05 Aug Press Release: Arcadian Dreams
LES DÉLICES AND SOPRANO HANNAH DE PRIEST WEAVE MUSICAL MAGIC IN ARCADIAN DREAMS (Oct. 19-20)
CLEVELAND – Les Délices and rising-star soprano Hannah De Priest will dazzle Northeast Ohio audiences with two special performances of their newest program Arcadian Dreams on October 20 in Cleveland and October 19 in Hudson. Arcadian Dreams features passionate, virtuosic works for soprano and chamber ensemble by a young Georg Frederic Handel, Jean-Philippe Rameau, and rarely-performed pieces by Louis Lefebvre and Thomas Louis Bourgeois. The musicians of Les Délices shine in Arcangelo Corelli’s indelible sonata “La Folia” and harpsichordist Mark Edwards takes center stage in a brilliant harpsichord sonata by Domenico Scarlatti.
On October 20th at 7:30 pm, Arcadian Dreams will be performed at Harkness Chapel on the Case Western Reserve University campus as part of the Early Music America Annual Summit. Tickets for this event ($10/$28/$45) will be available from August 15th via the Les Délices website. The Early Music America Summit will take place October 20-22nd and includes presentations, performances, workshops, and networking opportunities. More information and a full schedule of related events is available on the EMA website.
Les Délices will also present Arcadian Dreams on Oct. 19th at 2:00 pm in Hudson, hosted by the Hudson Library & Historical Society. Registration for this free event can be found on their website.
Arcadia: A Bucolic Paradise
In the 18th-century, Arcadia was a byword for a kind of pastoral perfection; an idealized vision of nature and humanity in perfect balance. Like much of Enlightenment culture, the roots of Arcadia lie in Greco-Roman mythology, so amidst the shepherds and shepherdesses of Arcadian Dreams, goddesses descend, nymphs frolick, and a young Endimion surrenders to sleep…
But besides the bucolic dreamscapes, Arcadian Dreams references Rome’s Arcadian Academy. Founded in 1690, the Arcadian Academy was a magnet for poets, visual artists, and musicians who dedicated themselves to aesthetic values like truth and simplicity inspired by Classical form and function. The Academy quickly established itself as a multi-disciplinary institution that would remain a leading cultural force for centuries. Composers like Corelli (pictured left) and Handel enjoyed membership in the Academy and they set texts by its poets and patrons to music such that its legacy extends to our present day.
Spotlighting little-known composers
Arcadian Dreams revels in the rhythms of the natural world: the program traces the arc of the sun, from the sunrise that begins Louis Lefebvre’s Le lever de l’Aurore to the romantic shadows of night in Thomas Louis Bourgeois’ Diane et Endimion. Though Lefebvre and Bourgeois are far from household names, Arcadian Dreams makes a strong case for their artistry, placing them amongst Baroque-Era heavyweights Handel, Rameau, and Scarlatti.
Describing the program, Debra Nagy says, “It’s always wonderful to present music by composers like Handel and Rameau – and it’s appealing for audiences. But I consider it a major victory when folks tell me that their favorite piece on a program was by a composer they’d never heard of previously. I’m very excited to perform – and record – what I think will be modern premieres of music by Louis Lefebvre (a French contemporary of Rameau) and Thomas Louis Bourgeois. Les Délices has performed several other works by Bourgeois in the past and I love the energy and power of his music. The truth is that there is SO MUCH gorgeous music out there and I feel that it’s our job as artists to look beyond well-known composers and well-known pieces and celebrate them.”
A Star on the Rise
Soprano Hannah De Priest is quickly becoming one of the most exciting young singers on the baroque stage. Known for her dramatic commitment, technical “mastery” (Olyrix) and “probing expressive intelligence” (Chicago Classical Review), in recent seasons she has made a slew of important debuts and garnered attention at international competitions. She made her Les Délices debut in filmed concerts Bewitched (2020) and Song of Orpheus (2021). Her performance with the ensemble at the 2023 Boston Early Music Festival was hailed in the Boston Globe as a Festival highlight. Says Artistic Director Debra Nagy, “Hannah’s performances have repeatedly knocked my socks off and word is definitely getting around when it comes to her artistry, her work ethic, and her exciting stage presence. I feel strongly that Les Délices’ collaboration with Hannah is a win-win and knew I wanted to work to record her debut CD (certainly before someone else does!).”
For her part, De Priest adds: “Performing with Les Délices is always an immense pleasure. Our friendship goes back to my student days, so Debra really knows my voice and how it’s developed better than virtually anyone else. I’m so inspired by Debra’s sensitive, refined playing, and her programs are always so creative and well-designed. I am over-the-moon that we will not only perform this unique program three times this fall, but will also record it. I can’t imagine a better team to make my debut solo album with!”
Arcadian Dreams
A dazzling new program weaves musical magic with “magnetic” soprano Hannah De Priest
Live performances in NE Ohio:
October 19, 2024 at 2:00 pm
Hudson Library & Historical Society
96 Library St, Hudson, Ohio