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News
- [2008/11/20] "A
Boston Camerata Christmas"--The Most Seraphic Holiday Gift Around
- [2008/12/6] "Boston Camerata Receives Rave Reviews
for Upcoming Boston Series"
- [2008/11/8] Azéma and the Camerata
Throw a Party
- [2008/10/16] The Boston Camerata at the Isabelle
Stewart Gardner Museum
- [2008/09/21] French Singer Azema to Direct
Camerata
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Online Newsletter
December 2008
"Boston
Camerata Receives Rave Reviews for Upcoming Boston Series"
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THE BOSTON
CAMERATA
ANNE AZÉMA,
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
JOEL
COHEN, MUSIC DIRECTOR EMERITUS
"Exuberant and Ecstatic...A
Many-Colored Tapestry"
The Washington Post - December
9, 2008
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The Boston Camerata |
The Boston Camerata preserves and
reawakens human memory as expressed
through the art of music. It
accomplishes this mission through live,
historically informed, professional
performances of European music of the
Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque eras
and early American music; through study
and research into musical sources of the
past; through sound recordings and media
projects; and through music education
and outreach.
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Season's
Greetings!
The Boston Camerata's local concert
series begins this Friday!
We are so excited to perform The
Brotherhood of the Star for our
wonderful Boston audience.
Most recently, The Boston
Camerata performed The
Brotherhood of the Star in
Washington, D.C. to rave
reviews, found in the article
below.
Our Boston Camerata
Christmas CD is now in
the office and available for
sale - don't miss out on this
fabulous holiday collection!
We look forward to seeing you at
our upcoming concerts!
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Accolades
After The Boston Camerata's The
Brotherhood of the Star
performances December 7
and 8 at Dumbarton Oaks in
Washington, D.C., the following
article appeared in the
Washington Post:
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The Boston Camerata might have
been born some 54 years ago,
under the star of the Boston
Museum of Fine Arts, but it's
hard to imagine a more perfect
setting for its artistry than
the Dumbarton Oaks music room.
It was there Sunday -- in
candlelit Renaissance splendor,
surrounded by tapestries and
framed by marble arches -- that
the Camerata kicked off its
newest Christmas program, a
collection of the music of the
Iberian Peninsula and the New
World that the Camerata is
calling "The Brotherhood of the
Star." "Brotherhood" is the
operative word here. As Music
Director Emeritus Joel Cohen
explained, the cultural riches
of both of these regions derive
their diversity from various
races and religions.
The music flowed seamlessly,
knitting Gregorian chant,
13th-century cantigas,
Renaissance motets, 18th- and
19th-century foot-stomping
indigenous celebrations, and
20th-century chants from
Moroccan and Turkish Sephardic
Jews into a many-colored
tapestry that rivaled those on
the walls. The six singers and
four instrumentalists grouped
and regrouped almost
imperceptibly, and there was
almost as much rhythm to the
morphing from one piece to
another as there was in the
music itself.
Sections of the program were
framed by readings of the
familiar Christmas portion of
the Gospel of Saint Luke and
some wonderful declamatory
reading of Spanish texts, and
the program ended in an
exuberant and ecstatic
free-for-all on "Convidando Esta
la Noche" by 17th-century
Mexican composer Juan Garcia
Zespiedes.
Cohen's comments emphasized the
music's diversity. To my ears,
what is so fascinating is how
much these pieces have in
common. They share a spirit
grounded in a harmonic idiom, a
melodic shape and a rhythmic
energy that makes their Hispanic
origin unmistakable. The
Camerata's elegant performance
highlighted and made accessible
their pleasures.
- Joan Reinthaler
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The Most Seraphic
Holiday Gift Around
This
wonderful, specially priced
three-CD set of Camerata
Christmas favorites just
flew into our office via
Carrier Angel from London.
We are told that it will be
in the stores for the
holiday shopping season,
and we will also be making
it available directly
through our office, and at
concerts.
The beautifully designed
box contains three
separate programs: "An
American Christmas," "A
French Christmas," and
"A Spanish Christmas,"
over three hours of
music in all, performed
by the Camerata's
virtuoso vocal soloists
and instrumentalists,
with help from
supporting ensembles
like the Boston Shawm
and Sackbut Ensemble,
the Schola Cantorum of
Boston, Camerata
Mediterranea, Les Amis
de la Sagesse, and the
Abelkrim Rais Orchestra
of Fez, Morocco. There
are seventy-five tracks,
about two hundred
minutes of sheer joy in
this generous package,
and we can't think of
a lovelier way to share
the true spirit of the
season with your family
and friends than
by spreading the wealth
of this heavenly music
all around the cosmos.
When the first members
of Camerata's inner
circle heard about the
Warner-Erato pricing for
this set some celestial
lightbulbs went off in
their heads, and orders
immediately came in for
five sets here, ten
sets there: like those
earlybird purchasers,
you won't find a better
or more truly rich gift
idea this season. A
word to the Wise Men
(and Women)....
"The perfect
holiday
collection"
- The
Audiophile
Audition
"Help to focus
the mind and spirit
during the weeks
ahead."
- The Boston
Globe
"As I listened, I
felt as if the sky
had cracked open...
Buy it and anything
else directed by
Cohen"
- The Boston
Globe
A Boston Camerata
Christmas: $25
For sale at The Boston
Camerata concerts and
Auburndale offices.
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The Boston Camerata LIVE
on WGBH
Tune in to host Cathy Fuller on
WGBH (89.7) December 16th at
11:00am to hear an
interview with Anne Azema and
Joel Cohen, as well as live cast
performances of excerpts from
upcoming concert The
Brotherhood of the Star!
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The Brotherhood of the
Star:
A Hispanic Christmas
1300-1700
Directed
by Joel Cohen
Fabulous Holiday Music
from the Old World (Spain and
Catalonia) and the New (Mexico,
Bolivia and Peru), with
seductive African melodies and
rhythms. Surprising and Joyful!
"Brisk, ear-cleansing, jubilant,
and inspiring."
- The Boston Globe
Friday, December 12, 2008
8:00 PM
Follen Church Society
Lexington, Massachusetts
Tickets: $22/$32/$46
Saturday, December 13, 2008
8:00 PM
First Church Boston
Boston, Massachusetts
Tickets: $22/$32/$46
Sunday, December 14, 2008
3:00 PM
St. Martin's Church
Providence, Rhode Island
Tickets: $12/$17/$25
Friday, December 19, 2008
8:00 PM
First Church in Cambridge
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Tickets: $22/$32/$46
Saturday, December 20, 2008
8:00 PM
First Parish Church
Newbury, Massachusetts
General Admission: $32
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Online Newsletter
November 2008
"A Boston Camerata
Christmas"--The Most Seraphic Holiday Gift Around
This
wonderful, specially priced three-CD set of Camerata Christmas
favorites just flew into our office via Carrier Angel from London. We
are told that it will be in the stores for the holiday shopping season,
and we will also be making it available directly through our office,
and at concerts.
The beautifully designed box contains three separate programs: "An
American Christmas," "A French Christmas," and "A Spanish Christmas,"
over three hours of music in all, performed by the Camerata's virtuoso
vocal soloists and instrumentalists, with help from supporting
ensembles like the Boston Shawm and Sackbut Ensemble, the Schola
Cantorum of Boston, Camerata Mediterranea, Les Amis de la Sagesse, and
the Abelkrim Rais Orchestra of Fez, Morocco. There are seventy-five
tracks, about two hundred minutes of sheer joy in this generous
package, and we can't think of a lovelier way to share the true spirit
of the season with your family and friends than by spreading the wealth
of this heavenly music all around the cosmos.
When the first members of Camerata's inner circle heard about the
Warner-Erato pricing for this set some celestial lightbulbs went off in
their heads, and orders immediately came in for five sets here, ten
sets there: like those earlybird purchasers, you won't find a better or
more truly rich gift idea this season. A word to the Wise Men
(and Women)....
Land of Pure
Delight:
Azéma and the Camerata Throw a Party,
"Exuberant
and Touching"
Anne Azéma, in her first turn as
Camerata's new Artistic Director, and the entire cast of "Land of Pure
Delight", drew a spontaneous standing ovation at concert's end last
November 8. But the event was not over. Anne invited the large crowd to an
informal music-and-dance event in First Church's meeting room, and, to the
strains of "Yankee Doodle," we snaked out of the sanctuary, wended our way
past the bathroom queue, and danced our hearts out for yet another hour.
What a release from the election tensions of just a few days before! And
what a great community we enjoy among Camerata musicians and concert-goers!
Lloyd Schwartz of the Boston Phoenix had only praise for our sterling
performers:
After 40 years, the irrepressible Joel Cohen has stepped down from
directing the Boston Camerata,
handing
over the reins to his wife, Anne Azéma, the accomplished mezzo-soprano who
looks like a Christmas angel. In "Land of Pure Delight: In Search of an
American Soul," Azéma put together an exuberant and touching anthology of
18th- and 19th-century songs about "our joys, our worries, our pains, and
our anger." The rangy selection encompassed vigorous marches (supplied by
the Middlesex County Volunteers Fife and Drums), poignant laments (like
soprano Lydia Brotherton's heartbreaking "Johnny has gone for a soldier"),
celebrations of liberty, and at the end a communal cotillion in the basement
of Cambridge's First Church (where the acoustics are surely less muddy than
in the church itself). The expressive ensemble also included bass-baritone
Donald Wilkinson, tenors Daniel Hershey and Jason McStoots, fiddler
extraordinaire Shira Kammen, flutist/guitarist Jesse Lepkoff, and cellist
Reimar Seidler. As Azéma points out, these composed songs are shot through
"with the ethos of folksong and oral tradition." Unacademic, non-liturgical,
the insinuating modal harmonies in even the jolliest pieces have a tinge of
melancholy — a surprising, poignant aspect of the American character.
In our photo, you can see the fifes of the Middlesex County
Volunteers, summoning patriotic emotion in the higher partials of the
hearing range.....mind the music, and the step!
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Online Newsletter
October 2008
The Boston Camerata at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
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THE BOSTON CAMERATA |
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The Boston Camerata
preserves and reawakens human memory as
expressed through the art of music. It
accomplishes this mission through live,
historically informed, professional
performances of European and American music
of the Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque
eras; through study and research into
musical sources of the past; through sound
recordings and media projects; and through
community outreach and musical education.
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Dear Friends,
The Boston
Camerata will be playing at the Isabella
Stewart Gardner Museum this Sunday,
October 19th!
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"Vieni
Imeneo:
Music and Marriage in
Renaissance Italy"
1:30pm
Isabella Stewart Gardner
Museum
A musical tour of nuptial mores
in Florence, Rome, Venice, and other centers
of Italian splendor, ca. 1450-1600: the
pride and power of noble families, the
resplendent bride and groom, the blessing of
the Church, and the nocturnal rites of
Hymen. Music of Dufay, Josquin, Monteverdi,
and others for varied consorts of voices and
Renaissance instruments
Held in conjunction with THE TRIUMPH
OF MARRIAGE: PAINTED CASSONI OF THE
RENAISSANCE (16 October 2008 to 18
January 2009)
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We hope to see you this weekend, and
look forward to seeing you for our
upcoming season!
Sincerely,
Meghan Getz
Administrative Assistant
The Boston Camerata |
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Online Newsletter
September 2008
French Singer Azéma to Direct Camerata
Boston, MA--Big changes are underway at the Boston Camerata, the local early
music ensemble with a major international reputation.
Directed for the last 39 years by Joel Cohen, who has led the group from modest
beginnings to a round-the-globe touring and recording career, the Camerata has
appointed the French-born Anne Azéma as its new Artistic Director.
Anne Azéma begins her tenure in September; at the same time, Joel Cohen will
assume his new role as Music Director Emeritus.
Ms. Azéma, distinguished soprano, ensemble director, and scholar, has built a
major, independent career as a leading specialist in medieval song, all the
while remaining closely associated for many seasons with The Boston Camerata.
With Camerata she has been present as soloist, pedagogue, and frequent guest
director. She has collaborated on virtually all of the group’s tours and
recordings since the early 1980s, and is a co-recipient of the Grand Prix du
Disque for her role as Iseult in Camerata’s production of Tristan et Iseult.
As an independent recitalist and researcher, Anne Azéma has produced five CD
recordings of music from the French and Provençal middle ages, earning numerous
awards and distinctions here and overseas in the process. Her recent teaching
activities include extended residencies at the University of Oregon and the
University of Tennessee, Knoxville, as well as lectures and workshops in
Germany, France, the Netherlands, and elsewhere.
Ms. Azéma will be guiding the fortunes of Camerata’s long-established in-town
series, now in its 54th year, as well as planning and leading tours and
recording projects. As Music Director Emeritus, Joel Cohen will continue to
perform and to offer an assisting role to the new Artistic Director.
“I've sung with The Boston Camerata for many a season and many scores of
concerts,” she continues, “and occasionally directed a Camerata production
with my wonderful musician colleagues. This year, however, marks my first as
Camerata's Artistic Director, and I am thrilled at the opportunity. The overall
title of this new season is ‘Lands of Pure Delight’, says Azéma. “The common
theme of these concerts is exploration: migrations and immigrations, yearnings
for distant love and dreams of lands not yet known.” ”
The Boston Camerata, founded in 1954 at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, was
directed from 1969 to 2008 by Joel Cohen, who remains active with the ensemble.
Camerata’s discography now numbers over 30 recordings, with a fresh Christmas
compilation scheduled for release in October 2008. The early music group tours
extensively the world over, most recently, in 2007-2008, to France, Australia,
and New Zealand.
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August 2008
A Cruise To
Remember
by
Meghan Getz, Administrative Assistant
40 percent chance of rain, 50 percent chance of rain, 60…
we anxiously watched radars and weather forecasts as Sunday approached, and
prayed to the weather gods to let that rain hold out just until Sunday night.
The Boston Camerata’s summer fundraising cruise with Tall Ship Formidable in
Boston Harbor was scheduled for August 3rd at 3:00pm, and we looked
forward to a wonderful afternoon of sailing, fine fare, music, and champagne.
As we arrived at the marina for Tall Ship Formidable, we were informed we could
board the boat, but we couldn’t set sail until our captains knew what the
ominous band of weather was going to do. So, in true Boston Camerata
trouper form, we brought our supplies on board, welcomed our guests, and began
the festivities. Joel and Anne were magnificent, as always, and regaled us
with
songs about love, the sea, and adventure
from our upcoming concerts. As their
heavenly music wafted over the Boston Harbor, black clouds were gathering in
the heavens above.
Thunder rolled in the distance, and our captain announced
that the weather band was moving in very quickly, and we might have wanted to
move down into the cabin “five minutes ago,” calmly pointing to the wall of rain
moving swiftly in our direction. We scrambled to get our guests and food
below deck before the rain hit, but before everyone could make it downstairs to
a dry seat, the storm hit like a mighty army in the middle of a crusade.
The boat reared back and forth, and I was nearly knocked overboard by a
particularly strong gust, caught only by netting existing only to prevent that
very calamity, as we were trying to usher our guests down below amidst the
pouring rain… and hail. The hail came down in powerful torrents – the
first time I’ve been caught outside in that form of the elements, and the last
time I ever plan to be. The last person on deck, I finally made it down into
the cabin, hail tumbling behind me as I hurried to get to the bottom of the
stairs.
I glanced around at our stunned-looking guests, and
sheepishly laughed at my now-soaked party dress as I said hello to Kathryn
Welter, executive director, and our board president Ken Turino, who
magnificently popped open some much-needed champagne. Immediately, what
seemed to be a horrible turn of events became one of the most memorable and
wonderful experiences of my career in the arts. We passed around food,
desserts and champagne while Anne and Joel sang hilariously bawdy sailors’ tunes
accompanied by the booming thunder and pounding rain. We all felt
transported to a different time and place, part of a truly unique transcendent
musical experience. Our guests joined in to the round “Hey, Ho, Nobody
Home,” and naturally some mutterings of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” wafted in and
out of conversation. Gradually, the storm blew over, the sun came out, and
we moved back up on deck of our ship Poincare. Anne and Joel treated us
with a few more songs, the desserts started to disappear, and we decided to call
it a day before the next string of rain hit.
That night, reflecting on the afternoon’s events, I decided
that I preferred the rainstorm over a completely sunny day sailing around the
Boston Harbor. Our guests were incredibly equable and good-humored, and
the
music provided by Anne and Joel instantly
took all thoughts away from the elements around us. No, we never left the
dock, and yes, we all got a bit (and in my case, completely) wet, but we
experienced a togetherness and a shared camaraderie not often encountered in
formal fundraising events. I am truly honored to be a part of The Boston
Camerata, with its musicians who can turn the
greyest skies into a lovely adventure, and look forward to the season to
come…and perhaps an indoor fundraising event.
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July 2008
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The Boston Camerata
Artistic Director, Anne Azema
Joel Cohen, Music Director Emeritus |
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The
Boston Camerata |
The Boston Camerata preserves and
reawakens human memory as
expressed through the art of
music. It accomplishes this
mission through live,
historically informed,
professional performances of
European and American music
of the Medieval, Renaissance
and Baroque eras; through
study and research into
musical sources of the past;
through sound recordings and
media projects; and through
community outreach and
musical education. |
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Dear Friend,
Please be our guest on
Sunday, August 3rd for our
fundraising cruise: a
lovely summer afternoon
of wonderful company
and wonderful music to help
benefit the programs of the
Boston Camerata. Don't
forget to bring a friend!
Kathryn Welter, Executive
Director
The Boston Camerata
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Boston
Camerata Sunday Cruise |
Sail Away with the Boston Camerata:
An afternoon cruise with
champagne, light fare and
music
Come join The Boston
Camerata for an afternoon
cruise with Tall Ship
Formidable. Enjoy a
relaxing harbor cruise
featuring musical
selections from Camerata's own
Anne Azema and Joel Cohen as
well as an appearance by the
Formidable's Morris
dancers.
EVENT INFO:
August 3, 2008
3:00-5:00pm, boarding at
2:45pm
Tickets: $125 ($100 per
ticket is tax-deductible)
Location and Directions
Please R.S.V.P. by July 31, 2008 by telephone at
(617) 262-2092,
or by sending an email
through a reply to this
email or to Meghan Getz at
assistant@bostoncamerata.org.
Rain date: September 2008 (day and time tba) |
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April 2008
Camerata Stuns them Down Under!
“Stunning,”
said the critic of the Sidney Morning Post on hearing Boston Camerata’s
singers perform in
Borrowed Light. We were on an extended tour February-March
with the Tero Saarinen Dance Company in Australia and New Zealand, ten
performances in all. Huge, cheering crowds greeted the music and dance
production at theaters in Perth and Wellington. The Wellington church where we
gave our American Vocalist program was filled to the brim with enthusiastic
fans.
“Thank you for
coming here, finally, after all these years,” said one New Zealand
fan to us post-concert. The reviews we saw in the papers were just as warm
and welcoming: “Lustrous,” said the Wellington Dominion Post of the
musical performance. “The ravishingly beautiful singing from The Boston
Camerata...turns the dancers and the audience around the great wheel, moving in
the ocean of love." We even got a Maori welcoming ceremony in our
honor soon after our arrival in New Zealand (they sang and danced for us, we
offered a Shaker song in friendly response).
Well, thank
you.
And the love was
reciprocal....musicians were blown away by the summer weather, the
vegetation, the beaches, the animals (Anne Azéma took portraits of
a wild kangaroo), the birds (ornithologist Donnie Wilkinson spotted over a
hundred species, list on request), the wine (aaah, general
enthusiasm), et cetera et cetera.
The only downside
was the monster jetlag on returning....but we survived that trial and are
looking forward to future performances with Tero and his gifted dancers.
Stay tuned for announcements of the next tour!
And to read soprano Lydia Brotherton's touchingly-written travel souvenirs of Australia and New Zealand please click here
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Our photo: Singers and dancers on rehearsal break at
the St. James Theater, Wellington, New Zealand |
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--Joel Cohen, April 2008
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In Perth, Camerata singers Frazier, Azéma, Wilkinson, Hershey,
and Brotherton socialize with an unidentified bystander. |
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February
2008
The Boston
Camerata Announces New Leadership
February
1, Boston, MA
– Big changes are underway at the Boston
Camerata, the local early music ensemble with an international reputation.Led
for the last 39 years by Joel Cohen, who has brought the group from modest
beginnings to a round-the-globe touring and recording career, the Boston
Camerata will be appointing the French-born
Anne Azéma as its new Artistic Director.
Anne Azéma will begin her
tenure in September; at the same time, Joel Cohen will assume his new role as
Music Director Emeritus.
Ms. Azéma, distinguished
soprano, ensemble director, and scholar, has built a major, independent career
as a leading specialist in medieval song, all the while remaining closely
associated for many seasons with The Boston Camerata. With Camerata she
has appeared as soloist, pedagogue, and frequent guest director. She has
been present on virtually all of the group’s tours and recordings since the
early 1980’s, and is a co-recipient of the Grand Prix du Disque for
her role as Iseult in Camerata’s production of Tristan et Iseult.
As an independent
recitalist and researcher, Anne Azéma has produced five CD
recordings of music from the French and Provençal middle ages, earning
numerous awards and distinctions here and overseas in the process. Her
recent teaching activities include extended residencies at the University of
Oregon and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, as well as lectures and
workshops in Germany, France, the Netherlands, and elsewhere.
Ms. Azéma will be guiding
the fortunes of Camerata’s long-established in-town series, now in its 54th
year, as well as planning and leading tours and recording projects. As
Music Director Emeritus, Joel Cohen will continue to perform and to offer an
assisting role to the new Artistic Director.
“Anne’s presence in
Camerata is a wonderful and continuing gift of musicianship and artistry,” says
Ken Turino, president of the Boston Camerata’s board. “We are happily
anticipating a new era as she leads us all forward.”
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Anne
Azéma is one of the world's leading interpreters of early vocal music. She has
been acclaimed by critics on four continents for her original, passionate, and
vivid approach to songs and texts of the Middle Ages.
Ms. Azéma has also been widely
praised in many other repertoires, from Renaissance lute songs to Baroque sacred
music to twentieth-century music theatre. De Volkskrant, an Amsterdam
publication, noted that "Azéma is, in her genre, as great as Callas or Fischer
Dieskau."
Since 1993, Anne Azéma has been
not only the performer but also the creator of her programs. She researches and
edits the repertoire, frequently transcribing the material herself from original
sources. Her genuine and personal involvement with musical scholarship, combined
with her performer's flair for immediacy of communication, give her recitals and
recordings both a historical depth and an expressive "edge" that are unique in
the field.
Ms. Azéma’s most recent work has
been the production of THE NIGHT’S TALE: A TOURNAMENT OF LOVE, the result of a
residency at the Arsenal of Metz during the 2005-2007 seasons. This innovative
program, conceived and directed by Ms. Azéma, is based on Le Tournoi
(Tournament) de Chauvency written circa 1310 by the French poet Jacques
Bretel, a musical narration of a courtly celebration in the Lorraine region of
France. The CD was issued late in 2007 in France, to critical acclaim.
Anne Azéma has co-directed
programs for the Boston Camerata and has been a soloist with numerous ensembles,
large and small, early and contemporary. Her recent festival invitations
as a soloist, recitalist or director include Amsterdam, Graz, Dresden,
Leipzig, Spoleto, Seville, Versailles, Jerusalem, Berlin, Boston, Bergen,
Ambronay, Utrecht, Casablanca, Kyoto, Tanglewood and Tokyo. Among her teaching
activities are master classes, seminars and residencies at conservatories and
universities in France, Holland, Mexico and the U.S. She has contributed
articles to scholarly and general audience publications. Ms Azéma's current
discography numbers about thirty recordings on the Erato, Harmonia Mundi,
Virgin, Nonesuch, Bridge, Calliope, Atma, K 617 and Warner labels.
PRESS
“Anne Azéma understands perfectly how to bring her
audience under the spell of Medieval love poetry.” --Frankfurter
Allgemeine Zeitung
“The singer Anne Azéma is the right person to clarify and
actualize the hazy contours of the music of the Middle Ages, by the penetrating
way in which she manages to link word and music.” --De
Volkskrant, Amsterdam
"An extremely well conceived program. With the marvelous
colors of her
voice, Azéma is our guide: imagination, fervor, suavity and rigor are the
essential virtues of her interpretation" --The
Montpellier (France) Gazette
“Very few early musicians can play as palatably and still
remain true to
their traditional method of performance. Ms Azéma is the cream of the crop.”
--The New York Sun
"Beautiful and generous, with just the right touch of
sensuality and
warmth that has for too long been absent in this kind of singing; the
instrumentation is ingenious." --Télérama, Paris
"Azéma is, in her genre, as great as Callas or Fischer
Dieskau." --De Volkskrant (Amsterdam)
“The splendidly pure voice. . . floats out as if
descending directly from Heaven. You could weep at the beauty of it. . .”
--The Village Voice
“Anne Azéma is an early music soprano who can move from
angelic purity to down and dirty.” --The Boston Globe
DISCOGRAPHY
Le Tournoi de Chauvency
– Une joute d’Amour en Lorraine, K617-
2007
Etoile du nord,
Gauthier de Coincy, Calliope - 2003 (CD of the Year, Toronto, 10 de Répetoire)
Die Stadt der Narren,
Medieval Political Songs, WDR - 2001
El Maestro,
Spanish Love Songs, WDR - 2000
Provence mystique,
Erato - 1998 (10 de Répertoire, **** Le Monde de la Musique,
YYYYY Diapason, Grand Prix des Discophiles, nominated, ffff Télérama, 5
Classica)
Le Jeu d’amour,
Erato - 1996 (10 de Répertoire, **** Le Monde de la Musique)
The Unicorn,
Erato - 1994 (10 de Répertoire, Choc du Monde de la Musique,
'Critics Choice'Gramophone, YYYYY Diapason)
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Camerata's Tristan in a New Reissue From Warner Classics
Absent from the catalog for several seasons,
Tristan & Iseult, one of
Camerata's most famous and honored recordings, is now once again
available on Warner Classics, and we are delighted. On its
initial release, this recording won the Grand Prix du Disque,
as well as dozens of enthusiastic reviews around the globe, and was a
bestseller of the Erato Disques catalog.
Camerata's current live production of Tristan, including several
members of the original cast (Anne Azéma was and is an unforgettable Iseult)
played to a sold-out hall in Paris in January, 2008, and is
a prominent part of our 2007-2008 in-town season as well. Further
plans are underway for touring in 2009 -- stay tuned for more news!
January 2008
Camerata's
Winter Concerts Warm Parisian Hearts
It was a snowy, blowy December in the American Northeast, and the bad weather
even managed to blow away two of Camerata's scheduled Christmas concerts, an
unwelcome first in our long history of holiday performances. But the shows that
did take place, under Anne Azéma's direction, were a joy.
Winter in Europe on the days following was milder.....but we still needed coats
to pose for the accompanying photo, taken outside Paris' Theatre de la Ville,
where Joel and the Camerata, along with our friends from the Sharq Ensemble,
performed Mediterranean Christmas for a large and vocally enthusiastic
crowd. The audience in Metz the next day was equally warm and welcoming.
Camerata's winter mini-season in France continues in January with a nationally
broadcast radio appearance and two performances of Tristan and Iseult;
the Paris show sold out months ahead.... Oddly enough, though Tristan
has toured widely in North America, Europe, and Asia, this will be the Paris
premičre! We'll be back in Boston in February to share the magnificent Tristan
legend, for the first time in many seasons, with our home audience. Meanwhile,
best New Year's greetings from the other side of the puddle :-).
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DISCOGRAPHY
Please have a look at our record listings. The
Boston
Camerata has made lots of recordings (more, we guess, then any other
early-music group in the New World). Many of these recorded programs have won
international awards and distinctions. They all contain terrific music. In the
recording links we invite
you to explore, you can find track listings and/or extensive program notes for
most of the titles, some song texts, and now even a few sound
clips here
and there (more of these to come). We aim to give good information on our current
CD's for record buyers, prospective concert presenters, and early-music mavens.
There is much in the program notes for students of music history.
Besides all this
interesting material you can browse for free, you can even buy the music
from us (hint). Yes, we have to charge a little more than Amazon or CD Now,
but we offer personalized service. And you have the satisfaction of knowing
that your music-purchase dollars help support real, live musicians, not some
faceless Wall Street suits.... |
We welcome
your inquiries. The Boston Camerata's
highly acclaimed CD's on Erato, Nonesuch, and Harmonia Mundi (here is
another chance to consult the current discography ), and other good stuff. All
profits from merchandise sales go towards supporting future Boston Camerata
projects.
Click on this link for more info concerning Camerata director Joel Cohen; or send him
mail by clicking here. To inquire about
Camerata activities, purchase tickets, order merchandise, offer comments or suggestions
regarding what's on our Web site, we welcome email at the following address: manager@bostoncamerata.org |
Boston
Camerata OnLine Newsletter Archives:
Contact: The Boston Camerata,
45 Ash St. Auburndale, MA 02466, 617.262.2092.
©2008 by The Boston Camerata. Inc.
"A perfect
example of what a web site can be when set up by passionate musical performers"
-- Goldberg Magazine, Madrid
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