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Greater Boston Concert Series | Summer
Workshop in Provence
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" Joel Cohen
pursues, with Liberty Tree, the exploration of a precious heritage...with
just the right popular enthusiasm, a fine sense of rhythm and color, and
a varied instrumental accompaniments, singers and players brilliantly
revive these songs of a young America."
-- Le Monde de la Musique (Paris), October 98
"The Boston
Camerata is one of the many jewels in Erato's crown. Under Joel Cohen's
direction, this exquisite vocal group of half a dozen voices, plus equally
refined instrumental ensemble, invariably serves up beautifully judged
performances."
-- BBC Music Magazine (London), October 98
"An astonishing
recording...at once epic, heroic, nostalgic, and tender...this is the
real America!"
-- Telerama (Paris), July 15, 1998
"Joel Cohen,
wiith his singers and musicians, has a real devotion to this repertoire.
And you can hear that."
-- Ouest France, June 26, 1998
"Fascinating...the
young members of the Boston Camerata play and sing with enthusiasm and
conviction, and they are to be heartily congratulated on their enterprise."
-- Ian Lace, Film Music on the Web (Internet Site)
The Camerata Mediterranea returned to Fez, Morrocco in mid-October to make
its recording of King Alfonso el Sabio's magnificent Cantigas.
Our esteemed collaborators are the members of the Orchestre Andalou de Fez,
directed by Mohammed Briouel. For years, scholars have been discussing the
probable links between the Christian music of medieval Spain and the rich
Arab-andalusian tradition still flourishing in North Africa. Now, we are
putting those scholarly hypotheses to the test, as a team of Arab, Jewish,
and Christian musicians collaborates on this very important repertoire.
This project we believe, constitutes an important milestone in the history
of the early music movement. And it is a meaningful moment in contemporary
history, as well.
Back from our 1998 European tour of Tristan & Iseult, we are happy
to report that audiences in eatern France and Germany were unanimously enthusiastic
about the current production. The legendary Andrea von Ramm, co-founder
of the Studio der Fruehen Musik, is pictured in the rehearsal photo to the
right, in her role as narrator. As ever, she is an utterly fantastic performer.
To see her at work is a phenomenon, and we in the Camerata are proud to
call her our friend.
The Regensburg Festival concert was recorded for broadcast by the German radio; when we learn more about the broadcast date, we will keep you posted. Meanwhile, plans are being made for another Tristan tour during the 1999-2000 season. European presenters are urged to write Cvmutius@compuserve.com. for more information.
Tristan & Iseult, Camerata's most-honored
production, received its première performances a little over ten
years ago. I remember those months of research, recording and rehearsal
as one of the richest and most absorbing times of my career.
Ten years ago, too, Henri Ledroit, who created the role of Tristan, died in Nancy. The souvenir of the time he spent with us, for this, the last major project of his too-short career, remains with us, ineradicable. As we begin another tour of Tristan, Henri's presence, and then his absence, stay connected in our thoughts with this music and poetry. And we thank Laurence Lamberger for linking the upcoming Nancy concert with Henri's memory. We will do our best to honor him by keeping this Tristan production alive.
Joel Cohen
The NPR Performance
Today Awards are billed as the "only American Awards devoted exclusively
to classical music". Angels was in good company: the other featured
nominees are The New York Philharmonic, Emerson String Quartet, Yo-Yo
Ma, the Kronos Quartet, and (oh well...) Paul McCartney.
There are
six categories for awards, and Angels was nominated in the New
Horizon category, which "recognizes and artist, ensemble, or composer
whose recordings demonstrate significant potential to reach a newer, younger
or broader audience, without compromising artistic quality."
The Fez ensemble
is directed by Mohammed Briouel, and the Camerata Mediterranea's featured
soloists are Anne Azéma, Françoise Atlan, Hayet Ayad, Equidad
Barres, and Saïd Chraïbi.
Public
concerts took place on March 23 in Fez, and March 24 in Casablanca; more
concerts in Morocco, and the Erato recording, are scheduled for October.
The first European performances are
already scheduled for November. Wish us luck, and stay tuned for more
news: -- we will keep you posted!
1. He
is Kurt Weill, German-born composer (1900-1950) and a major creative figure
of 20th century music.
1a. This
is the guy who wrote "Mack the Knife."
2. Joel
Cohen's new recording of Weill's neglected American masterpiece, Johnny
Johnson, is admittedly NOT an early music CD. But it was produced
by the Boston Camerata, and features many Camerata regulars in the cast.
2a. The
recording of Johnny Johnson (Erato 0630-17870-2) is already a major
success with the critics. It has just been named to the best-CD's-of-the-year
list in two important newspapers: The Boston Globe ("a major rediscovery")
and Le Monde (Paris) ("interprétation fine, juste,emballante").
The flow
of awards and distinctions continued unabated in late 1997 and early 1998.
Here is the current chart:
Sweet Beauty
among us....
Camerata's most recent CD for Erato, Douce Beauté:
Pierre Guédron et l'Air de Cour,, was recently released in Europe,
and will be available in the U.S. starting in May. Featured soloists are
Anne Azéma, William Hite, Donald Wilkinson, and Paul Guttry, in this
ravishing compilation of French lovesongs from the dawn of the Baroque era.
The music, we think, is as erotically charged (and just as beautiful) as
the album's cover art.
(Douce Beauté,
The first review:)
Du titre,
ce disque a effectivement la beauté, qui semble inhérente
à tout projet mené par cette fine équipe qui nous a
donné de si nombreux joyaux déjà. De douce, il a les
voix des chanteurs qui parlent un français si précis [merci
Anne pour le travail de diction] avec cette prononciation qui le rend si
attachant. Mais il y a plus, il y a le swing inimittable que Joël Cohen
sait mettre dans cette musique [peut-être même encore plus en
concert :-], comme dans la suite de pièce sur le thème de
"Est-ce Mars". Et cette gouaille qu'il imprime à cette chanson de
Bataille plage 20 ? Bref, vous l'aurez compris, que ce soit des chansons
de Dowland ou de la Renaissance française tardive [si peu illustrée
par le disque], la Boston Camerata interprète son répertoire
avec talent, engagement et douce beauté. Un régal
pour gourmets.
-- Bruno Cornec, Monthly
listing of Early Music CDs
Angelic
Awards on NPR
Angels:
Voices of Eternity, by Joel Cohen, Tod Machover, and The Boston
Camerata, was nominated for National Public Radio's (NPR) Performance Today
Awards, announced on Wednesday, April 15 at a ceremony at New York's Lincoln
Center. The ceremony was broadcast nationwide on NPR's Performance Today.
-- news
item received from composer Tod Machover, who created the synthesized
sound for "Angels".
A Mediterranean
Adventure
The Boston Camerata's sister ensemble, Camerata Mediterranea, began collaborating
this March in Morocco with the Andalou Orchestra of Fez, Morrocco, in an
unusual project of medieval Spanish song. The wonderful Cantigas
of Alfonso el Sabio, King of Castille and Leon (1221-1284) are being rehearsed
and performed by an extraordinary group of musicians from widely varied
backgrounds: French, Spanish, Sephardic Jewish, Kabyll, and Arab. 
A Golden
Oldie returns to the catalogue.
Who is
this man,
and why
is he hanging out on Camerata's website?
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