Ben Bagby

What a treat is in store for the women of The Rose Ensemble.  This week we will be working with one of the most revered men of medieval performance practice, Benjamin Bagby and he guides us, instructs us and coaches us on medieval repertoire of Spain and Hildegaard Von Bingin in preparation for our upcoming concerts in the Fall.

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Plymouth Summer Music Series

Well maybe not tonight (depending on when you’re reading this) but on Tuesday evening, July 6th.  I will be joined by local Twin Cities luminaries Maria Jette, Jim Bohn and Vern Sutton with Sonja Thompson on the piano as we present an evening of light operetta favorites.

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Glorious Revolution Baroque semi-staged a production of Dido & Aeneas last night to a sold out crowd in a small and intimate theater space in downtown St. Paul.  No sets, no fancy lights, but a wonderful small early music orchestra and very talented singers.

This was my first crack at The Sorceress and I loved the part.  How often can you stand up there with a custom made staff, a green velvet cape, a wild wig (not to mention some witchy minions) and take total command?  The intimacy of the space gave me the artistic freedom to interact with the audience and ‘stare’ them down as I made my way around the packed aisles.

I don’t have the opportunity to perform much in the theatrical arenas now that I sing primarily with The Rose Ensemble, so the chance to go all out with makeup, and push the character envelope was exhilarating.   She’s a force to be reckoned with, The Sorceress, and I’m thrilled I finally got to step into this role.

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The Meeting of Dido and Aeneas by Nathaniel Dance Holland (1735 – 1811)

Glorious Revolution Baroque presents this opera in an intimate setting at Studio Z in St. Paul, MN with David Douglass leading our esteemed instrumentalists.  Join us for one night only, Friday May 16th for an evening of delightful music by some of the Twin Cities most talented musicians.

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One of the most asked questions is about rep.  Where can I find music written for contralto and what do you recommend?

Here is a list of the most popular pieces composed for contraltos:

Arias – Opera & Oratorio:

• Lullaby from the opera “The Consul” by Gian Carlo Menotti (English)
• Voce di donna from the opera “La Giocando” by Amilcare Ponchielli (Italian)
• Podrugi Milie from the opera “Queen of Spades” by Tchaikovsky (Russian)
• Alone and Yet Alive from the opera “The Mikado” by Gilbert & Sullivan (English)
• Stride la Vampa from the opera “Il Trovatore” by Verdi (Italian)
• Thy Hand Belinda from the opera “Dido and Aeneas” by Purcell (English)
• Va! Laisse couler mes larmes from the opera “Werther” by Massonet (French)
• Scherza Infida from the opera “Ariodante” by Handel (Italian)
• Parto, Parto from the opera “La Clemenza di Tito” by Mozart (Italian)
• Gelido in ogni vena from the opera “Il Farnace” by Vivaldi (Italian)
• Qui Sedes ad dextram Patris from the Vivaldi Gloria (Latin)
• Qui Sedes ad dextram Patris from Bach mass in B minor (Latin)
• Wie alles war (weiche, Wotan, weiche) from the opera “Das Rheingold” by Wagner (German)
• Merknyet Svyet Dnevnoy (Konchakavna’s Cantiva) from the opera “Prince Igor” by Borodin (Russian)

Art Song: Read more

A very nice review on our last concert of the season. Thanks to David Hawley of the St. Paul Pioneer Press who also acknowledged the fact that he could not stay for the 2nd half of the performance due to a deadline.

Palestrina, composer

Legend has it that Palestrina, perhaps the most-recognized composer before Bach, dissuaded the 16th century Council of Trent from banning polyphony in church music by composing a six-voice Mass that was reverent and clear and — well, ethereal.

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Voces8

The Rose Ensemble

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Let’s face it: History lessons aren’t always fun. Too often, an artistic event that strives toward historical accuracy leaves you feeling educated but not really entertained. Shoring up some cracks in your knowledge base can be worthwhile but seldom extremely enjoyable.

However, one of those infrequent occurrences happened Sunday afternoon when St. Paul-based early-music group the Rose Ensemble welcomed the Music in the Park Series back to its home neighborhood, the freshly repaved St. Anthony Park. But the chamber choir didn’t perform the music on which its reputation is based — motets and madrigals of the medieval and Renaissance eras — instead focusing upon 19th-century American folk hymns and carols, many of them rooted in the Shaker and shape-note traditions.

It may not have been right up the group’s stylistic alley, but it turned out to be a lot of fun, a combination of uplifting church service and holiday hootenanny. Performing in a venue ideally intimate for this music — the woody St. Anthony Park United Church of Christ — the group let reverence segue into celebration, unleashing their accompanying instrumentalists on tunes that sounded increasingly country, Celtic and Cajun as the concert went on.

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