Great Barrington — The early music group Aston Magna has announced its 52nd season of performances in the Boston area and the Berkshires. Between July 10 and August 3, concerts will take place Thursday evenings at the Allen Center, Newton Cultural Alliance, 35 Webster St. in Newton, and on three Saturday afternoons and one Sunday afternoon at Saint James Place, 352 Main St. in Great Barrington.
Aston Magna’s four concert weekends span several centuries and styles, from early 17th-century composer Dario Castello to contemporary Baroque specialist Nicola Canzano. Audience favorites are also featured, including late works by Mozart and the “Fiddlers Four” program, which culminates in Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.
But what mustn’t be missed is the new music by Nathan Adam Mondry and Nicola Saraceni Canzano, both born in 1991. Canzano spoke with the Berkshire Edge about the music he writes and why he writes it: “I’m just trying to write music that people will want to play and that I will want to play.” He added, “I don’t think that’s really any different from any other composer.”
Canzano’s view of the modern composer’s role is nothing short of refreshing:
“A lot of composers are really obsessed with trying to sound new somehow, whatever that means. And I think a lot of them lead themselves astray by not simply writing the stuff that they’d like to hear that’s in their head.
“But because of 20th-century militant avant-gardism, you must write music that makes no sense. Otherwise, you’re, you know, like a square. Really, it was just a bunch of crazy people who ended up taking things over for 20 years in the 20th century.”
Nathan Adam Mondry holds master’s degrees in historical improvisation from the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Switzerland and in harpsichord performance from McGill University. He is currently pursuing a D.M.A. in keyboard studies at Cornell University. Mondry has composed more than 60 works—including harpsichord suites, concerti, sonatas, symphonies, trio sonatas, partimenti, and vocal pieces—such as this recent example. Deeply committed to both composition and pedagogy, he is an emerging force in the world of historically informed performance.
Aston Magna performers will include Artistic Director Daniel Stepner, Rafa Prendergast, Gerald Elias, Julia Glenn, and Cynthia Roberts on baroque violin; Julie Leven on violin, Sylvia Berry on harpsichord and fortepiano; soprano Kristen Watson; Anne Black on viola, Laura Jeppesen on viola da gamba and viola; Jacques Lee Wood on cello; Jennifer Morsches and Loretta O’Sullivan on Baroque cello; Kelsey Burnham on traverso; Thomas Carroll on basset horn; Peter Sykes on harpsichord; Anne Trout on bass; and Catherine Liddell on theorbo.
Aston Magna’s 52nd season features four programs:
Music from Thomas Jefferson’s Library
Selections by Geminiani, Balbastre, Arne, Purcell, Mozart, and Weber, performed by baroque violinist Daniel Stepner, harpsichordist Sylvia Berry, and soprano Kristen Watson.
July 10, 7 p.m. – Allen Center
July 12, 3 p.m. – Saint James Place
Late Mozart
Features the Adagio and Fugue, G Minor Viola Quintet, and Clarinet Quintet, with Stepner and ensemble.
July 17, 7 p.m. – Allen Center
July 19, 3 p.m. – Saint James Place
From Castello to Canzano
Baroque to modern chamber music by Castello, Guillemain, Mondonville, and living composers Mondry and Canzano. Directed by Peter Sykes.
July 24, 7 p.m. – Allen Center
July 26, 3 p.m. – Saint James Place
Fiddlers Four
Vivaldi’s Four Seasons plus works by Purcell, Pachelbel, Legrenzi, and Telemann, with a full baroque ensemble.
July 31, 7 p.m. – Allen Center
August 3, 3 p.m. – Saint James Place
Tickets are available here.
