Newberry Consort to Present 'Dangerous Love' April 27-29

The Newberry Consort is pleased to present “Dangerous Love: Playing with Fire,” featuring a selection of music by 17th century Italian composers, all about the perils of falling in love. The concerts will take place on April 27 at 8 p.m. at the Newberry Library, April 28 at 8 p.m. at the Logan Center for the Arts at the University of Chicago, and April 29 at 3 p.m. at Galvin Recital Hall at Northwestern University. Tickets range from $40 to $50 and student tickets are $5 at the door for the Saturday and Sunday shows.

This vibrant program includes secular songs by Venetian master Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643), Jewish composer Salamone Rossi (1570-1630), Vatican composer Domenico Mazzochi (c.1590-1665), and other Italian composers whose works were part of the transition from Renaissance to Baroque periods. The music speaks to the universal, painful feelings of infatuation, falling in love with the wrong person, heartbreak, break-ups and more.

“Throughout the ages, having your heart broken is always a great impetus for making memorable music. And this music is full of dazzling virtuoso playing, so I think audiences will really have a lot of fun — as will the musicians!,” says Ellen Hargis, Co-Artistic Director of the Newberry Consort.

In addition, the instrumentalists will be improvising some of their parts — a practice that was common in the Baroque era. Composers would use a ground bass — a repeated chord pattern — as a template for wild variations, similar to what we hear now in a jazz ensemble.

“This is also where the ‘playing with fire’ phrase comes into play,” Hargis says. “When you are improvising, you never know what will happen!”

The concerts will feature sopranos Hargis and Margaret Carpenter Haigh and bass-baritone Daniel Fridley, as well as violinists Brandi Berry and David Douglass, cellist Jeremy David Ward, and three continuo players: Charles Metz on harpsichord and organ and David Walker and Brandon Acker on plucked strings, including guitars, lutes, and theorbos.

Event Details

Dangerous Love: Playing with Fire

Friday, April 27, 2018 at 8 p.m. at Ruggles Hall at Newberry Library

Tickets: $50

Saturday, April 28, 2018 at 8 p.m. at Logan Center at the University of Chicago

Tickets: $40-$50 (student tickets available for $5 at the door)

Sunday, April 29, 2018 at 3 p.m. at Galvin Recital Hall, Northwestern University in Evanston

Tickets: $40-$50 (student tickets available for $5 at the door)

To purchase tickets visit www.newberryconsort.org.

Pre-concert chats start 30 minutes before each performance.

About the Newberry Consort:

Directed by David Douglass, Newberry Musician-in-Residence, and early music diva Ellen Hargis, the Newberry Consort plumbs the Newberry Library’s vast music collection and assembles a star-studded roster of local and international artists to bring you world-class performances of music from the 13th to the 18th centuries…and occasionally beyond! Affiliated with the Newberry Library Center for Renaissance Studies, the Consort also serves as an ensemble-in-residence at both the University of Chicago and Northwestern University. In addition to an annual concert series in Chicago, the Consort has an active touring schedule.