A beautiful concert

Friday evening, we went to the Brattleboro Music Center to hear the group In Stile Moderno in a concert of the songs of Henry Purcell (1659-1695). You read that right - Purcell lived only 36 years, yet composed over 800 works! In addition to being a big fan of Purcell's music, I also have a son-in-law, Robert Shay, who is a Purcell scholar. He wrote a tome on the original MSS of Purcell a couple of decades ago, and now, a new edition of Purcell's most famous opera, Dido and Anaeas which Rob has edited based on that work with original MSS, will be published next month by Bärenreiter Publishers one of the premier publishers, perhaps THE premier, of classical music scores, A real feather in his cap.

Henry Purcell (1659-1695)

Rob's book********************************************** The group, In Stile Moderno, was composed of four vocal soloists and a theorbo player: Agnes Coakley Cox, Sophie Michaux, Corey Dalton Hart, Adam Simon, voices; Nathaniel Cox, theorbo The theorbo is a lute-like instrument common in Purcell's time, but very uncommon today. The program was called The English Orpheus,, and as the group explained, "If Orpheus charmed humans, animals, and even the gods of the Underworld with his lyre, then Henry Purcell, known as the “English Orpheus,” did the same for kings, queens, and commoners alike with his compositions. In his short thirty-six years, he created an astounding 850 works of music or more—and they still captivate and enchant us centuries later. Our spring concert will be an intimate evening of Purcell songs that journey from the sublime to the irreverent and back again." They charmed, indeed, and we greatly enjoyed the evening. A perfect "birthday concert."

The group, taking a bow.

Nathaniel Cox, playing the theorbo. I learned at the concert that Nathaniel Cox is the son of my friend, Doug Cox, who was sitting next to us in the audience. Doug, a violin-maker, is someone I know thriugh the BMC, through Putney Friends Mweting, and through the Jewish Community Torah Study on Zoom which took place back during them height of the pandemic. I think he and I were the only non-Jewish members of the group.