Jacques Clément News
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2024-04-25
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2023-12-22 14:11:00
A welcome relief from regular Christmas fare: the Tallis Scholars introduce us to the subtle riches of Jacobus Clemens non Papa
[…] on Jacobus Clemens non Papa's Missa Pastores quidnam vidistis along with the motet on which it was based, along with other motets on similar texts by Victoria, Pedro de Cristo and Giovanni Croce, plus motets by Obrecht and Peter Philips. The concert was broadcast live on BBC Radio 3, which means that it is available for 30 days on BBC Sounds.Not a great deal of biographical information is known about the Flemish composer Jacobus Clemens (aka Jacques Clément) and even his nickname, 'non Papa', is the subject of discussion. Most of his surviving music is sacred, and he never seems to have visited Italy, so that his music is particular local variety of the Franco-Flemish style that was popular in Europe.We began with Clemens non Papa's motet, Pastores quidnam vidistis, gently expressive with the performers relishing the civilised polyphony. The Kyrie of the mass continued this same sense of well-moulded polyphonic lines, though […]
2023-12-18 08:39:00
Pandora's Box: great tunes, a neat moral, energetic performances, London Youth Opera premieres Stuart Hancock & Donald Sturrock's new opera
Stuart Hancock: Pandora's Box - London Youth Opera at Susie Sainsbury Theatre, Royal Academy of Music (Photo: Nina Swann)Stuart Hancock: Pandora's Box; London Youth Opera, conductor: Alastair Chilvers, director: Valentina Ceschi; Susie Sainsbury TheatreReviewed 16 December 2023Full of good tunes, with an underlying moral and in a performance full of energy, London Youth Opera premieres Stuart Hancock and Donald Sturrock's new operaFor over 50 years, W11 Opera presented opera for families, performed by children. The company's remit is no longer restricted to the W11 postcode and to reflect this, relaunching with a new name, London Youth Opera, the company presented the premiere of composer Stuart Hancock and librettist Donald Sturrock's third collaboration with the company. Stuart Hancock: Pandora's BoxCharlie Swann (Prometheus), Mahala De Santana SantosTodd (Zeus)London Youth Opera (Photo: Stuart Hancock)On Saturday 16 2023, at the Royal Academy of Music's Susie Sainsbury Theatre, London Youth Opera presented Pandora's Box with […]
2023-11-24 09:54:00
Magical textures & supple lines: Fauré's La bonne chanson, Ravel & Canteloube from Louise Alder & eleven friends at Wigmore Hall
Emma Bardac in 1931Fauré: La bonne chanson, Berlioz: La captive, Ravel: Shéhérazade, Canteloube: Songs of the Auvergne; Louise Alder, Doric String Quartet, Joseph Middleton; Wigmore HallReviewed 23 November 2023Suppleness and flexibility were the watchwords in this lovely evening of French song for voice and instrumental ensemble as part of Louise Alder's residencyLouise Alder continued her residency at Wigmore Hall on Thursday 23 November 2023 with an evening of French song for voice and instrumental ensemble. Joined by pianist Joseph Middleton, the Doric String Quartet (Tim Crawford, Ying Xue, Hélène Clément, John Myerscough), Laurène Durantel - double bass, Amina Hussain - flute, Rachael Clegg - oboe, Max Welford - clarinet, Guylaine Eckersley - bassoon, and Mark Alder Bennett horn for Fauré's piano and string quintet version of La bonne chanson, and George Striven's chamber versions of Ravel's Shéhérazade and Canteloube's Songs of the Auvergne.Behind Fauré's La bonne chanson lies the fascinating figure of Emma […]
2023-10-16 13:50:53
Short Notes I, October 2023
This Week in Classical Music: October 16, 2023. Short notes. It could’ve been a pretty good week, considering the talent we could celebrate, but the horrendous events of October 7th and their aftermath overwhelmed everything else. So, we’ll go over our list very briefly. The Italian composer Luca Marenzio was born on October 18th, 1553 (or 1554) in Coccaglio, near Brescia. Marenzio was one of the most prolific (and famous) composers of madrigals of the second half of the 16th century. Marenzio was lucky in finding great benefactors. For many years he had served at the court of Cardinal Luigi d’Este, son of Ercole II d'Este, Duke of Modena and Ferrara. After the cardinal’s death, Marenzio found employment with Cardinal Cinzio Aldobrandini, nephew of Pope Clement VIII, and later, with Ferdinando I de' Medici, the Grand Duke of Tuscany. We can assume that while in Florence, he met the three […]