Chan Centre for the Performing Arts
Artists: Ensemble Caprice and Ensemble ArtChoral directed by Matthias Maute
Experience the splendour of Handel’s music!
“Expertly framed by Maute’s intuitive conducting… Ensemble Caprice delivered fully on its reputation as a premier baroque orchestra and a compelling voice on the Canadian contemporary music scene.” (La Scena)
Eternal Source of Light Divine was George Frideric Handel’s first and only court ode and one of his earliest attempts to win the hearts of English listeners with radiant music in their own language. Blessed are they that Considereth the Poor was Handel’s last anthem and a celebration of everyday charity rather than royal power. This concert brings together these two bookends of Handel’s career in England to frame a collection of the composer’s most beloved melodies from the worlds of opera, orchestral, chamber and keyboard music. The programme shows why Handel’s own work has come down to us as an “eternal source” of musical delight, and is complemented by a sparkling setting of the Magnificat by Handel’s contemporary, Johann David Heinichen.
This concert is generously sponsored by Sharon Kahn and Barrie MacFadden
There will be a pre-concert chat with Matthias Maute hosted by composer & writer David Gordon Duke at 2:30 p.m.
Come early to rehearse a special piece – the famous Hallelujah Chorus – with Matthias and participate in an audience ‘singalong‘ during the show!
Run time: 75 min + 20 min intermission.
PROGRAMME
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Ode for the anniversary of the Queen Anne Eternal Source of Light Divine HWV 74
J.D. Heinichen (1683-1729)
Magnificat in A major (Seibel 90)
INTERVAL
George Frideric Handel
Ombra mai fu (from Serse HWV 40)
I rage, I melt, I burn (from Acis and Galatea, HWV 49)
Lascia ch’io piange (from Rinaldo HWV 7)
G. Ph. Telemann (1681-1767)
Concerto for recorder and flute in e minor
G. F. Handel
Anthem for the Foundling Hospital: Blessed are they that considereth the poor HWV 268
‘Hallelujah’ from Messiah (HWV56)*
* Performed with audience members as a ‘singalong’
Ensemble Caprice
Since it was founded by flautist Matthias Maute three decades ago, Ensemble Caprice has made its mark as one of the most sought-after ensembles on the classical music scene.
Caprice has gained a solid reputation for its innovative programming and vibrant, compelling performances.The musicians of Ensemble Caprice have travelled to the four corners of the globe, giving performances in dozens of countries on four continents. It has been featured at many prestigious festivals around the world including the Lufthansa Festival of Baroque Music in London, the Felicia Blumental International Music Festival in Tel Aviv, Musikfestspiele Potsdam Sanssouci in Germany, the Boston Early Music Festival, Ottawa Chamber Music Festival, the Elora Festival and the International Festival Domaine Forget. This impressive roadmap bears witness to the fact that Caprice is recognised as being one of today’s leading baroque ensembles.
Besides its international tours, the group performs a regular Montreal concert series in the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts’ Bourgie Hall.Ensemble Caprice also has a flourishing recording career, with some twenty recordings on the Analecta, ATMA Classique and Antes labels, sold in nearly 50 countries. These recordings have received numerous critical distinctions, including a Juno Award and four Prix Opus awards to name only two of many.
Ensemble ArtChoral
Ensemble ArtChoral is a professional choir steeped in the grand tradition of choral music in Quebec for over 40 years, with the mission to present professional choral music in Québec, Canada and internationally.
Ensemble ArtChoral is recipient of the PRIX OPUS Musical Event of the Year 2020. Ensemble ArtChoral has established Maison symphonique as home for its Montreal concert series and is the professional choir in residence 2023-2027 with Festival Classica and le Nouvel Opéra Métropolitain.
With extensive touring in Canada and Quebec, ArtChoral has provided outstanding choral music to cities and communities in all 10 Canadian provinces. ArtChoral’s annual tour with Handel’s Messiah has become a staple of cultural life in Quebec.
The choir’s director, Matthias Maute, recipient of two JUNO Awards, has earned an international reputation for his work as artistic director of Ensemble ArtChoral, Ensemble Caprice, the Bach Society of Minnesota and as co-artistic director of the Montreal Baroque Festival.
Matthias Maute, conductor
Maestro Maute concertizes as a member of the New York based ensemble REBEL in North America and Europe. He has been invited to perform as guest soloist or conductor by the world’s most eminent baroque orchestras, including: Seattle Baroque, the Portland Baroque Orchestra, the Cleveland Baroque Orchestra, and the Magnificat Baroque Ensemble. In recent years he has also been invited to conduct other renowned orchestras, including I Musici de Montreal and Symphony of Nova Scotia. Mr. Maute is celebrated for his work as artistic director and conductor of Ensemble Caprice and tours extensively with the ensemble, being regularly invited to take part in prestigious festivals around the globe.
Under his direction, Ensemble Caprice was granted an esteemed JUNO award in 2009 for best vocal/choral classical music album of the year. His compositions are highly regarded and have been published by Breitkopf & Härtel, Amadeus, Moeck, and Carus. He has some thirty recordings to his credit on the Analekta, Vanguard Clasics, Bella Musica, Dorian, Bridge and ATMA Classique labels. Maestro Maute teaches at McGill University’s Schulich School of Music and at the Faculty of Music of the Université de Montréal.
