Handel’s London

Jeanne Lamon Hall, Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre

September 23, 2022 8:00 pm
September 24, 2022 2:00 pm

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Experience the energy of baroque London, a lively metropolis where musical influences intersect.

Picture a vibrant city humming with creative spirit, attracting artists who exchange diverse ideas and perspectives. Though it sounds like present day New York or Toronto, this is 18th-century London—the inspiration for our opening concert of the season. Guest directed by the “brilliant” (New York Times) Grammy Award winning harpsichordist Avi Stein, this program channels the cosmopolitan energy of baroque London, a city ripe with opportunities for cross-pollination.

A magnet for artists and composers, London drew musical influencers from all over Europe, including Handel (from Germany via Italy), Kusser (from Hungary via Germany and France), Geminiani (from Italy), and Hellendaal (from the Netherlands). Our program includes four Grand Concertos, the English take on the Italian concerto grosso, and the perfect vehicle for celebrating this colourful intersection of styles.

London natives were not immune to the city’s cosmopolitan trends. Henry Purcell never left his hometown, but imbued his music with the French and Italian influences he heard around him. Purcell in turn inspired the late Tafelmusik cellist Allen Whear, who based his composition Short Story on the Chaconne from Fairy Queen, reaching across the centuries from one vibrant city to another.

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Running Time
About 120 minutes
Style of Music
Baroque

Avi Stein

Guest Director and harpsichord

Avi Stein is the associate organist and chorus master at Trinity Church Wall Street. He is on faculty at the Juilliard School, where he teaches continuo accompaniment, vocal repertoire, and chamber music. At Juilliard, Avi conducted Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas in a production that toured to London’s Holland Park and the Royal Opera House in Versailles, and directed a production of Luigi Rossi’s Orfeo that was named one of the best performances of 2021 by The New York Times.

Avi is Artistic Director of The Helicon Foundation and has directed the International Baroque Academy of Musiktheater Bavaria, the young artists’ program at the Carmel Bach Festival, and has conducted a variety of ensembles including Portland Baroque Orchestra, Bang on a Can All-Stars, Opera Français de New York, OperaOmnia, Amherst Festival opera, and a critically acclaimed annual series called the 4×4 Festival.  

Credits

Directed by Avi Stein 

Program

G.F. Handel Concerto grosso in B-flat Major, op. 3 no. 2

Henry Purcell Suite from Fairy Queen

Allen Whear Short Story

Francesco Geminiani Concerto grosso in E Minor, op. 3, no. 3

Johann Sigismund Kusser Suite no. 1 in G Minor from Festin des Muses

Pieter Hellendaal Grand Concerto in D Minor op 3, no. 2

G.F. Handel Concerto grosso in G Major, op. 6, no. 1 (11:15) + Terpsicore Chaconne (in G; 4:45)