Ciompi Concert No. 1 feat. Julianne Baird, Soprano

The Ciompi begin their season with their venerable tradition of playing a quartet by Haydn, the father of that form. His Quartet No. 39 surprisingly ends with a fugue, a throwback to the baroque era, inspiring the Ciompi for the rest of the program. The ensemble continue their transition to the baroque with a string quartet transcription of Bach's famous Passacaglia and Fugue, before welcoming to the stage soprano Julianne Baird, a celebrated American singer of the baroque repertoire. The New York Times hailed Baird as "one of the most extraordinary voices in the service of early music that her generation has produced," and marveled at her "singing of supreme expressive beauty." Baird performs two soaring arias from Bach's immortal cantatas, and offers a rare chance to hear the operatic works of Venetian master Antonio Vivaldi, best known for his instrumental concertos.

PROGRAM:

Haydn: String Quartet in F-sharp Minor, op. 50, no. 4
Bach: Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor, BWV 582, transcribed for string quartet by Nicholas Kitchen
Bach: Bereitet die Wege, bereitet die Bahn!, from Cantata BWV 132
Bach: Die Seele ruht in Jesu Händen, from Cantata BWV 127
Vivaldi: "Sovvente il sole", from Andromeda Liberata, RV Anh. 117
Vivaldi: "Vedro con mio diletto," from Giustino, RV 717
Vivaldi: "In furore iustissimae irae," solo motet RV 626