Academy of Ancient Music (UK)
Renata Pokupić, mezzosoprano
Bojan Čičić, violin & artistic dir.
Handel, Purcell
Bojan Čičić, director & violin
Liz MacCarthy, violin
Persephone Gibbs, violin
Magdalena Loth-Hill, violin
Ricardo Cuende Isuskiza, viola
Alexander Rolton, cello
Timothy Amherst, double bass
William Carter, theorbo
Jan Waterfield, harpsichord
Programme
Henry Purcell (1659-1695)
Prophetes, or History of Diocletian Z.627
First Music
Ouverture
Act I, First Act Tune
Dance of the Furies
The Chair Dance
Butterfly Dance
Canaries
The History of Timon of Athens, The Man-Hater, Z.632
Curtain call
Nymphs and Shepherds Z.600
Fantasia in C minor Z 738
Fairest Isle from King Arthur
Georg Friedrich Handel (1685-1759)
Concerto Grosso op 6 No 11 HWV 329
Andante larghetto, e staccato
Allegro
Largo, e staccato
Andante
Allegro
Comus HWV 44
There Sweetest Flowers
L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato HWV 55
Straight Mine Eye
Ariodante HWV 33
Dopo Notte, atra e funesta
The Academy of Ancient Music had the honour of opening the very first Korkyra Baroque Festival in 2012. Returning to the unique and stunning setting of the city of Korčula, with its crystal clear waters surrounding the old town, history greeting us on every corner as we walk towards St Mark’s Church, and St Elijah looming over the vista across in the Pelješac Peninsula, we are absolutely delighted to be back at the Festival. The programme we are presenting resonates with my own first attempts in period performance through Catherine Mackintosh, a former leader of the AAM herself, and Aesteas Musica Baroque Summer School, a music and dance course set up by Catherine Mackintosh and Maja Žarković. The first ever course took place on the island of nearby Vis, after which a performance of Purcell’s semi-opera Dioclesian took place on Peristil, within the walls of Diocletian’s Palace in Split. Thinking about this programme, I couldn’t resist the temptation to honour the very beginnings of period performance practice in Croatia by including an instrumental suite from this work. This is followed by some of the best loved works by the two greats of English baroque music, Henry Purcell and Georg Friedrich Handel, chosen by our internationally acclaimed soloist- mezzosoprano Renata Pokupić. Finally, I am delighted to be playing on a violin by G.Grancino, previously owned by Catherine Mackintosh, thus carrying further the excitement of exploration in Early Music by which she inspired us all!
Bojan Čičić