Earlier this month I had the privilege of playing on the Scaramella concert series in Toronto with a group of first-class players in a program built around Georg Philipp Telemann’s (1681-1767) collection of pieces known as the Paris Quartets. You can read a review of the concert here. We feel that the reviewer, as well as the audience, really enjoyed the program.
Two of the composer-performers on the program, Michel Blavet (1700-1768) and Jean-Pierre Guignon (1702-1774), were also regular performers at the Concert Spirituel in Paris. The Concert Spirituel ran from 1725-1790, and was created to provide entertainment during Lent when the Paris opera and other secular events were closed.
Speaking of the Concert Spirituel, next month, on Sunday April 19th, 2015, at 3:00 PM at United Lutheran Church in Eugene, Oregon, I’ll be playing a concert with first-class players who are also my friends and neighbors here in Oregon. Marc Vanscheeuwijck, Baroque cello, Margaret Gries, harpsichord, Ann Shaffer, viola da gamba, Sarah Pyle, Baroque flute, and from California, Michael Sand, Baroque violin.
The program is called “Music at the Concert Spirituel” and features music by composer-performers Jean-Marie Leclair (1697-1764) and Blavet, both of whom were regularly featured on the series. A description of the concert is found here, as well as the location and a map.
The music performed at the Concert Spirituel was not exclusively French–the inaugural performance included music by Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713)–and our upcoming concert will uphold that tradition. In addition to Leclair and Blavet, the program features music by Simon Leduc (1742-77), Jean-Baptiste Barrière (1707-47), and Telemann (more Paris Quartets),
If you are in the area I hope to see you there.
Kim Pineda, PhD 