THE BIG READ Events
|
Amherst Chamber Music SeriesTWELFTH NIGHT WITH THREE NOTCH'D ROAD 2014
Sunday, January 5, 2014 at 3:00 pm 
On Sunday. January 5, 2014 at 3:00 pm, Amherst Glebe Arts Response, Inc. (AGAR) will present a unique event featuring a lively young Charlottesville Chamber Ensemble. “Twelfth Night 2014 with Three Notch’d Road at St. Marks Episcopal Church, 670 Patrick Henry Highway, Amherst” will celebrate the Twelfth Night of Christmas with an interesting mix of American carols and European Baroque tunes. The concert will be followed by a supper to benefit Amherst Cares, sponsored by the Women of St. Marks, and an evening “Burning of the Greens” sponsored by St. Mark’s at a local farm. “The concert is a family friendly program” says David McCormick, a violinist with Three Notch’d Road. “There will be chamber arrangements of tunes that most people recognize, plus some rather rowdy dance music of the period. We are on the revelry side of Twelfth Night with this concert!” The music will feature baroque carols we still sing today such as arrangements of “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming” and “What Child is This?” On the program will be dances from the English Dancing Master, contra dance tunes that were popular both at Court and across the Countryside. McCormick compare these to the Beatles, a group whose music pleased both Queen and teens in 20th Century England. In addition Three Notch’d Road will play Terpsichore by Pretorius, an early German baroque composer who borrowed many of the tunes from this work directly from the French Royal Band. Three Notch’d Road will also play Pastorale from Corelli’s Christmas Concerto. McCormick says this piece is also recognizable to many people all over the world from seasonal concerts. Traditional French Christmas carols are the basis of the Noel Symphony, by Michel Corrette, an 18th Century organist and composer. Finally, the ensemble will play Winter from a set of four seasons works by Giovanni Antonio Guido. Guido was an Italian composer who lived in France from 1675-1728. McCormick says, “It’s an unusual piece – you hear the influence of Vivaldi. Also, it is based on a poem, and the sound is evocative of winter scenes. The first violin has a lead role like in the Vivaldi Four Seasons. A group of American traditional seasonal carols will complete the concert. Three Notch’d Road had three founders: two violinists, David McCormick and Fiona Hughes, and recorder player Anne Timberlake, who has recently had a baby and is on a Holiday leave of absence for this concert. In Fall 2011 members of the group had moved back to Virginia and were looking for early music opportunities to play regularly with others. They found each other. “There was really not another early music ensemble in Central Virginia,” says McCormick. David McCormick concluded our interview by saying, “I am really looking forward to coming to Amherst – Three Notch’d Road has never played in Clifford or Amherst before – in fact I have never even been there! And I grew up in Charlottesville. We are trying to expand our audiences outside of Charlottesville. We’ve had success in Charlottesville itself, and we play frequently in Richmond and Staunton, but we are excited to go into new towns and venues and to meet new audiences.” Members of Three Notch’d Road playing at the St. Marks Twelfth Night 2014 concert are David McCormick and Fiona Hughes on violin, Cynthia Black on viola, Anthony Harvey on theorbo and Jennifer Streeter on harpsichord. Tickets are $10 for adults and $2 for students and children. They can be purchased at LynchburgTickets.com or at the concert door one half hour before the concert on January 5th. Information at 434-989-3215. The concert will be followed by the supper hosted by the Women of St. Mark’s for a love offering to benefit Amherst Cares in the St, Marks parish hall. Those who wish to go to the St. Marks burning of the greens ceremony to end the 12 days of Christmas will leave the church for a local farm at about 5:30 pm.. The “greens burning” of Christmas wreathes and trees will be accompanied by a final Christmas carol sing and a cup of hot chocolate or tea or coffee around the bonfire. The community is urged to attend. For tickets go to LynchburgTickets.com |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
