the little OPERA theatre of ny
presents
A Livestream Concert from St. John’s in the Village

MONTEVERDI & OTHER TREASURES FROM THE SEICENTO

Featuring
RAÚL MELO, Tenor; SUMMER HASSAN, Soprano; MICHAEL KUHN, Tenor;
MANAMI MIZUMOTO, Violin; REBECCA NELSON, Violin; MAJKA DEMCAK, Violin;
PAUL HOLMES MORTON, Theorbist & Guitarist; DOUG BALLIET, Master of Bass Instruments

ELLIOT FIGG: Music Director & Harpsichordist
PHILIP SHNEIDMAN: Director
DALIA SEVILLA: Assistant Director

June 4, 2021 7:30 p.m.

lotny.org/2-livestreams or (646) 481-9890
Purchase includes the option to replay the concert at a later date.

This charming, melodious evening opens with Buonamente’s “Second Sonata for 3 Violins” played to perfection. As smooth as silk, it fills the listener with a calm happiness.

SUMMER HASSAN follows with the powerful, touching “Lagrime mie, Lamento” by Barbara Strozzi. Strozzi was a wonder of 17th Century music: Not only a female composer, but a massively productive one. She also became a singer and composed books of songs. All this while being a single mother of four. HASSAN’s rich voice is perfectly suited to this piece.

MICHAEL KUHN presented two works by Monteverdi. KUHN has an amazing voice and a dynamic presence.

A musical interlude opens the path to the highlight of the evening, “The Combat of Tancredi and Clorinda”. First performed in a Venetian piazza in 1624, it is considered to be one of the very first operas. Written by Monteverdi, it reenacts a sword battle between a Crusader and a Saracen. The “narrator” (RAÚL MELO) sings the story with gusto while the combatants act out the tale. Under the armor, a surprise takes the story in a quite different direction.

Another highlight was the therbo, a sort of space-age 17th Century lute. Large-bodied, with at least 14 strings and an extended neck (a very extended neck) and a second pegbox. It is strummed or plucked and designed to play basso continuo. Its low range is perfect for accompanying singers, as its strong sound is not obscured by the vocalist.

St. John’s in the Village provides the perfect setting for the little OPERA theatre of ny, which never disappoints and in fact amazes, with each production seeming to outshine the last.

-Karen D’Onofrio-