Welcome to the 18th century! (Or if you don’t like that, we can go to the 17th century.)
Queens Consort will present The Riches of Italy, a concert featuring Italian Baroque music, twice in Queens this weekend.
Music by Antonio Vivaldi will be a big focus, but attendees will also hear songs by Arcangelo Corelli, Domenico Gallo, and Domenico Scarlatti. And as to be expected, the musicians will play authentic Baroque instruments at Baroque pitch and in period style.
The first show is set for King Manor Museum, located inside Rufus King Park in Jamaica, on Friday, Oct. 20, at 6:30 pm. Tickets are $15, but students and seniors pay $10. The night will begin with wine and light refreshments.
The second set will show at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, located at 33-50 82nd St. in Jackson Heights, on Saturday, Oct. 21, at 7 pm. Tickets are $20, but students and seniors pay $15. The night will end with wine and food.
Founded in 2015, Queens Consort is the borough’s first-ever Baroque ensemble, and it has a particular affinity for music that came from Venice during that era. Members play harpsichords, recorders, and string instruments that were used in Europe between about 1600 and 1750 AD. And of course, they use bows from the era as well. (They’re shorter than the modern day versions.)
Viola master Margrét Hjaltested, a Queens College faculty member who grew up in Iceland, founded Queens Consort with Claire Smith Berminghan, a violinist who has performed on Saturday Night Live and The View. Other members are Aya Hamada, a Japanese native who plays harpsichord, Dan McCarthy, who splits time between the viola and the violin, and celloist Anneke Schaul-Yoder.
The Baroque Era is noted for church music that featured solo voices that contrasted with choruses and orchestras. It is also when the sonata, suite, and concerto grosso grew in popularity.
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Images: Queens Consort