The King's Music and Tavern Songs

About

Led by the indefatigable Matthias Maute, Ensemble Caprice returns to Lunenburg on April 18 for “The King’s Music and Tavern Songs” featuring music from Purcell to Handel, interwoven with traditional music from the British Isles.

Enter the vibrant musical world of the British Isles, where the elegance of the court, the brilliance of the theatre, and the vitality of popular tradition were never far apart. Refined arias of longing and lament stand beside sparkling recorder concertos, ground-bass variations, and dances whose roots reach into taverns, streets, and rustic country gatherings.

The recorder becomes both virtuoso voice and storyteller, moving freely between grace and mischief, courtly poise and pastoral swing. Purcell’s theatrical imagination, Handel’s Italianate brilliance, and the earthy energy of anonymous tunes from the 18th century meet in a single, beguiling musical language.

Programme

Jacob van Eyck (c. 1590–1657)

• Engels Nachtegaeltje

Henry Purcell (1659–1695)

• Three in One upon a Ground

George Frideric Handel (1685–1759)

• Lascia ch’io pianga — from the opera Rinaldo
• Fra tempeste — from the opera Giulio Cesare

George Frideric Handel (1685–1759)

• Concerto per flautino, two violins and basso continuo

Anonymous (18th century)

• Johnny Cock thy Beaver
• Budro
• The Duke of Norfolk

Francesco Geminiani / Arcangelo Corelli (1687–1762 / 1653–1713)

• La Follia

Henry Purcell (1659–1695)

• O let me weep — from the opera The Fairy Queen
• Remember me — from the opera Dido and Aeneas

Arcangelo Corelli (1653–1713)

• Concerto per flauto (Tempo di Gavotta)

Henry Purcell (1659–1695)

• Dance Suite
• A New Scotch Tune
• If Music Be the Food of Love
• Fairest Isle
• Chaconne from The Fairy Queen

Programme subject to change

About the Artists

Ensemble Caprice

Since it was founded by flautist Matthias Maute three decades ago, Ensemble Caprice has made its mark as one of the most sought-after ensembles on the classical music scene. Caprice has gained a solid reputation for its innovative programming and vibrant, compelling performances.

The musicians of Ensemble Caprice have travelled to the four corners of the globe, giving performances in dozens of countries on four continents. The Ensemble’s tours have taken its members to Asia, China, Taiwan, Africa, Morocco, Tunisia and South Africa as well as several European Countries and the Americas. It has been the featured guest ensemble in many prestigious festivals, including the Lufthansa Festival of Baroque Music in London, festivals in Bruges (Belgium) and Utrecht (the Netherlands), the Felicia Blumental International Music Festival in Tel Aviv, and, in Germany, the Musikfestspiele Potsdam Sanssouci, the Early Music Days in Regensburg, the Händel-Festspiele in Halle, and the Stockstadt Festival. In the USA, the group has performed at New York City’s Miller Theater and Frick Collection, the Boston Early Music Festival, and the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. In Canada, the Ensemble has been heard in Ottawa at the Music and Beyond Festival and the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival; it has performed at Early Music Vancouver, Early Music Voices in Calgary, the Edmonton Chamber Music Society, the Elora Festival and the International Festival Domaine Forget. This impressive roadmap bears witness to the fact that Caprice is recognised as being one of today’s leading baroque ensembles. In 2009, the New York Times devoted a full article to the Ensemble, praising it as a progressive force on the contemporary musical scene.

For more please visit:
https://www.ensemblecaprice.com/