Les Délices: Myths & Allegories
Wed, November 19th, 2014
8:00 pm
- This event has passed.
The Williams College Department of Music presents Les Délices, a musical performance group that features vocal and instrumental music from the French Baroque period played on period instruments. A series of free, public events are scheduled on the Williams College campus.
On Wednesday, Nov. 19, a concert titled “Myths & Allegories” features music from the time of King Louis XIV inspired by Homer’s Odyssey, including works by court composers Elizabeth Jacquet de la Guerre and Jean-Féry Rebel. This performance is at 8 p.m. in Brooks-Rogers Recital Hall
On Thursday, Nov. 20 at 4:15 p.m., there is an Instrumental Performance Practice Workshop in Brooks-Rogers Recital Hall and a Vocal Master Class in Chapin Hall. These master classes feature Williams music students performing under the tutelage of Les Délices and offer the public an opportunity to observe the interactions between artists and learners, and to learn more about Les Délices and baroque music.
In the evening, at 7:30 p.m. in Brooks-Rogers Recital Hall, Les Délices offers a Baroque Dance Class.
On Friday, Nov. 21 at 10 a.m., the public is invited to a class visit in Chapin Hall featuring the group and hosted by music professor Jennifer Bloxam.
About Les Délices
Founded in Cleveland in 2006, Les Délices (pronounced Lay day-lease) brings together artists with national reputations who share a passion for this exquisite yet seldom heard repertoire. Their performances on period instruments allow them to explore a rich tapestry of tone colors, and the group’s name conveys their approach to the music of this era: a delight, a fine delicacy, sumptuous, and exciting. Les Délices’ debut CD, “The Tastes Reunited” was named one of the “Top Ten Early Music Discoveries of 2009” (NPR’s Harmonia), and their performances have been called “a beguiling experience” (Cleveland Plain Dealer), “astonishing” (ClevelandClassical.com), and “first class” (Early Music America Magazine). Les Délices has been featured on WCLV’s AroundNoon, WKSU’s In Performance, and NPR’s syndicated Harmonia and Sunday Baroque. Their debut CD was featured as part of the Audio-guide for a recent special exhibit at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art (Watteau, Music, and Theater). In addition to touring engagements, Les Délices presents their own annual concert series in modern art galleries in Cleveland and at Plymouth Church in Shaker Heights, OH, where the ensemble is Artist in Residence.