Music in NYC: Music of the 18th Century Grand Tour

The season finale of the Aspect Foundation concert series features soprano Pascale Beaudin and the Four Nations Ensemble with an illustrated talk by the author and historian John Brewer; at Bohemian National Hall on Thursday, May 30, 2019 at 7.30 pm

Touring the continent while learning its customs, history, and culture first hand was an educational standard for high society young people in the 18th century Europe. Instructive and entertaining, the rite of passage would take them through France and Italy with additional stops in Switzerland, Austria or Germany.

The Aspect Foundation offers to take us back in time on a virtual tour with musical stops in Paris, Venice, Rome, and Naples. An illustrated talk by John Brewer, author of The Pleasures of the Imagination, will accompany the journey. Featuring The Four Nations Ensemble and soprano Pascale Beaudin, the program will celebrate 18th century culture with music closely identified with the time and place.

Music of the Grand Tour on Thursday, May 30, 2019 at 7.30 pm concludes Aspect Foundation’s successful 2018-2019 season of enlightening concerts and talks.

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Exposing youth to the ideas and values of classical antiquity and Renaissance, the cultural pilgrimage to the Continent was part of the character and career building of offsprings of a certain means and stature in Britain and later in the US. Additionally, it provided an opportunity to see and acquire works of art, attend the theater, and listen to music. The Four Nations Ensembles selected the music to represent the idiosyncrasy and allure of the popular cities on the Grand Tour itinerary.

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Founded in 1986, The Four Nations Ensemble brings together soloists, who are leading experts of period instruments and vocal performance. Four Nations’ repertory runs from the Renaissance through Viennese Classical masterpieces of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. Four Nations has performed at major houses and in prestigious series throughout the United States, including The Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center. Of special interest is Four Nations’ resident ensemble status for both the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, MA and the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, CT, where the rich holdings of the two art collections and the brilliant curatorial staffs are an inspiration for music programming.
The Four Nations Ensemble takes its name from one of France’s most extraordinary institutions. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Louis XIV and Mazarin, in order to establish a centralized bureau for the arts to reflect the glory of Versailles and Paris in this golden age, created The College of Four Nations.

Pascale Beaudin began her career on stage with the Atelier Lyrique de l’Opera de Montreal. She appears on operatic stages in Canada, France, and the United States (Opera Lafayette) in roles such as Zerlina, Papagena, Fiordiligi, Oscar, Adèle de Formoutiers and Nannetta. The New York Times noted her “powdery-soft soprano” as Marceline in Gaveuax’s Leonore by Opera Lafayette.

In addition to being a permanent member of the Four Nations Ensemble, Mrs. Beaudin collaborates with many orchestras, namely the Orchestre Métropolitain, l’Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, Les Violons du Roy, I Musici de Montréal, the Ensemble Contemporain de Montréal, the McGill Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestre de la Francophonie, the Société de musique contemporaine du Québec, Les Idées Heureuses, Montréal Baroque, the Société d’art vocal de Montréal, the Centre international de mélodie française de Tours and the Orchestre régional de Cannes.

Historian John Brewer, the author of The Pleasures of the Imagination, presents an illustrated talk that takes the audience on a musical journey to better understand the historical and artistic importance of the “Grand Tour” – a trip wealthy young men in the 18th century customarily took to experience art, culture, and forbidden pleasures after they’d finished their formal education.

ASPECT Foundation for Music and Arts presents a new concert format – one that transforms the traditional recital into an intimate, engaging, and thought-provoking blend of performance, speech, and image. Each event presented by Aspect Foundation features music in context with the music programs combined with the “illustrated talks” revealing fascinating details about the composer, the music, and the cultural history of the period in question.

The program on Wednesday, April 17, 2019 is more than a concert. Immerse yourself in the heroic music by Beethoven and share the fun afterward with wine and light refreshments.

Program

PARIS
Jean-Baptiste Quentin: Quatuor in A, Op. 12, No. 1

VENICE
Arr. Johann Hasse: Gondoliere Songs
Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto in F Major for Flute, Op. 10, No. 5

ROME
Arcangelo Corelli: La Folia, Op. 5, No. 12                                                           

NAPLES
Giovanni Pergolesi: Orfeo for Soprano and Strings

 

Get tickets at 33% off with code ARTSNY23 at checkout when attending the Aspect Foundation Concert Series for the first time. Please, enter your email before using ARTSNY23 code:

We will use your email for updates about upcoming events. Check our Privacy Policy for details.

 

Date: Thursday, May 30, 2019 at 7.30 pm

Venue: Bohemian National Hall, 321 E 73rd St, New York, NY 10021

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