The Queen’s Closet, Wellington’s period instrument baroque orchestra, presents a new concert, “Quanto Dolce: Musick for the Passions.” We imagine our wealthy patron’s son returning to London from his European tour with manuscripts of Italian music for us to perform in true Queen’s Closet style.
Our orchestra’s inspiration is the Restoration of the English Monarchy, between around 1660 and 1700. Oliver Cromwell’s tenure as Lord Protector of England, from 1653 to 1660, was characterised by a puritan approach to the arts, including banning theatre and some music. After Cromwell’s death, and with the crowning of Charles II, the Restoration began. The Theatre in London was rebuilt, and a new era of Music began, distinctive in its opulence and emphasis on enjoyment and entertainment.
Italian music, with its abundance of passions of all kinds, is a natural subject for The Queen’s Closet. We will perform lesser-known Italian music from this period and will compare this with Restoration music written in the Italian style as well as music written by Italian composers living and working in Restoration London.
When this music was first heard, it was fresh and modern. Our mission is to make this music new and contemporary, recreating the joyous spirit of the English Restoration. We prefer to perform in spaces where our audiences can eat, drink, mingle with us, and even dance! We always invite our audiences to come and have a look at our instruments, including natural trumpets, natural horns, cornetto, sackbut, hoboy (“baroque oboe”), baroque bassoon, recorders, strings, harpsichord and percussion; and to talk to us about what we do.
This event will include light refreshments, and audience members are encouraged to bring food and drink and friends to share with.
fringe.co.nz/show/43750
classical,
The Queen’s Closet
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