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February 2, 2008
Saturday at 8:00 pm

Four Nations Ensemble

Andrew Appel, harpsichord & fortepiano
Charles Brink, traverso
Loretta O'Sullivan, cello
***
Aaron Brown, violin
Daniel Swenberg, theorbo
and
Christene Brandes, soprano guest artist

PROGRAM

     Sonata for violin, cello and continuo
  1. Cantabile
  2. Allegro
  3. Vivace
 Pietro Locatelli (1695-1764)
     Quartet for flute, violin, cello and continuo, TWV 43:a2
  1. Allegrement
  2. Flatteusement
  3. Legerement
  4. Un peu vivement
  5. Vite
  6. Coulant
 Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)
INTERMISSION
   
     Sonata in G for cello and continuo
  1. Largo
  2. Allegro alla Militaire
  3. Tempo di Minueto
 Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805)
     Cantata Louis-Nicolas Clérambault (1676-1749)

Founded in 1986, The Four Nations Ensemble brings together soloists who are leading exponents of period instrument and vocal performance to present great music from the Renaissance through the Viennese Classical masterpieces of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. For more than a decade, Four Nations has developed a leading presence on the early music scene in New York and across the country. With a core ensemble of harpsichord or fortepiano, violin(s), flute, and cello, the Ensemble explores and performs the major masterpieces of the 17th and 18th centuries, from trio sonata to piano trio and quartet. Four Nations has performed at major houses and series throughout the United States including The Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center. The Ensemble has participated in festivals such as The Boston Early Music Festival, New York's Mostly Mozart, Amherst Festival, New Haven's International Festival of Arts & Ideas, Virginia Waterfront International Arts Festival, Chautauqua, The Indiana Early Music Festival, The Redwoods Festival in Santa Rosa, California, and Brasilseguridade in Rio de Janeiro.

Recent highlights include a major appearance at The Boston Early Music Festival & Exhibition; three week-long residencies with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra in which the Ensemble led the orchestra in an examination of Baroque style through well known and rare masterworks for large ensembles; the release of Four Nations' fifth CD (Haydn: The Battle of the Nile) to remarkable press notices; and the development of special programs for The 92nd Street Y. Four Nations' intrigue with the interrelationship of music, art and literature has also led to performances this concert season for The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Center for British Art at Yale University. The 2001-2002 season also includes return engagements to both The Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center's Great Performer's series. In addition to its touring programs, Four Nations is pleased to be continuing a second decade of its own highly acclaimed series at the historic New York Friends' Meeting House in Stuyvesant Square.

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. "Four Nations" alludes to the four monarchies that were considered legitimate by the French crown: France, Spain, Austria and Savoy. It was here the academies of poetry, music, dance, and painting were housed. All these endeavors have created an aura around this great period in French history whose artistic accomplishments continue to enrich our lives as we enter the 21st century. François Couperin's exquisite sonatas called "The Nations" allude to this "college" or French Royal "National Endowment for the Arts." The Four Nations Ensemble, in its love for Couperin's music has adopted the name as its own.

To order tickets, click here.

FOR MORE ARTIST INFORMATION: www.fournations.org

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