Aulos Ensemble Tercentennial Candlelight Concert, Saturday Afternoon
Aulos Ensemble Tercentennial Candlelight Concert, Saturday Afternoon
In honor of Newtownâs Tercentennial, and as a birthday present to the town, Newtown Friends of Music decided to contribute what they know how to do best: a splendid concert of exquisite music, superbly performed.
A free concert is being offered on Saturday, November 19, at 4 pm, at Newtown Meeting House, 31 Main Street in Newtown.
Performing the special concert will be The Aulos Ensemble.
The ensemble performs on authentic instruments of the 17th Century. Christopher Krueger performs on the flauto traverse, Marc Schachman on the baroque oboe, Linda Quan on the baroque violin, Myron Lutzke on the baroque cello, and Arthur Haas on the harpsichord.
âYou may have heard them at their Annual Baroque Christmas concert in front of the Neapolitan Christmas Tree and Persepio [crèche] at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York,â said Mrs Parrella.
âThey produce a sound quite different from what we are used to hearing today. For instance, gut stings were used exclusively, and tuning was more haphazard than today. In addition, the bridge as well as the bow of the stringed instruments were constructed differently. Bowing and fingering techniques were not nearly as developed as they are today. A baroque ensemble was significantly dependent upon the basso continuo, or figured bass. In this concert [the musicians] will be using a harpsichord and a cello to provide the harmonic support.â
The program for November 19 will honor some of the composers who were highly thought of at the end of the 17th and beginning of the 18th Century, including Monteverdi, Purcell, Correlli, Vivaldi, Bach, Handel, Couperin, Rameau, and others.
The decision to host a candlelight concert was made to honor the era of the early 1700s.
â[The concert] is a birthday gift, a birthday present, and the citizens of Newtown are invited to come to the party,â said Mrs Parrella. âThe guests are expected to wear their Sunday best clothes, or colonial costume, or tuxedos, to make the occasion as festive as possible.
The guests are also expected to bring a little something to the party.
âWe have made arrangements with Women Involved in Newtown [WIN] and we shall have collection boxes for items for Thanksgiving baskets including non-perishable food items, toiletry items, and the like,â Mrs Parrella mentioned.
WIN is planning to have coolers on hand for the concert collection, so foods that need to be refrigerated can also be donated.
Because the meeting house has limited seating, tickets are absolutely necessary. As soon as possible, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope with the number of tickets requested to Newtown Friends of Music, PO Box 295, Newtown.
For more information contact Mrs Parrella at 426-6470.
