The Dryden Ensemble to Open Its 2012-2013 Season with "From Lully to Bach"

The Dryden Ensemble will present “From Lully to Bach,” at the opening concert of their 2012-2013 season. The performance will take place on Saturday, November 17 at 7:30 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church Solebury, 6587 Upper York Road, Solebury, Pa.  Ticket prices are $35 for general admission, $30 for seniors, and $10 for students, and may be purchased at the door or online at http://www.drydenensemble.org.

The program will feature Baroque masterpieces for oboe, bassoon, and strings, beginning with Lully's dramatic Passacaille from his opera Armide, first performed in 1686 at the court of Louis XIV, where the oboe originated. Lully's French Baroque style continued to influence European composers for at least a hundred years. In England, Henry Purcell's debt to Lully is illustrated by airs and dances from The Fairy Queen (1692). A Suite in A Minor from Biber's Mensa Sonora will feature Dryden's string players. Biber, a virtuoso violinist of Bohemian origin, was known for his originality and technical innovations in the history of violin repertoire. Moving ahead to the 18th century, the first half will close with the daring Hipocondrie à 7 by Jan Dismas Zelenka, a Czech composer much admired by J. S. Bach, who worked primarily at the court in Dresden.

The second half will open with the grand Sinfonia from Bach's Cantata 42, scored for oboe, bassoon, and strings. Vivaldi's Concerto in B-flat Major will follow, with pyrotechnics for bassoon and strings, featuring guest bassoonist Anna Marsh, one of this country's leading performers on the Baroque bassoon. The concert will close with Georg Muffat's magnificent Passacaglia in G Major for the entire ensemble. Muffat, a cosmopolitan composer who studied with Lully, also traveled to Vienna, Prague, and Italy, where he played an important role in the exchange of musical ideas.

The Dryden Ensemble will include Jane McKinley and Sarah Weiner on oboe; Anna Marsh on bassoon; Vita Wallace and Dongmyung Ahn on violin; Jessica Troy on viola; Lisa Terry on cello; Daniel Swenberg on lute and theorbo; and Webb Wiggins on harpsichord.

The Dryden Ensemble's season will continue with a celebration of Mozart’s work at "Mozart's Birthday" on January 26 and 27, 2013, and "Versailles Revisited" on April 20 and 21, 2013. For details and additional information visit http://www.drydenensemble.org.

About The Dryden Ensemble:

Named in honor of John Dryden, the English poet laureate whose words inspired Baroque composers including Purcell and Handel, the Dryden Ensemble specializes in performing music of the 17th and 18th centuries on period instruments.  A line from Dryden's Song to St. Cecilia captures the essence of baroque music and the ensemble's philosophy:  "What Passion cannot Musick raise and quell!"

The Dryden Ensemble is a not-for-profit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and a registered charity in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. For information on how to become a supporter or sponsor of the Dryden Ensemble visit:https://www.drydenensemble.org/supporttheensemble.html.