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Christmas with Les Délices: “Noel, Noel” (debut Dec. 10)

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by Timothy Robson

Les Délices premiered another winner this weekend with the debut of their pre-recorded Christmas concert “Noel, Noel,” a highly enjoyable blend of English, French, and German carols, interspersed with Christmas-themed poetry from authors as diverse as Christina Rosetti and e.e. cummings. (The program is available until December 23. Click here for tickets.)

Earlier in the year Les Délices had put out a call to local poets to submit Christmas poems for this concert. Three were chosen: Diane Kendig’s At the Christmas Tree, Dave Lucas’ Three Kings, and Julie Warther’s one child’s candle. The styles are diverse, from Kendig’s sonnet to Wather’s six haiku miniatures. [Read more…]

“Noel, Noel” — Les Délices premieres new Christmas program Thursday

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by Mike Telin

By now it’s no secret that the phrase “home for the holidays” has taken on a whole new meaning this year. And while we won’t be able to attend in-person concerts performed by large orchestras and choruses, Les Délices has created a new seasonal program that can be enjoyed from the comfort of your home — with your favorite beverage.

On Thursday, December 10 at 7:30 pm, the Cleveland-based ensemble will present the premiere of “Noel, Noel.” The pre-recorded, streamed program features French Noels, German hymns including Michael Praetorius’ Es ist ein Ros entsprungen and In dulci jubilo, and the haunting Old English Coventry Carol and 17th-century Drive the Cold Winter Away. The playlist also includes Gustav Holst’s In the bleak midwinter and Franz Gruber’s Silent Night.

Presented in the style of Lessons and Carols, the music is interleaved with poems by Christina Rossetti, e.e. cummings, and Thomas Campion, as well as recent work by Northeast Ohio poets Dave Lucas, Diane Kendig, and Julie Warther recited by longtime local radio and TV host Dee Perry.

A pre-concert talk begins at 7:00 pm, the premiere begins at 7:30, and a Q&A with the artists follows at 8:30. Click here for ticket information. If you’re not available on Thursday, no worries, your ticket gives you streaming access through December 23. [Read more…]

SalonEra: “Folk Influences” (Nov. 16)

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by Mike Telin

Any talk show worth its weight possesses three qualities: a host who is knowledgeable of the subject matter, guests who are engaging conversationalists, and a feeling that by the end of the program, you’ve learned something.

With the onslaught of newly created online content designed to entertain the stay-at-home audience, SalonEra is a standout. Produced by Cleveland-based early music ensemble Les Délices and hosted by Debra Nagy, each show is centered around a single topic and features guest artists who bring the subject du jour to life. [Read more…]

Les Délices’ Bewitched: “Sensational” Online Concert

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by Timothy Robson

“Bewitched,” the first subscription concert of this season by Les Délices, can be summed up in one word: sensational. In her introductory remarks, director Debra Nagy talked about the “Embracing Change” theme of the season and completely rethinking the concert experience for streaming. The detailed planning was in evidence throughout the program. “Bewitched” was not just a concert; it was a carefully planned musical film, with elements of drama and music appreciation, all in support of the inspired program choices featuring Medea and Circe, two famous witches (or sorceresses, if you prefer) of classical antiquity. [Read more…]

Les Délices begins Concert Series with “Bewitched” Oct. 22

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by Jarrett Hoffman

There are a couple of reasons why “Bewitched” is a fitting title for the first program in Les Délices’ Concert Series, streaming Thursday, October 22 at 7:30 pm and available on demand until the Closing Reception on Monday, November 2, also at 7:30 — tickets available here.

Not only is Halloween drawing near, and not only will Chicago-based soprano Hannah De Priest sing the roles of two witches in Colin de Blamont’s Circé and Louis-Nicolas Clérambault’s Medée, but in a way, the ensemble hopes to cast a spell with a reenvisioning of the traditional concert format, in particular with the creative use of video and lighting.

In a conference call, I spoke to De Priest and Les Délices director/oboist Debra Nagy about the experience of recording in person at Plymouth Church in Shaker Heights, stepping into the shoes and the vocal cords of those morally ambiguous witches, the role of gender in these stories, favorite Halloween costumes, and one or two possible signature cocktails for the concert.

[Read more…]

An interview about interviewing: Debra Nagy on SalonEra Episodes 4-6

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by Jarrett Hoffman

SalonEra is off and running, continuing into its fourth, fifth, and sixth episodes over the next several weeks with “Strike The Viol” (October 5), “Latin Baroque” (October 19), and “Schubertiade” (November 2).

I reached out to Les Délices artistic director Debra Nagy to learn more about these three very different programs, but also to talk about the new role she’s taken on for this series: interviewer. And whether you’re Conan O’Brien or Debra Nagy, there’s a lot that goes into that.

For Nagy, it starts with a “discovery call” with someone she’d like to bring on the show: “a very open phone call that is maybe as much as an hour long,” she said during our own recent call over Zoom. Of course, she’ll already know in advance what someone’s specialty is, “but also, people surprise me,” she said. From there, and sometimes with a second phone call to further refine a topic, she can begin to weave a web that ties together different discussions and performances (all to be pre-recorded).

During the final taping of each episode, Nagy has enjoyed the challenge inherent in any interview: steering a conversation so that it’s both substantive and concise. The interviewee, of course, plays a part in that as well: both sides have to come together in a sort of dance that’s simultaneously organic and prepared.

[Read more…]

Les Délices’ SalonEra: “Recovering Roots” (Sept. 21)

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by Jarrett Hoffman

Created remotely and shared virtually, Les Délices’ SalonEra has the capability of presenting musicians and thinkers who are not only far afield from Northeast Ohio, but who bring especially unique musical interests to the table, perhaps based on where they’re from.

That was the case yesterday, September 21, in the third program of the series. Through pre-recorded performances and conversation, “Recovering Roots” explored Indigenous Métis music as well as the 17th- and 18th-century cultural exchange with white settlers in what was known as New France.

[Read more…]

Les Délices goes digital with Monday SalonEra Series (Aug. 24)

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by Daniel Hathaway

Pianist Conrad Tao tweeted earlier this month that thanks to the exigencies of the pandemic, he would refer to two pre-recorded video performances he was preparing not as concerts, but as “shows” in the sense of television. “We’re production companies now,” he wrote.

After considering all its options, Cleveland’s period ensemble Les Délices decided to fully embrace the idea of creating pre-recorded “shows” in the place of live, in-person performances this season. [Read more…]

Les Délices: the SalonEra series and a look at its first three programs

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by Jarrett Hoffman

Early on in the pandemic, Baroque oboist and Les Délices artistic director Debra Nagy decided to avoid spending time on social media. It wasn’t just the clickbait articles, or the echo chamber of opinions, or the anxiety that it can provoke in even the best of times.

It was also, as she told me in April, the “sea” of invites to live concerts streamed from living rooms. It was overwhelming. One thing she found nourishing was programming potential concerts, planning for a future where artists could once again “collaborate in meaningful ways.”

Looking back now, it’s clear that Nagy was always going to find her own unique way to approach music-making in the time of COVID. Enter SalonEra, a free series that begins August 24 and represents one half of Les Délices’ 2020-21 season.

[Read more…]

Les Délices embraces change with two new online series 

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by Mike Telin

Trying to second-guess the future in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic has left every performing arts organization in the world trying to figure out a path forward. All are attempting to answer the same question: when and how will we be able to perform in front of an in-person audience?

Cleveland-based period instrument ensemble Les Délices has decided the best path would be to create an all-virtual 2020-2021 season. One series, Embracing Change, will feature four new, 60-minute pre-recorded concerts complete with on-screen titles, program notes, artist interviews, and behind-the-scenes footage. First screenings will include live post-concert Q&A with the artists. Concerts will be available on demand for ten days and audiences can enjoy a closing “Reception” during the final day of each cycle. To view the season and purchase single tickets and subscription packages click here.

In a recent telephone conversation, Artistic Director Debra Nagy said that part of the genesis of Embracing Change was that she had already planned the 2020-21 season back in the fall of 2019. “I continued to tweak and build a budget and then COVID-19 hit in March of 2020.”

Nagy said she spent some time in denial and grieving, but as the weeks progressed, and studies were released about the possible dangers of singing and performing in large groups, she began to ask herself: what does this mean for Les Délices?  [Read more…]

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