Folger
Consort 2018/19 season of
early music
E
nsemble in residence at the Folger Shakespeare Library, Folger Consort delights audiences with a stunning array of early music— from masterpieces by the most renowned composers to hidden treasures that might otherwise be lost to history. With world-class guest artists, Folger Consort performs in the intimate setting of the Folger’s Elizabethanstyle theater, as well as grand spaces such as Washington National Cathedral. Folger Consort has also toured nationally and internationally and has numerous recordings on the Bard label.
Cover: Cristoforo Munari, Still Life with Musical Instruments and Fruit, ca. 1703-1706 (detail).
Robert Eisenstein and Christopher Kendall Artistic Directors
Photo: Mig Dooley
Photo: Mig Dooley
Folger Consort has received five awards for Best Classical Chamber Ensemble from the Washington Area Music Awards.
in 2018/19 folger consort presents a fivecourse musical banquet—five concert programs brimming with early music of England, Germany, Spain, and Italy—with repertoire from hearty medieval market cries and drinking songs, to delicious songs of the Renaissance, to the sumptuous Baroque “banquet” music written for the courts of Europe. A Restoration-era Macbeth opens the season with enchanting music from the 17th-century stage.
new Special pre-concert Saturday
evening events feature rare “pop-up” displays and discussions around collection items and topics related to Before Farm to Table: Early Modern Foodways and Cultures, a Mellon initiative in collaborative research at the Folger.
Photo: Mig Dooley
you are cordially invited! subscribe to enjoy all five of
these celebrations of taste—along with the best ticket prices, best seats, discounts for additional tickets, and free exchanges.
202.544.7077 folger.edu/consort
September 4-23
M
Shakespeare's
acbeth
As Adapted and Amended by Sir William Davenant With Music by John Eccles and Others Directed by Robert Richmond In partnership with Folger Theatre
Pieter Claesz, Still Life with a Turkey Pie, 1627 (detail). Courtesy Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
Shakespeare’s epic tragedy, with its dark Special engagement in partnership withand Folger Theatre haunted banquet, is seen anew in this Restorationera adaptation, which captivated audiences for nearly a century after its first performance in 1664. With atmospheric music from the original London performances, this fully staged production is directed by Robert Richmond and features Ian Merrill Peakes and Kate Eastwood Norris as the bloody Macbeths. Robert Eisenstein is music director with instrumentalists Risa Browder, Nina Falk, Daniel Meyers, John Moran, Webb Wiggins, soprano Emily NoÍl, and chorus.
Subscriber weekend September 7-9 Friday at 8pm Pre-show discussion at 7pm Saturday at 4pm and 8pm Before Farm to Table event at 7pm Sunday at 2pm See the website for the full performance schedule. This production is part of Performing Restoration Shakespeare, a program of the Arts and Humanities Research Council led by Queen's University Belfast.
“Drink a measure the table round.”
Photo: Teresa Wood
— Macbeth
Ian Merrill Peakes and Kate Eastwood Norris
Robert Eisenstein
October 12-14
O
ktoberfest Early Music of Germany
Autumn brings a flavorful array of festive music from the German-speaking lands, featuring colorful songs by 14th-century Tyrolean knight, adventurer, poet, and musician Oswald von Wolkenstein, along with quirky instrumental pieces from the 15th-century Glogauer Liederbuch. Later music by Heinrich Isaac and Ludwig Senfl reflects the opulent court of the Emperor Maximilian I in early 16th-century Vienna. With strings, winds, and tenor Mark Bleeke.
Clara Peeters, Still Life with Cheeses, Almonds, and Pretzels, 1615 (detail).
Friday at 8pm Pre-concert discussion at 7pm Saturday at 4pm and 8pm Before Farm to Table event at 7pm Sunday at 2pm and 5pm
Oswald von Wolkenstein Mark Bleeke
Photo: Teresa Wood
“Harmon
ious and
delightfu
l” — Wash
ington Lif
e Magazin
e
Photo: Lloyd Wolf
Osias Beert, Still Life, 1600-1650 (detail). Courtesy Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
“Fol g Chri er Cons s often tmas c ort’s the b oncer —C est i t is h n the Was arles D hing city.” to owne n Cla
y ssica, l Rev
iew
December 14-23
C
a
hristmas
m
esse
A Banquet of Seasonal English Music Celebrate the holidays with a repast of English music ranging from the earliest carols to later arrangements of favorites like “Greensleeves” by Vaughan Williams. The Folger’s 1619 manuscript A Christmas Messe— recounting a tussle between King Beef and King Brawn—offers lively accompaniment to a main course of beloved Yuletide music. A wonderful Christmas feast indeed! With strings, harp, organist Webb Wiggins, and an ensemble of voices.
Subscriber weekend December 14-16 Friday at 8pm Pre-concert discussion at 7pm Saturday at 4pm and 8pm Before Farm to Table event at 7pm Sunday at 2pm See the website for the full performance schedule. This all-English concert complements the Folger exhibition Churchill’s Shakespeare, on view October 6, 2018 –January 6, 2019.
February 8 & 9 At Washington National Cathedral
F
the ood of Love Romantic Music of the Renaissance
Abraham Mignon, Still Life with Fruit and Oysters, 1660-1679 (detail). Courtesy Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
As a prelude to Valentine’s Day, Folger Consort offers a magnificent buffet of romance and poetry with chansons and madrigals on food, drink, and passionate love by French and Italian Renaissance composers such as Janequin and Marenzio. Complementing the songs is enchanting “table music” for strings, including selections from Schein’s Banchetto Musicale (Musical Banquet), composed as dinner music for the sophisticated courts of Germany. With vocal ensemble Les Canards Chantants and viol consort Arcadia Viols. Friday at 8pm Pre-concert discussion at 6:30pm Saturday at 8pm
Les Canards Chantants
Arcadia Viols
animated….” ly h ig h “ e m r antants a nd] elegant vocalis h C s d r a n a Les Ca l theatricality [ with visua hia Inquirer lp
— Philade
Osias Beert, Still Life, 1600-1624 (detail). Courtesy Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
Piffaro, The Renaissance Band
“Spa he Washing
ces” rman o f r e p ost rkling ton P
—T
March 29-31
M
Tastes of the
editerranean Music of 16th-Century Spain and Italy
Renaissance music of Spain and Italy offers a variety of tastes and flavors—from rustic to courtly to the sublime. Tuneful and lyric Spanish villançicos and Italian frottole express a wide range of emotions about food, drink, loss, and, of course, love. Instrumental works include lively dances and diminutions from Italy and some of the great wind band repertoire from Spain. With soprano and wind ensemble Piffaro, The Renaissance Band. Friday at 8pm Pre-concert discussion at 7pm Saturday at 4pm and 8pm Before Farm to Table event at 7pm Sunday at 2pm and 5pm
See the Folger exhibition about food culture and early modern and early American celebrity chefs, on view January 21 – March 31, 2019.
Early Music Seminars Join with fellow concertgoers as Robert Eisenstein leads lively and intimate discussions on the composers and music in the upcoming program. Wine receptions included. Wednesdays at 6pm: 9/5, 10/10, 12/12, 3/27 Before Farm to Table Events Scholars and curators show and discuss items in the Folger collection and topics in the history of food and culture related to that evening's concert program. Saturdays at 7pm: 9/8 David Goldstein, York University, Toronto 10/13 Amanda Herbert, Assistant Director, Fellowships 12/15 Heather Wolfe, Folger Curator of Manuscripts 3/30 Speaker to be announced Pre-Concert Discussions—free Robert Aubry Davis—host of WETA’s Around Town and of the national early music program Millennium of Music—leads informal pre-concert discussions with Robert Eisenstein and other artists. Offered for each program before a Friday evening performance.
“The program itself was as tho ughtfully concei the performance ved as s were luminous .” — The Washing
Photo: Teresa Wood
ton Post
join us for a flavorful season of
rarely heard and exquisitely performed early music.
Subscribe! Order Now Online folger.edu/consort
Subscriber benefits include: The lowest prices on tickets Great seats to every concert Free ticket exchanges into a different performance time
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By Phone 202.544.7077 In Person Visit the Box Office, Monday through Saturday, Noon to 5pm Individual Tickets Tickets to concerts and other events are on sale throughout the season, beginning in July. Become a Member When you subscribe, you can also become a Friend of the Folger Consort. Our members provide fundamental support and enjoy an insider’s view of all that the Folger Shakespeare Library has to offer—with invitations to special receptions, talks, and gatherings, as well as discounts on tickets and merchandise. Connect With Us For the latest Folger Consort news and offers, follow us on
202.544.7077 folger.edu/consort