Wondrous Beasts
Songs of the Bestiary
All tickets are general admission.
Supporter = $50, General = $30, Student/Artist/Economic Need = $15
Time/Date: Friday, June 6 @ 7:30pm
Location: All Saints Episcopal
230 E 60th St, NYC 10022
Said to be the most widely-distributed book in Europe after the Bible, the medieval bestiary, or “book of beasts,” established paths of meaning for animal references in Europe over the ensuing millenia.
With WONDROUS BEASTS, Alkemie joins forces with composer Elliot Cole to craft new arrangements of stunning music from 14th-century Italy and newly-composed repertoire inspired by animals from medieval Europe and modern-day North America. Vielles, harp, recorders, percussion and voices evoke soaring birds, slithering reptiles, and creatures like the unicorn and basilisk. Serving as both mythology and Christian allegory, these fantastic visions of the animal kingdom continue to provoke the modern as well as the medieval imagination.
PROGRAM
A poste messe (Lorenzo da Firenze)
Hedgehog (Elliot Cole)
L’aspido sordo (Donato da Firenze)
Canta lo gallo (Anonymous, 14th century)
Alquil’ altera – Creatura – Ucel de Dio (Jacopo da Bologna)
Una fera gentil (Paolo da Firenze)
Unicorn (Elliot Cole)
Dolphin (Elliot Cole)
Una panthera (Johannes Ciconia)
Basilisk (Elliot Cole)
Sovra la Riva (Lorenzo da Firenze)
Alba Colonba (Bartolino da Padova)
Era Venus al termin del suo Giorno (Paolo da Firenze)
Passando con pensier (Niccolo da Perugia)
Stag (Elliot Cole)
75 minutes of music (including 10 additional minutes that will be composed this year) - this concert is about 90 minutes with readings, tuning, and talking
ARTISTS
Tracy Cowart (voice, harps, percussion)
Ben Matus (voice, recorders, medieval bagpipes, percussion)
David McCormick (vielle)
Sian Ricketts (voice, recorders, douçaines)
Niccolo Seligmann (vielles, viola a chiavi, percussion)
Ellie Sutherland (voice, percussion)
PAST PERFORMANCES