November 2, 1998
Romanesca to Perform at Middlebury College Center
for the Arts on Nov. 15
“The sounds
as [violinist Andrew]
Manze emits them, are magic. And that is because Manze has recovered
the pre-Romantic, pre-idealistic esthetic that gives them life.”
—The New York Times
Romanesca, a trio of British musicians known for
their performances and recordings of baroque instrumental music,
will perform on Sunday, Nov. 15 at 3 p.m. in the Concert Hall
of the Middlebury College Center for the Arts on Route 30. The
group’s appearance in Middlebury is part of its first American
tour. The trio’s program, called “Phantasticus,” features
virtuoso violin music of the 17th century.
Romanesca was founded by Nigel North in 1988 with
the aim of presenting music from the 17th and 18th
centuries in a way that is lively, expressive, and communicates
to contemporary audiences. The group has played throughout Europe.
Early Music News (England) said of a recent Wigmore
Hall concert, “Andrew Manze (who has something of a gypsy
fiddler in him), Nigel North and John Toll revealed an ability
to bewitch their hearers through the frenzied energy of their
ڴǰԳ.”
Andrew Manze is “quietly becoming pre-eminent,”
according to Gramophone magazine, amongst the new generation of
musicians specializing in period instruments. A classicist by
training, he has recently been appointed the associate director
of the Academy of Ancient Music.
Nigel North is one of the world’s foremost lutenists,
having specialized in early repertoire since 1975. He has made
numerous solo recordings and appeared at early music festivals
in Boston, Bath, Utrecht and Moscow. North also plays the theorbo.
Harpsichord player John Toll is one of Britain’s
most active early music specialists. A founding member of London
Baroque, he now plays regularly with Andrew Parrott’s Taverner
Players and the Orchestra of Enlightenment.
Tickets for this Middlebury College Concert Series
performance are $9.00 general admission and $7.00 for senior citizens.
To order tickets, please call the College box office at 802-443-6433.