Wednesday, January 30, 2008

UNT concerts will highlight Baroque instrumentals

Man, that's a really big lute - I'm just sayin'.

By Pegasus News wire

The theorbo is a plucked string instrument deriving its name from the German Theorbe, which apparently translates as "big-ass lute." If you've never had a chance to see a theorbo (or an accompanying theorbist) in action, you'll soon have an opportunity as the University of North Texas goes for Baroque by putting on two concerts featuring early music compositions of Bach, Telemann, Mozart, Haydn and others.

Cynthia Roberts: instructor, performer, bon vivant

The first concert - scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 10 at 3 p.m. in the Winspear Hall Murchison Performing Arts Center - will highlight the talents of UNT instructors (and renowned performers) Cynthia Roberts and Gonzalo X. Ruiz. Roberts saws away at the violin, while Ruiz milks sweet notes from the oboe. They will be performing Bach's Concerto in C Minor for (what else?) violin and oboe, along with two cantatas, which are (if you must know) "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme" (BWV 140) and "Nun ist das Heil und die Kraft" (BWV 50). For the cantatas (I just love saying that word! "Cantata, cantata, cantata..."), the dynamic didactic duo will be accompanied by the UNT Baroque Orchestra and the Collegium Singers. Word has it that Ms. Roberts will also produce a diminutive violino piccolo from the wings and commence to saw upon it during the "Wachet..." piece. Worth the price of admission all by itself, I'm thinking, which is by the way $7 (or $5 for seniors, non-UNT students, and UNT faculty/staff; UNT students get in free).

The violino piccolo is on the right

Visiting North Texas from their home in the Netherlands to perform on Tues., Feb. 26 (at 8 p.m.; also in the Murchison) will be the Trio Amsterdam Baroque Ensemble, who will be variously bowing the violin, blowing the flute, hammering the keys of the harpsichord (and fortepiano), strumming the viola da gamba and doing whatever it is one does to the theorbo. The trio (and accompanying musicians) will give us a sampling of Bach, Monteclair, Telemann, Mozart and Haydn and Scottish songs set for violin; helping out on vocals will be mezzo soprano (and UNT associate prof. of music) Jennifer Lane. Mary Springfels (founder of the Newberry Consort) will handle (and otherwise manipulate) the viola da gamba, while UNT profs Lyle Nordstrom (on - TA DA! - theorbo) and Lenora McCroskey (handling the harpsichord) also pitch in. The core group of the Trio Amsterdam are Mimi Mitchell (Baroque violin), Jed Wentz (Baroque flute) and Richard Egarr (harpsichord & fortepiano).

Tics for the Feb. 26 concert run $10 ($7 for seniors, non-UNT students, and UNT faculty/staff; UNT students get in free).

To secure your tickets, visit the Murchison box office or call 940-369-7802.

posted by JM

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• Arts > Fine Arts > Classical Music