Handel And Haydn Society to Present BAROQUE LOVE SONGS + OTHER DELIGHTS

The Handel and Haydn Society will explore the beauty and passion of the Baroque with a program full of H+H premiers from Alessandro Scarlatti, George Handel and Nicola Porpora. H+H Artistic Director Jonathan Cohen will lead principal players in the H+H Orchestra in Baroque Love Songs + Other Delights March 22 and 24 at NEC's Jordan Hall. The performance will feature world renowned soloists soprano Robin Johannsen and countertenor Christopher Lowrey. Tickets are on sale now.

Baroque Love Songs + Other Delights will feature a pair of contrasting cantatas by Italian composer Alessandro Scarlatti, Piango sospiro e peno (I weep, sigh and suffer) and Clori, e Mirtillo. The first is a song of intense despair and loss while the latter is a light and charming piece about a couple madly in love. The concerts will also feature three compositions by Italian Nicola Porpora, the pastoral cantatas Ecco che il primo albore (Here is the first dawn), and Il Ritiro (Lasciovi al fin grandezza) (Leave you to the end of greatness), and the Sinfonia da camera in G Minor. In addition, H+H will be performing Handel's Sonata for 2 violins in B Minor and the melodramatic cantata Amarilli vezzosa (Il duello amoroso) (The love Duel). Each of the pieces performed in Baroque Love Songs + Other Delights is an H+H premiere.

“I am excited to share new music with our audience as we explore the romance of the Baroque and find new pieces that many may not be familiar with,” said Jonathan Cohen, Artistic Director. “The intimate setting at Jordan Hall will be the perfect backdrop for this challenging yet engaging collection of works.”

American soprano and opera icon Robin Johannsen is known for her virtuosity, energy, agility, endurance, and above all for her scintillating coloratura. Johannsen has a special affinity for the Baroque and Classical repertoires and has appeared at Theater an der Wien, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, and Athens' Megaron among others. She has worked with some of the finest orchestras around the world and in some of the most prestigious festivals.

Christopher Lowrey is an in-demand concert and operatic countertenor who sings with a wide range of distinguished companies around the world, including The Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House, and Carnegie Hall. Originally from Rhode Island, Lowrey holds degrees from Brown University, the University of Cambridge, where he was a choral scholar with Trinity College Choir under Stephen Layton, and the Royal College of Music International Opera School. He is a winner of the Helpmann Awards, the Sullivan Foundation Award, the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, the Michael Oliver Prize at the London Handel Singing Competition, and the Keasbey Award. 

The 2023-24 Season

 

Beethoven 9                                                               Mar 15 + 16, 2024                     Symphony Hall

Baroque Love Songs + Other Delights           Mar 22 + 24, 2024                     NEC's Jordan Hall

Bach B Minor Mass                                                 Apr 5 + 7, 2024                           Symphony Hall

Brahms Requiem                                                     Apr 19 + 21, 2024                      Symphony Hall

Brandenburg Concertos                                       May 2 + 3 + 4, 2024                   Sanders Theatre & 

NEC's Jordan Hall

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