Pärt and Purcell

Henry Purcell:

Dido's Lament - Music for awhile - Sweeter than Roses (voice and harpsichord)

Incidental music from Abdelazer (strings and harpsichord)

Fantasie on one note (strings and audience participation)

ALSO: Daniel Pesca: World Premiere of Chaconne (violin, viola, cello and harpsichord)

First Muse presents a pairing of pieces which are part and parcel of a perfect performance! Alliterations aside, we are taking this opportunity to explore music from two seemingly disparate musical eras. Henry Purcell (1659 - 1695) was arguably the most famous English composer of the baroque period, and his instrumental and vocal styles present a variety of expressions within the simplicity of his time. Pamela Kurau has selected a few of her "desert island" favorites, and we'll present the "theme" from Benjamin Britten's Young Person's Guide as originally written by Purcell.

In honor of the 80th birthday of Estonian composer Arvo Pärt (born September 11, 1935) whose music is regularly described as "minimalist" and based on early music, we will present two mesmerizing works for solo strings and piano. Fratres and Spiegel im Spiegel will be accompanied by spectacular nature photographs by local photographers.

First Muse is particularly pleased to present the world premiere of Daniel Pesca's Chaconne, commissioned for this concert - influenced by the music of Pärt and Purcell!

Our post-concert reception will be presented by the First Unitarian Church's Micro-Finance and Community Development Task Force - recipients of 25% of this concert's ticket revenue.

$10 general / $5 student / $20 family maximum

First Unitarian Church - 220 Winton Road South - Rochester NY 14610

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