By the view Staff Article published November 8, 2005
On Nov. 17, the UVM Lane Series will present the Blue Heron Renaissance Choir, directed by Burlington native Scott Metcalfe, in the excellent acoustics of the Saint Michael’s College Chapel. On Nov. 18, the series will bring the brilliant recorder player Mattias Maute and his Ensemble Caprice to the UVM Recital Hall. Both concerts begin at 7:30 p.m.
The Blue Heron Renaissance Choir has been lauded for their “masterful…perfect intonation, elegant phrasing, and…full, radiant sound.” Blue Heron, directed by Scott Metcalfe (son of UVM professors Elizabeth and William Metcalfe), is an ensemble of professional singers from the Boston area specializing in Renaissance sacred polyphony, with an emphasis on music of the later fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries by English and Franco-Flemish composers. Hailed by the Boston Globe for "an imaginative expressivity that was often at white heat," Blue Heron combines a commitment to vivid live performance with knowledge of the latest research into source material and performance practice. The group presents its own series of concerts in Boston; they have also been invited to sing at Monadnock Music Festival every summer since 2000.They will perform the little heard Mass Spes Nostra of early 16th Century English composer Robert Jones.
Ensemble Caprice, under the artistic direction of Matthias Maute and Sophie Larivière, is renowned for its innovative interpretations of baroque music. Originally formed in Germany in 1986 and now based in Montreal, Ensemble Caprice continues to give concerts in Europe and has appeared at the Vlaanderen Festival in Bruges, Belgium, the Netwerk-Reihe of the Organisatie voor Oude Muziek in The Netherlands, the International Recorder Symposium in Stuttgart, the Recorder Festival in Stockstadt, as well as the Ancient Music Rencontres in Heidelberg. Closer to home in Canada, the ensemble has its own annual music series at Redpath Hall in Montreal and has participated in the Baie des Chaleurs Chamber Music Festival, the Concerts Ponticello music series and given concerts at the Maison Trestler and the Chapelle Historique du Bon-Pasteur. The ensemble currently records on the ATMA Classique label, which released their CD “Mit Freude” in January.
Tickets or information: 863-5966 or UVM Lane Series
