Welcome to our January Newsletter!

We wish each and every one of you a happy, healthy and peaceful 2023. And a very special thank you for your exceptional end-of-year giving! We surpassed totals from years in the past, and feel there is much to celebrate as we continue our dual mission of public concerts and work with marginalized youth this coming year.

Next up: Music of the Madonna

We are excited to start the new year in 2023 with a special program dedicated to Baroque sacred and secular music that was inspired by the veneration of the Madonna. Including Corelli’s famous “Christmas Concerto” for strings and continuo, we are showcasing vocal works by Isabella Leonarda, Georg Friedrich Händel and Giovanni Battista Ferrandini. In 17th-century Italy, convents were beehives of musical activity, a pursuit of which women could dedicate themselves fully and without prejudice. The nun Leonarda thrived in this setting, becoming one of the most prolific composers of her era, writing and publishing over 200 works. The riches of the musical circles the young Georg Friedrich Händel encountered when he lived in the Papal state of Rome, helped develop his own personal writing style that enabled him to stand apart from his peers, especially in his vocal output (both sacred and operatic). On our program we will perform two Marian cantatas (one mistakenly attributed to Händel), as well as instrumental music from another north German musician, Johann Rosenmüller, also inspired by the ornamental elements of the Italian Baroque that honored the Virgin Mary. We are delighted to have Meg Bragle join us for this program. Widely praised for her musical intelligence and “expressive virtuosity” (San Francisco Chronicle), Meg has earned an international reputation as one of today’s most gifted mezzo-sopranos, particularly in the field of early music.

TICKETS & INFO

Please note the different Cambridge venue* and start times!**

Friday, January 13th, 2023 at 7pm at Brattleboro Music Center, Brattleboro VT (tickets at bmcvt.org)
Saturday, January 14th, 2023 at 8pm** at Pickman Hall, Longy School of Music* in Cambridge
Sunday, January 15th, 2023 at 7pm** at Follen Community Church in Lexington

The Story Behind the Image

The image we have chosen for this program is the Virgin of Ostra Brama, located in a chapel tower found along the old city walls of Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius. Her image was mounted at the Gate of Dawn in 1620 by the Carmelites as extra protection for the city "from on high.” When in 1655 a Russian army set fire to the city, a fire which lasted 17 days, this icon of the Virgin miraculously survived. She became a symbol of hope and deliverance for both the Lithuanian and Polish peoples who co-existed there. She survived another fire when the chapel burned down in 1715 because a young monk saved her from the flames. Much later, during World War II, the Vilna people felt their sacred Mother should be hidden from the German troops, but the Archbishop argued their black Madonna should remain as a symbol of hope and survival against aggression and oppression.

The Medieval Madonna

She was considered the greatest intercessor with God and Christ at a time when the fear of Purgatory loomed large in the Christian psyche. Prayers and devotions seeking the Virgin Mary's aid were among the most significant aspects of spiritual life in communities. The texts of these prayers were set to music for devotional use. Over 500 years ago, Josquin des Préz, created his ground-breaking homage to the Virgin Mary in his most famous motet, ’Ave Maria, Virgo serena.’ Its text has continued to inspire composers over the course of music history.