Les Violons du Roy and Ian Bostridge engagement at the Harris Theater is as follows:

G. F. Handel Orchestral Suite from Alcina, HWV 34
Ouverture
Musette
Menuet
Gavotte
Menuet
Gavotte
Entrée des Songes agréables
Entrée des Songes funestes
Entrée des Songes agréables effrayés / Le combat des Songes funestes et agréables

G. F. Handel "Forte e lieto" from Tamerlano, HWV 18

F. Gasparini "Forte e lieto" from Tamerlano

G. F. Handel Concerto grosso in F major, Op. 3 No. 4
Andante - Allegro - Lentamente
Andante
Allegro
Minuetto alternative

A. Caldara "Lo so, con periglio" from Joaz

G. F. Handel "Scorta siate a passi miei" from Giulio Cesare, HWV 17

F. Geminiani Concerto grosso "La Folia" (after Corelli)

A. Vivaldi "Sazierò col mio morir" from Ipermestra

A. Vivaldi "La tiranna" from Arsilda, Regina di Ponto

G. F. Handel "D'un barbara scortese" from Poro, HWV 28

W. Boyce Symphony in B-flat major, Op. 2 No. 1

G. F. Handel "From celestial seats descending" from Hercules, HWV 60

G. F. Handel "Where congeal'd the northern streams" from Hercules, HWV 60

Artist Biographies

Ian Bostridge

Considered one of the finest lieder tenors performing today, English tenor Ian Bostridge, was a post-doctoral fellow in history at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, before embarking on a full-time career as a singer. Describing his singing, The New York Times proclaims "probably not everything the English tenor Ian Bostridge's voice touches turns to gold, but so far most things have."

He regularly performs in recital and on the concert stage with the world's finest orchestras and opera companies. His international recital performances include the Salzburg, Edinburgh, Munich, Vienna, Aldeburgh and Schubertiade Festivals, as well as his own "Perspectives" series at Carnegie Hall.

On the concert platform Ian Bostridge frequently performs with the world's leading orchestra's including the Berlin Philharmonic; Vienna Philharmonic; Chicago Symphony; Boston Symphony; London Symphony; BBC Symphony; Royal Concertgebouw, and many more; under the direction of renowned conductors Sir Simon Rattle; Sir Colin Davis; Sir Andrew Davis; Seiji Ozawa; Antonio Pappano; Riccardo Muti; Mstislav Rostropovich; and Daniel Barenboim.

Ian Bostridge made his operatic debut as "Lysander" in Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream with Opera Australia at the Edinburgh Festival. He has since performed leading roles with the English National Opera; Royal Opera; Bavarian State Opera; Vienna State Opera; and English National Opera. In January 2010, he sang the world premiere of Henze's Opfergang with the Accademia Santa Cecilia in Rome under Antonio Pappano.

Bostridge has created a series of award-winning recordings in the genre of lieder, including a recording of Schubert's Die schöne Müllerin which won the 1996 Gramophone Solo Vocal Award. His recording of Tom Rakewell with Sir John Eliot Gardiner was awarded a 1999 Grammy Award. Under his exclusive contract with EMI Classics, he has made numerous award-winning recordings, including an album of Schubert Lieder and Schumann Lieder was awarded a 1998 Gramophone Award. His most recent recording is Three Baroque Tenors with the English Concert and Bernard Labadie.

In 1997, Ian Bostridge published a book entitled Witchcraft and its Transformations, 1650-1750, and published his second book, on music and singing in 1999. He has written on music for The Times Literary Supplement, Opernwelt, BBC Music Magazine, Opera Now and The Independent.

In 2001 he was elected an honorary fellow of Corpus Christi College, Oxford; in 2003 he was made an Honorary Doctor of Music by the University of St Andrew's, and in 2010, he was made an honorary fellow of St John's College Oxford. He was created a CBE in the 2004 New Year's Honours.

Les Violons du Roy chamber orchestra

Widely praised for the exceptional energy, brilliance and vitality of its performances, Canadian chamber orchestra Les Violons du Roy was created in 1984 by music director Bernard Labadie. The New York Times proclaimed "the strings positively blazed...the orchestra was superb." Les Violons du Roy, which borrows its name from the renowned string orchestra of the court of the French kings, has a core membership of fifteen players and specializes in the vast repertoire of music for chamber orchestra, performed in the stylistic manner most appropriate to each era.

Although the ensemble plays on modern instruments, its approach to the works of the Baroque and Classical periods has been strongly influenced by current research into performance practice in the 17th and early 18th centuries; in this repertoire Les Violons du Roy uses copies of period bows. In recent seasons, under the leadership of first guest conductor Jean-Marie Zeitouni, the orchestra has begun to explore 19th and 20th century repertoire in more depth.

Les Violons du Roy has been in residence at Québec City's Palais Montcalm since 2007. The orchestra is well known throughout Canada thanks to the numerous concerts and recordings broadcast by Société Radio-Canada and CBC, and its regular presence at music festivals. Les Violons du Roy regularly performs at the world's finest venues with internationally-renowned soloists including Magdalena Kožená, David Daniels and Vivica Genaux.

Les Violons du Roy has made 20 critically-acclaimed recordings; three were awarded "Classical Album of the Year" Juno awards and another received a 2008 Félix Award for classical album, orchestra and large ensemble.

Bernard Labadie, music director

Bernard Labadie has established himself worldwide as one of the leading conductors of the Baroque and Classical repertoire, a reputation that is closely tied with Les Violons du Roy and La Chapelle de Québec which he founded and continues to lead as music director to this day. With the two ensembles he regularly tours Canada, the US and Europe, in major venues and festivals such as Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Kennedy Center, Barbican, Concertgebouw, and the Salzburg Festival, among others.

Passionate about opera, Labadie has also been Artistic Director of L'Opéra de Québec and L'Opéra de Montréal. He made his conducting debut with the Metropolitan Opera in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte in 2009, and has also guest conducted Handel's Orlando with Glimmerglass Opera, Mozart's Così fan tutte at the Mostly Mozart Festival, and Mozart's Lucio Silla with Santa Fe Opera, to name just a few.

Since his triumphant debut with the Minnesota Orchestra in 1999, Labadie has become a sought-after guest conductor with major North American orchestras, including the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the symphony orchestras of Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, St. Louis, Houston, Atlanta, Detroit, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.

Labadie's extensive discography includes many critically acclaimed recordings on the Dorian, ATMA and Virgin Classics labels, including Handel's Apollo e Dafne and his collaboration with Les Violons du Roy and La Chapelle de Québec of Mozart's Requiem, both winning Canada's Juno Award. A complete recording of C.P.E. Bach's Cello Concertos with Truls Mørk and Les Violons du Roy is slated for release soon, as well as a recording with Ian Bostridge and The English Concert, both for Virgin Classics.

For his achievements, the Canadian government honored him with the appointment as "Officer of the Order of Canada" in 2005 and Quebec made him a "Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Québec" in 2006.

* * * All programs, prices and dates are subject to change. * * *

Opened in 2003, the Harris Theater's mission is to partner and collaborate with an array of Chicago's emerging and mid-sized performing arts organizations to help them build the resources and infrastructure necessary to achieve artistic growth and long-term organizational sustainability. The Harris Theater for Music and Dance was the first multi-use performing arts venue to be built in the Chicago downtown area since 1929 and today the Theater continues to host the most diverse offerings of any venue in Chicago, featuring the city's world-renowned music and dance institutions and the Harris Theater Presents series of acclaimed national and International Artists and ensembles. To learn more about the season at the Harris Theater, visit www.harristheaterchicago.org or call the box office at 312-334-7777 to request a brochure.

For additional information about the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, Chicago's state-of-the art 1,470 seat performance venue, please visit www.harristheaterchicago.org

 

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