Pacific MusicWorks
A Contemporary Voice for Early Music
Seattle-based Pacific MusicWorks is a musical production company focused primarily, but not exclusively, on the presentation of vocal chamber music and operatic works of the 17th and 18th centuries. In recent years they have also committed themselves to commissioning new works written for period instruments as a means of bridging the stories of the past with those of today, and evolved a unique catalogue of concert programs. Now the core performing ensemble (with lutenist Stephen Stubbs, harpist Maxine Eilander, violinist Tekla Cunningham and harpsichordist Henry Lebedinsky) offers a selection of these programs for touring.
CABARET WITH THE COUNTESS: The Baroque Meets Drag
“With a subtitle like that, everyone who attended…knew that some combination of serious musicianship and royal camp was in store. Nothing, however, prepared me for how delightful and engaging the evening would be.” - Jason Victor Serinus, Classical Voice North America
What do Shakespeare, Pepys, Purcell, Handel, Campra, Matteis, Lanier, drag, opera, cabaret, cocktails, and brunch have in common? CABARET WITH THE COUNTESS is the perfect program to attract a diverse audience to an early music concert in a non-traditional venue.
“The Countess is a character that has been with me even before I consciously knew or named her. She is an amalgamation of drag, classical music culture, and baroque performance practice. She has the enormous hair and impossible waist (If I do say so myself) of a high baroque aristocrat, the sensibilities of a grand twentieth-century diva, and the messiness of an after-hours open-mic. And, with camp and decadence, she winkingly plays on both registers of the parallel between opera and drag.” - John Taylor Ward
PERSONNEL
John Taylor Ward as the Countess
TshedzomTingkhye, dance
Anna Mansbridge, choreography
Tekla Cunningham, baroque violin
Stephen Stubbs, baroque guitar
Maxine Eilander, baroque harp
Henry Lebedinsky, harpsichord
David Morris, viola da gamba
STYLUS PHANTASTICUS
“The tunes show wit, compassion, virtuosity, lyricism, reflection, and an ever-changing spectrum of colors, phrasing, and articulation. Moreover, the performances are immaculate and committed. It makes for engaging and highly addictive listening.”- Classical Candor
Virtuoso violinist Tekla Cunningham is the perfect instrumental protagonist for this journey through the wild and wonderful, semi-improvised world of 17th-century violin music from Italy and Germany. The compositions included on this program provide prime examples of the lineage of the Stylus Phantasticus from its Italian roots to its later development into an ‘imperial style’ associated with Central Europe and the Habsburgs. As described by Jesuit polymath and scholar Fr. Athanasius Kircher (1602-1680), “The Stylus Phantasticus is appropriate to instruments. It is the most free and unfettered method of composition, bound to nothing, neither to words, nor to a harmonious subject. It is organized with regard to manifest invention, the hidden reason of harmony, and an ingenious, skilled connection of harmonic phrases and fugues. And it is divided into those pieces which are commonly called Phantasias, Ricercatas, Toccatas, and Sonatas.”
“I am happy to say that in all respects, the performers succeed with flying colours in bringing this music to life. Tekla Cunningham not only impresses with a flawless technique, but also with her deep understanding of the rhetorical and gestural nature of this repertoire. This is one of the best demonstrations of the features of the stylus phantasticus that I have heard recently. She receives excellent support from the basso continuo section, which is a real driving force. Its importance in the performance of this repertoire cannot be overestimated. The use of a harp is particularly enjoyable. In short, this disc is a perfect display of the excitement of the stylus phantasticus.” —Johan van Veen, MusicWeb International
PERSONNEL:
Tekla Cunningham, baroque violin
Stephen Stubbs, baroque guitar and chittarone
Maxine Eilander, baroque harp
Henry Lebedinsky, organ and harpsichord
William Skeen, bass violin/baroque cello