JEFFREY THOMAS music director
VERSAILLES & THE PARISIAN BAROQUE
Versailles & The Parisian Baroque The 2015 American Bach Soloists Festival & Academy is a celebration of Bach’s French contemporaries and the splendid music of the extravagant court at Versailles. Artistic and Music Director Jeffrey Thomas will conduct masterworks by Couperin, Rameau, Rebel, and others, including Marin Marais’ spectacular opera Sémélé, presented for the first time outside of Europe. From the grand to the elegantly mirthful, this exploration of the musical inspiration and wit of the French Baroque will be performed alongside Bach’s Mass in B Minor, a beloved tradition of the ABS Festival & Academy. The concerts, lectures, master classes, and colloquium of the ABS Festival & Academy provide a comprehensive, 10-day immersive experience in the music and culture of the Baroque. Join us and be seduced by the beauty and grandeur of Versailles & The Parisian Baroque. ABS at the Alliance Française In collaboration with the Alliance Française de San Francisco, a film series and a lecture by ABS violinist Robert Mealy will explore the theme of the ABS Festival & Academy during the weeks leading up to opening night. These events are free and open to the public.
FILM SERIES
LECTURE
Molière (Laurent Tirard, 2007) Tuesday July 21 7:00 pm
Versailles & The Parisian Baroque Robert Mealy Friday July 31 7:00 pm
Ridicule (Patrice Leconte, 1996) Tuesday July 28 7:00 pm Alliance Française de San Francisco 1345 Bush Street San Francisco, CA 94109 afsf.com
Friday August 7 2015 8:00 p.m.
Versailles & The Parisian Baroque - Part I American Bach Soloists Jeffrey Thomas, conductor Jean-Féry Rebel Les élémens Jean-Philippe Rameau Overture and Suite from Naïs Jacques Aubert Concert de simphonies pour les Violons, Flutes, et Hautbois The Festival opens on Friday, August 7, with a trio of stunning orchestral works by three French masters. The high-minded musical ideals and splendor of the era are fully evident in the Overture and suite of dances from Jean-Philippe Rameau’s opera Naïs. Here beauty and grandeur are enhanced by a third trait: velocity! As first violinist at the Paris Opera, Jacques Aubert had an ear for music that would be suitable for drama and dance. His Concert de Symphonies in D Major, an early incarnation of what would become the French symphony, is a delightful, foot-tapping tour of dance forms. Finally, Jean-Féry Rebel’s imaginative and vivid work for orchestra, Les élémens, depicts the creation of the world from chaos using motifs representing earth, air, fire, and water.
Saturday August 8 2015 8:00 p.m.
Versailles & The Parisian Baroque - Part II American Bach Soloists
Marin Marais Suite en ré majeur à trois violes Michel Lambert & Sébastien Le Camus Airs de cour François-André Danican Philidor Sinfonia I in G Minor André Campra Les femmes
Quirinus van Blankenburg L’Apologie des femmes Joseph Bodin de Boismortier Sonata No. 5 in A Major for Flute and Violin
François Couperin Troisième Ordre “L’Impériale” from Les Nations
From the grand to the intimate, ABS’s exploration of the Parisian Baroque continues into the drawing rooms, private halls, and Royal residence at Versailles. Featuring works by Marin Marais, François Couperin, André Campra, & Quirinus van Blankenburg, the elegance, refinement, mirth, and poignancy that were hallmarks of the Parisian Baroque will be presented.
Sunday August 9 2015 7:00 p.m. Sunday August 16 2015 2:00 p.m.
Johann Sebastian Bach: Mass in B Minor
ABS Academy Festival Orchestra & American Bach Choir with soloists from the ABS Academy Jeffrey Thomas, conductor
Bach’s Mass in B Minor is the pinnacle of Baroque repertoire and ABS’s annual performances draw Bach pilgrims to San Francisco from around the world. Jeffrey Thomas and the ABS Festival Orchestra, with vocal and instrumental soloists from the ABS Academy, perform this masterwork on each Festival Sunday.
View ABS’s Newest Video
Bach’s Mass in B Minor: Anatomy of a Masterwork americanbach.org/youtube This 30-minute documentary filmed during the 2014 ABS Festival & Academy provides an overview of Bach’s Mass and the ABS musicians who perform it each summer. Interviews include Jeffrey Thomas, Elizabeth Blumenstock, Debra Nagy, Steven Lehning, John Thiessen, and many more.
The American Bach Soloists Academy—the educational component of the ABS Summer Bach Festival—offers advanced conservatorylevel students and emerging professionals unique opportunities to study and perform Baroque music in a multi-disciplinary learning environment. Academy participants are featured exclusively in three evenings of Academy-in-Action Concerts. Additionally a number of Academyrelated events are offered to the public at no charge, including… Public Colloquia
Master Class Series
Lecture Series
Annual engaging forums for performers and audience members alike explore a variety of topics centered on historical, artistic, and practical considerations of performing Baroque music today.
The ABS Academy opens its doors to the public to witness the artistic transformations that make Master Classes so tremendously exciting, as performers and their master teachers share their knowledge and insights.
Join the members of the American Bach Soloists Academy for a series of enlightening and informative public lectures presented by the Academy faculty on a wide range of subjects centered on Festival themes.
Academy Events Saturday August 8 2015 2:30 p.m. Public Colloquium: The Culture of Versailles Join ABS Academy faculty and guests as they explore what sets French Baroque music apart from that of the rest of Europe. The first of three 45-minute sessions will outline the culture of Paris and Versailles through a survey of the art, architecture, and politics of the period. Then, ABS Academy instrumental and vocal faculty members will share their insights gained from years of historically informed performing experience as they discuss the challenges specific to French Baroque music. It will conclude with a discussion of the Querelle des Bouffons, the philosophical battle that took place in Paris in the 1750s over the relative merits of French and Italian style. (Free) Monday August 10 2015 8:00 p.m. Academy-in-Action Series Chamber works by Baroque masters $10 Tuesday August 11 2015 3:00 p.m. Master Class Series Harpsichord (Free) 5:00 p.m. Lecture Series: Kenneth Slowik Musical institutions of the Grand Siècle (Free) 8:00 p.m. Academy-in-Action Series Chamber works by Baroque masters $10
Wednesday August 12 2015 3:00 p.m. Master Class Series Violin & Viola (Free) 5:00 p.m. Lecture Series: Robert Mealy Le Parnasse Français: what makes French music so French? (Free) 8:00 p.m. Academy-in-Action Series Chamber works by Baroque masters $10 Thursday August 13 2015 3:00 p.m. Master Class Series Violoncello, Viola da gamba, Violone, & Contrabass (Free) 5:00 p.m. Lecture Series: Corey Jamason The Fabulous World of the Clavecinistes (Free) Friday August 14 2015 3:00 p.m. Master Class Series Winds & Brass (Free) 5:00 p.m. Lecture Series: Judith Malafronte Trillo or tremblement? Italian and French vocal style (Free) Saturday August 15 2015 3:00 p.m. Master Class Series Voice (Free) 5:00 p.m. Lecture Series: Debra Nagy Arts Entrepreneurship & Le Concert Spirituel (Free)
Friday August 14 2015 8:00 p.m.
Opera
Marin Marais: Sémélé
ABS Academy Festival Orchestra American Bach Choir with soloists from the ABS Academy Jeffrey Thomas, conductor
THOMAS
Drawn from the same mythological source that would inspire Handel over three decades later, Marin Marais’ 1709 opera Sémélé is an amorous tale of desire and ambition. The mortal woman Sémélé wins the devotion of Jupiter, king of the gods. Inflamed by her husband’s wandering eye, Juno devises a plan to ruin the pairing that ends in tragedy but also a wondrous new beginning for Sémélé. Utilizing a cast of musicians from the ABS Academy and Festival Orchestra, Jeffrey Thomas conducts the first complete performance outside of Europe of this gem from the golden era of musical Paris.
Marin Marais
Master viol player to the royal court of Versailles. His impressive musical legacy includes five volumes of Pièces de violes and four brilliant operas.
Saturday August 15 2015 8:00 p.m.
Distinguished Artist Series
John Thiessen, Baroque trumpet Kathryn Mueller, soprano American Bach Soloists
Girolamo Fantini Sonata per tromba e basso continuo detta del Nero Marco Uccellini Aria nona “L’Emenfrodito” Alessandro Scarlatti Su le sponde del Tebro Antonio Caldara Sonata in A Major for Violoncello & Basso continuo
THIESSEN
Arcangelo Corelli Sonata a Quattro for Trumpet, 2 Violins & Basso continuo Jeremiah Clarke Suite of Ayres for the Theatre Henry Purcell Sonata No. V in G Minor
George Frideric Handel “Let the bright seraphim” from Samson
MUELLER
Described by The New York Times as “the gold standard of Baroque trumpet playing in this country,” John Thiessen’s performances combine beauty of sound with brilliance and virtuosity. Performing a diverse program of Italian chamber music and cantatas, English music for the theater, and oratorio, John Thiessen will demonstrate his instrumental mastery in an astonishing variety of styles and settings in music by Corelli, Jeremiah Clarke, Handel, and Alessandro Scarlatti. For this special recital, members of ABS and guest soloists, including soprano Kathryn Mueller, will join Thiessen.
Festival Schedule Friday August 7 2015 5:00 p.m. Opening Night Dinner 8:00 p.m. Versailles & The Parisian Baroque Part I of II Saturday August 8 2015 2:30 p.m. Public Colloquium: The Culture of Versailles 8:00 p.m. Versailles & The Parisian Baroque Part II of II Sunday August 9 2015 7:00 p.m. Bach’s Mass in B Minor Monday August 10 2015 8:00 p.m. Academy-in-Action Tuesday August 11 2015 3:00 p.m. Master Class: Harpsichord 5:00 p.m. Lecture: Kenneth Slowik 8:00 p.m. Academy-in-Action
Wednesday August 12 2015 3:00 p.m. Master Class: Violin & Viola 5:00 p.m. Lecture: Robert Mealy 8:00 p.m. Academy-in-Action Thursday August 13 2015 3:00 p.m. Master Class: Violoncello, Viola da gamba, Violone, Contrabass 5:00 p.m. Lecture: Corey Jamason Friday August 14 2015 3:00 p.m. Master Class: Winds & Brass 5:00 p.m. Lecture: Judith Malafronte 8:00 p.m. Marais’ Sémélé Saturday August 15 2015 3:00 p.m. Master Class: Voice 5:00 p.m. Lecture: Debra Nagy 8:00 p.m. Distinguished Artist Series John Thiessen, Baroque trumpet Sunday August 16 2015 2:00 p.m. Bach’s Mass in B Minor GALLERY
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