Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra A JOYOUS CHRISTMAS: Vivaldi, Zelenka

This orchestra in its 34th year never ceases to amaze.   Having been on tour to Europe, and to Carnegie Hall in New York, this year, it is as bright and intelligent, but never pedantic, as ever. McGegan was educated at Cambridge and Oxford universities and has an OBE from the Queen in 2010 "for services to music overseas." Various recordings have won Grammy nominations, and best in the Classical music world  The orchestra plays in Palo Alto for the Stanford community as well as at Berkeley, and in San Francisco.  McGegan will play in Baltimore January 2-4 and again on February 12-15 with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra as well as in St Louis and Dallas.  

  Dominique La Belle sang beautifully, the Hayden, Ave Regina Coelorum in A major, with the Chorale directed by Bruce Lamott.  Then, she sang the Antonio Vivaldi(1678-1741) Dixit Dominus (Psalm 109) in D Major, RV 807, and Jan Dismas Zelenka's Missa Nativitatis Domini  both with Christopher Ainslie, an elegant counter tenor and  the last piece with Thomas Cooley, tenor , with the brief  appearance of Dashon Burton, bass-baritone .   .  All composers are coming from the Austro Hungarian Empire period and played this baroque music at court in the mid 17th-18th century  

 The program prefaced these grand pieces with shorter works, the first by Pavel Josef Vejvanovsky (1633-1693) a Sonata Natalis, and then "Cur fles, Jesu" sung by soprano, Dominique Labelle, and composed by the Prince Paul Esterhazy (1635-1713) .    They were played continuously in unison with the Hayden.  A beautiful program and fine lecture elucidating the composers and period preceeded the program.  Yes, when walking through the campus at Berkeley, at the gate, there was evidence of the protestors, but they must have been moving on, though there was mention of the hovering helicopters,  All disappeared in the ultimate joyous sounds of this musical evening!  
The Philharmonia Baroque directed by  Nicholas McGegan warming up
The Congregational Church Berkeley as venue for the concert,
 "A Joyous Christmas:  Vivaldi and Zelenka. 



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