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Contrapunctus: “The Remarkable Mr. Purcell” at Trinity Cathedral (October 5)

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by Nicholas Jones

Contrapunctus-at-TrinityHistorians of the arts sometimes ask: did England have a Baroque? Northern, chilly, and Protestant, could the British match the splendid Counter-Reformation emotionality of Catholic Rome? The answer arguably lies in three artists of the late seventeenth century, all of them working primarily in London: Christopher Wren (St. Paul’s Cathedral — noble, symmetrical, and infinitely baffling); John Milton (Paradise Lost — magnificent, touching, radically modern); and Henry Purcell — whose music is moving, challenging, surprising, and constantly creative. [Read more…]

Contrapunctus Cleveland to celebrate Purcell in Trinity Cathedral concert on October 5

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by Daniel Hathaway

PURCELL-HenryAfter the “distracted times” of the English Civil War, as Thomas Tompkins subtitled his Sad Pavane, Henry Purcell restored British music to something approaching its former glory during his brief but prolific lifetime. Born in 1659 close to Westminster Abbey, where he later served as organist (his teacher John Blow stepped down in his favor) Purcell went on to triumph as a composer who wrote equally striking and dramatic music for the church and the theater. [Read more…]

Review: Contrapunctus debuts at Trinity with “The Life and Times of Mary, Queen of Scots” (March 2)

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by Daniel Hathaway

Mary-Q-ScotsThe chamber choir formerly known as Cantores made its debut under the new name of Contrapunctus at Trinity Cathedral on Sunday afternoon, March 2, with an historically themed concert, “The Life and Times of Mary, Queen of Scots, 1542-1587.”

Led by its new artistic director, English countertenor David Acres, the 19 singers expertly presented 15 exquisite church motets by English, Scottish, Spanish and Italian composers of the Renaissance, embedded into a lengthy, printed narrative of Mary’s life with color images and supplemented by a few brief excerpts from her own writings delivered by actor Denise Larkin.

Performing music within its historical context with the help of images and spoken words can result in a rich experience for the listener when several streams run together to form a larger river. [Read more…]

Preview: Cantores becomes Contrapunctus, and makes its debut in music of the era of Mary, Queen of Scots on March 2

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by Daniel Hathaway

Mary-Q-ScotsIn 2004, Barbara Margolis gathered five of her professional singer colleagues and launched the one-on-a-part vocal ensemble Cantores Ecclesiae to explore church music written before 1650. By 2011, the group — now called Cantores Cleveland — had expanded into a non-profit organization, increased its numbers and embarked on the new mission of performing themed, multi-media concerts designed to bring old music back to life by placing it in its historical context.

Margolis having decided to step down, Cantores has entered a new era under a new name: Contrapunctus Cleveland. The mission remains the same, but the artistic leadership has passed on to British countertenor David Acres and soprano Judith Overcash, and Contrapunctus is now in residence at Trinity Cathedral in downtown Cleveland. The newly reconstituted, 19-voice ensemble will make its debut at Trinity on Sunday, March 2 at 3:00 pm in a program entitled “The Life and Times of Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-1587). [Read more…]

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