Cleveland-based chamber ensemble Les Délices (pronounced Lay DEH-lease) is committed to making a big impact in Cleveland (and beyond) with entertaining, thought-provoking programs presented in unique and intimate settings. Audiences clearly appreciated Les Délices’ informal, up-close-and-personal programs last season, and ClevelandClassical.com singled out Les Délices’ first season of concerts as among the most memorable of 2009. Les Délices’ director and founder Debra Nagy explained, ”Standing-room only audiences packed our salon-style gallery shows.”
For their second season, Les Délices returns to Cleveland’s William Busta and Tregoning & Co. galleries for their Saturday night concerts, and they’ll continue to present Sunday afternoon programs at Plymouth Church in Shaker Heights, where they’ve been named Artists in Residence for 2010-11.
On Halloween weekend (October 30 & 31, 2010), Les Délices will welcome back Josh Lee (viola da gamba) and Michael Sponseller (harpsichord) plus Julie Andrijeski (violin) for their weird and wonderful program, “Mirages and Monstrosties.” Special guest lutenist Lucas Harris (whose elegant, stylish performances graced Les Délices’s debut CD) will warm our hearts on February 12 & 13, 2011, with “La Guitarre Royalle,” and rising-star soprano Clara Rottsolk will win over audiences when we feature her in cantatas based on tales from The Odyssey in our program “Myths & Allegories” on May 14 & 15, 2011. In addition, Les Délices will embark on its first Northeast tour in April 2011, with performances in Boston and Providence, leading up to the group’s New York debut at the Frick Collection on May 1, 2011.
Les Délices’ 2010-11 season begins at the William Busta Gallery (2731 Prospect Ave., Cleveland) on Saturday, October 30, 2010 at 8pm with a Halloween-inspired program of character pieces ranging from the quirky to the bizarre! Their program, “Mirages and Monstrosities,” includes Marin Marais’ “La Labyrinthe,” and the unusual, narrated “Gall-bladder Operation,” plus Jean-Philippe Rameau’s “Les Cyclopes” and chamber arrangements of incidental music from his opera about a hideous water nymph, Platée. Les Délices will repeat this program on Sunday, October 31, 2010 at 4:00pm inside Herr Chapel at Plymouth Church in Shaker Heights.
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, we’ll highlight the astonishingly beautiful playing of Toronto-based lutenist Lucas Harris, whose poetic approach has been called “a revelation” (Le Devoir). Les Délices regulars Scott Metcalfe (violin) and Emily Walhout (viola da gamba) will return to join Debra Nagy (baroque oboe) and guest Lucas Harris (theorbo & baroque guitar) for “La Guitarre Royalle” featuring works by guitar masters from the court of Louis XIV. Les Délices will perform inside the galleries of Tregoning & Company (1300 W. 78th St, Cleveland) on Saturday, February 12, 2011 at 8:00pm, and in Herr Chapel at Plymouth Church on Sunday, February 13, 2011 at 4:00pm.
Les Délices closes its season in May with “Myths & Allegories.” Weaving dramatic depictions of tales from Homer’s Odyssey together with instrumental chamber music inspired by Greek mythology, this program features acclaimed soprano and Seattle-native Clara Rottsolk in cantatas by Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre and Thomas-Louis Bourgeois. The fabulous gallery space at Tregoning and Company (1300 W. 78th St, Cleveland) will host our Saturday concert on May 14, 2011 at 8:00pm. Les Délices will repeat their program at Herr Chapel at Plymouth Church on Sunday, May 15, 2011 at 4:00pm.
Tickets for all concerts in the series are available at www.lesdelices.org by August 15, 2010.
About Les Délices
Les Délices’ (pronounced Lay DEH-lease) performances of French Baroque music have been called “exquisite,” “superb,” and “breathtakingly gorgeous.” In addition to touring performances, Les Délices presents its own annual concert series in modern art galleries, where audiences enjoy intimate, informal performances in venues that celebrate Cleveland’s flourishing arts community. Les Délices are Artists in Residence at Plymouth Church in Shaker Heights. Les Délices’ debut CD “The Tastes Reunited” was named one of the Top Ten Early Music Discoveries of 2009 by NPR’s Harmonia, and their live performances have been featured on WCPN and on WKSU’s In Performance. Visit www.lesdelices.org for more information.
About Debra Nagy
One of the few outstanding baroque oboists in the U.S., Cleveland resident Debra Nagy has been hailed for her "dazzling technique and soulful expressiveness" (Rocky Mountain News) and deemed a ”baroque oboist of consummate taste and expressivity” by the Cleveland Plain Dealer. A graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory, and Case Western Reserve University, she was the First Prize winner of the 2002 American Bach Soloists Young Artists Competition. In addition to maintaining a busy national performing schedule, Debra is currently a Lecturer in Early Music Performance Practice at Case Western Reserve University.
No comments:
Post a Comment