The Cantata Singers contacted me last week, and asked if I would like to host a free ticket giveaway on my blog. To which I of course said yes! So, here is the deal: I have five pairs of free tickets, and they will go to the first five commenters on this post! Leave your full name in the comment, and I will give your name to the Cantata Singers' ticket manager; your tickets will be waiting for you at will-call.
This year the Cantata Singers are concentrating on Britten - there is Britten on every concert, and on Friday, the entire concert will be Britten. They will be performing:
Five Flower Songs
Phaedra (Janna Baty, mezzo-soprano)
Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings (Michael Slattery, tenor; Michael Thompson, horn)
Rejoice in the Lamb (First Boston performance of Imogen Holst’s orchestration)
From their press release:
"Explore five of Britten’s most colorful, searching and mature works, the products of his most fertile years. His passion for the singing voice shines throughout. The Lachrymae for viola solo and string orchestra, based upon John Dowland’s “If my complaints could passion move,” and the delicate Five Flower Songs showcase Britten’s ability to breathe fresh air into a 19th century medium. His emotional Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings, composed for Peter Pears and Dennis Brain, is fed by an inspiration unsurpassed in any other of his music, before or after. Phaedra, a solo cantata composed for the great Janet Baker, and Rejoice in the Lamb for chorus, soloists and organ, round out this rich and varied feast by the composer whom the Daily Telegraph called, in Britten’s obituary, “the truly towering talent of his age.”"
From me:
Britten is my favorite 20th-century composer. The Cantata Singers are, by any reckoning, in the very top tier of the multitude of choruses in our fair city. And you could hear them for free! Just be one of the first five commenters!
Hey! I'd love to get my hands on a pair of those tickets! Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteWould be great to have a pair of those tickets. I'm a big Britten fan as is my s/o!
ReplyDeleteI would love a pair!
ReplyDelete@ Brooke, Thomas, and Eileen:
ReplyDeleteYou win! You all will have a pair of tickets waiting for you at the will-call table!
Ooh, me too!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Carolyn Roosevelt
@ Carolyn:
ReplyDeleteYou got it!
Thanks, that was truly a marvelous concert. The Lachrymae was a challenge to the listener--it must make more sense on later hearings--but how welcome the warmth of the final section was, and all very well played. Jana Baty as Phaedra was utterly dramatic and powerful.
ReplyDeleteBut these both took a back seat to the Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings--James Sommerville played both natural and valved horn with complete mastery and ease, music that is still ringing in my ears; tenor Michael Slattery's tone was always lovely, and his singing was responsive to those amazing text settings. The entire evening was well worth braving the artic temps.
Dear Carolyn:
ReplyDeleteThank you SO much for letting me know your thoughts on the concert. And I'm so glad you enjoyed it!