On this Good Friday, as Easter approaches, Passover draws to a close, and Ramadan nears, we offer a beautiful Arabo-Andalusian song about the mystical quest for the Other, excerpted from our currently-online video of The Sacred Bridge. May this be a time of renewal for all of us!
Music of renewal and hope, from Jewish, Christian and Muslim traditions, as our planet emerges from trying months.
This performance will be available for viewing, as often as you wish, until April 15.
Watch a sneak peek here:
This year’s equinox seems, somehow, even more important this year, as we all strive for more light and warmth during this trying time of pandemic.
To commemorate the arrival of Spring, and in harmony with world Early Music Day, we offer “Edom,” an early American partsong whose text celebrates Nature and seasonal rebirth. We’re happy to be a part of an international musical celebration, and in a spirit of fellowship we propose this gracious excerpt from our own, American heritage. The performance is drawn from Camerata’s now-classic, pioneering Erato recording, The American Vocalist.
The Boston Camerata’s offering for International Early Music Day
How music and poetry, across the centuries, expresses feelings of separation and reunion.
Words and music from Artistic Director Anne Azéma.
Available for streaming at any time before midnight EST on Sunday, March 21
There is no limit on the number of times you can watch the program during its specified period. If you have registered already, you will receive an email containing the link to the video when it is ready to view.
Our musical gift for this cycle anticipates what’s to come as Mother Earth gradually reawakens. Our friend and collaborator Nigel North plays Nicholas Vallet’s 1613 setting for lute of the English ballad tune, “All In a Garden Green.” We offer the performance with cheer and good hope!
And we remind you that Nigel North, with our own Anne Azéma, will be giving a special, online duo recital of Renaissance lute songs and instrumentals, streaming May 15-31.
The music will be special, and the venue as well. To help us celebrate spring, our friends at Historic New England have opened the doors of the beautiful Lyman Estate in Waltham, MA for this event. The Estate’s grand, yet intimate, ballroom offers a visually and sonically rewarding space for chamber music. It’s a perfect setting for the lute song repertoire as transmitted via the uniquely gifted Azéma-North duo, filmed by Dave Jamrog. Please join us!
For the first part of our online spring mini-series, hear and see Anne Azéma as she narrates and sings an age-old conundrum: how distant lovers keep the flame alive, despite all.
This free event, To the Distant Beloved, will stream for all of Early Music Day weekend, March 19 – 21; you can register by clicking the Buy Tickets button.
As an appetizer, here is Guillaume de Machaut’s joyful reminiscence of a moment with his true love.
Quand je suis mis au retour, Guillaume de Machaut (1300-1377)
Anne Azéma, voice
Parker Library Machaut Project. Monophonic virelai
When I return from having seen my lady, I am free of pain and worry…
“My mistress embodies all virtues:” so goes the text of one of the 15th centuries’ most beloved melodies, De tous bien plaine. We propose a little bouquet, including three variant settings of this tune, by an all-star lineup of Franco-Flemish masters: Alexander Agricola (1446-1506), followed by Josquin Desprez (ca.1450-1521), and a return to Alexander Agricola.
The vocal soloist is Michael Barrett, and all of the music from this live performance can also be heard on Camerata’s recent, excellent CD Treasures of Devotion. Please enjoy!
Music by Henry Purcell (1659-1695) – Libretto by Nahum Tate (1652-1715)
This new production of Purcell’s only true opera features performances by live and remote musicians and media elements conceived by Peter Torpey, all stitched together to be viewed from the safety and comfort of your home. Artistic Director Anne Azéma leads a stellar cast, with Tahanee Aluwihare as Dido, Luke Scott as Aeneas, Camila Parias as Dido’s sister Belinda, and Jordan Weatherston Pitts as the Sorcerer.
Our trailer was created by Peter Torpey featuring music from the 1979 Boston Camerata recording of Dido and Aeneas.
