PAST PERFORMANCES

Inaugural Jean Stein Memorial Concert: “Virtuosic Handel”

SUNDAY, MAY 19, 2019

4:00 PM

Saint Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal Church (map)

Melius Consort made its début with an afternoon of virtuosic Baroque music celebrating the life of the late Jean Stein, author, editor, and generous benefactor of the arts. Under the baton of artistic director James Kennerley, Melius Consort presents some of the greatest works by George Frideric Handel, alongside the renowned Choir of St. Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal Church and a roster of stellar soloists.

The program opens with the buoyant, sparkling overture to Handel’s opera Alcina, first performed in London in 1735, followed by the opera's famous aria "Di cor mio quanto t'amai" performed by soprano Chloe Holgate. James Kennerley will be the soloist for Handel’s Organ Concerto in F, composed so that Handel himself could show off his keyboard chops during the intermissions of his oratorios. The concert concludes with the fiery, virtuosic Dixit Dominus, a setting of Psalm 110 composed in 1707 when Handel was just 21 and living in Italy, the birthplace of opera. Drama is at the center of every movement of the Dixit Dominus, from the vibrant opening string figures, the elegant soprano solo movement, “Tecum principium,” and the thrilling finale.