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document.write('PROGRAMMES
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document.write('A sample of available programmes
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document.write('Dance
Orpheus Britannicus
'); document.write('Mercurius present a celebration of Purcell in a fully staged performance of some of his most inspired music, including excerpts from operas and incidental works - a tale of adventurers seeking riches in an unknown land inhabited by exotic, mythological and mystical creatures. Will evil prevail or will love conquer all? A Baroque Opera featuring a large company of four Baroque dancers, actress, ten singers and period instrumentalists displaying lavish costumes in a unique and rare performance.
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document.write('Ricardo Barros ~ Artistic direction, Conception & Choreography
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document.write('Madeleine Inglehearn ~ Artistic advisor & Choreography
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document.write('Jane Gingell ~ Staging & Baroque gestures
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document.write('Lisete da Silva ~ Music director
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document.write('Cast (maximum): 4 dancers, 10 singers, 1 actress & period intrumentalists
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document.write('Dance
Les Élémens
'); document.write('A celebration of Rebel and Rameau in a fully staged performance. In the programme Rebel\'s masterwork Les Élémens including the revolutionary chaos, and Les characteres de la Danse, concluded by Rameau\'s entreacte opera Anacreon. A full orchestra, seven dancers, four soloist singers and a choir in a splendorous and flamboyant evening at the Opera in the time of Louis XV.
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document.write('Cast (maximum): 7 dancers, 4 soloist singers, full orchestra & choir
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document.write('Dance
L\'Entretien des Muses
'); document.write('During the 17th Century France was greatly influenced by Greek Mythology and Ancient History, deepen in a frenzy which would bring gods, heroes and epic events to reflect the latest episodes at the court, to celebrate a social event or a victory in the battle fields, raising the status of mortal noblemen to mighty and immortal gods and heroes. This grandeur was celebrated in painting, sculpture, acting, poetry, music and dance in a display of the Nation\'s wealth and majestic grandiosity.
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document.write('L\'Entretien des Muses reflects this rich splendour by presenting original 17th & 18th Century choreographies, preserved in the Feuillet-Beauchamps notation and brought back to life through a minute restoration process. The rapport is immediately established as the emotions and Passions conveyed by the artists capture and move the audiences in an unique opportunity to experience these fine arts being interpreted in a holistic context.
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document.write('Original choreographies such as Entrées, Chaconnes, Sarabandes, Gavottes, Minuets and many other are interwoven with theatrical masterpieces by Lully, Marais, Campra, Lambert and their contemporaries. An astonishingly luxurious collection of period costumes complements the visual pleasure and contribute to emboss in the audience a memorable and thought provoking evening.
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document.write('Cast (maximum): 4 dancers, 2 singers, 13 intrumentalists
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document.write('Dance
L\'Alma Ardiente
'); document.write('A sensual programme of Spanish dances and songs of the \'Escuela Bolera\' style that preceded the Flamenco, with castagnetes, singer and guitars. A small and intimate ensemble formation, ideally suited for smaller venues where the audience is in close contact with performers.
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document.write('Cast : 2 dancers, 1 singer, & 4 - 7 intrumentalists
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document.write('Airs & Ballets de Cour
'); document.write('A tale of shepherds and nymphs in an idyllic setting with dance, singing and instrumental music from XVII Century France. A fully staged performance based on Michel Lambert\'s "Airs de Cour" (1689), featuring original and newly composed choreographies.
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document.write('The bucolic-pastoral setting of the Airs de Cour provides inspiration for a story-line where the mortals are subdue to Cupid\'s caprices and where after a turmoil of emotions the audience is presented with the question: \'Is it really better to die of Love than to change?\'
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document.write('The performance makes use of the doubling of roles by singers and dancers, involving a large vocal ensemble and the dance company.
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document.write('Semi-staged performance featuring a collection of period costumes, scenery and props.
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document.write('Cast (maximum): 6 dancers, 6 singers, 13 instrumentalists
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document.write('The Court of George II
'); document.write('This celebration of the British contribution to the Art of Dancing during the Baroque Period, which counted with choreographers such as Weaver, Tomlinson, Isaac and Pemberton and their effort to carve an intricate yet extremely elegant style of dancing, is set in the form of a ball at the court to celebrate a Royal Birthday. Original 18th Century choreographies composed for these occasions are presented along with airs and duets for voice and instruments.
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document.write('The second half of the programme features theatrical dances performed on the Stages in London and indeed in the various "Royal Theatres" around the nation, which witnessed the appearance of visiting artists and their entourage.
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document.write('The programme is beautifully balanced with dances, songs and instrumental music as the audience is drawn into the intimate atmosphere of a candle-lit soiree.
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document.write('An equally rich set of both courtly and theatrical costumes complements the visual spectacle. Dancers and singers alike make use of a lexicon of gestures in conformity with the stylised standards and conventions of the Baroque period.
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document.write('Performance of this programme may be semi-staged if conditions allow.
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document.write('Cast (maximum): 6 dancers, 2 singers, 13 instrumentalists.
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document.write('Arlecchino Appassionato
'); document.write('A "Commedia dell\'Arte" troupe takes the stage with pantomime dance & music, celebrating the career of John Rich who made his fame performing the Harlequin role on the London stages.
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document.write('The programme features the adventures of Harlequin, Columbine, Pantalone and their peers, in a light-spirited and humorous performance.
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document.write('18th Century original choreographies and newly composed works by Madeleine Inglehearn & Ricardo Barros according to the Baroque tradition.
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document.write('Fully costumed, semi-staged performance.
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document.write('Cast (maximum): 6 dancers, 13 instrumentalists.
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document.write('La Reine Antoinette
'); document.write('The most recent inclusion in our repertoire, La Reine Antoinette was commissioned for a performance in the Wallace Collection, London, in time to mark the 250th anniversary of Marie Antoinette\'s birth.
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document.write('The programme presents original choreographies from the second half of the 18th Century. Dance in that particular period was suffering drastic changes, mainly due to the raise of the Ballet d\'action and to the reforms proposed by Jean George Noverre, which would reformulate the world of dancing. Nevertheless, choreographies notated in Feuillet-Beauchamps system could still be found, having been published as late as 1790. These consisted mostly of contredanses, usually for 2 or 4 couples, which make use of intricate floor patterns to compensate for the relatively easy and sequencial steps employed.
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document.write('A light spirited programme, with a flexible and variable cast of instrumentalists.
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document.write('Cast: 4 to 8 dancers, 4 to 13 instrumentalists.
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document.write('Chamber
Le Matelot
'); document.write('The sea and its mysteries are evoked in this thematic programme which brings to the audience the highly elaborated art of composers who employed depictive musical figures to illustrate the dramatic text contained in these cantatas.
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document.write('The programme brings cantatas by Campra and Clerambault and other works by Marais, Couperin and Rameau which have the sea as their ambience, and tells us the tales of unfortunate lovers whose hearts are set apart by impetuous waves.
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document.write('Cast: 1 soprano and 5 instrumentalists.
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document.write('Lecons de Tenebrae
'); document.write('The astonishing "Trois Lecons de Tenebraes" for one and two sopranos, a sacred masterwork composed by Francois Couperin for the Easter Celebrations and depicting the affliction, anguish and lamentation of the prophet Jeremy, are appropriately performed during the Service of the darkness when candles are extinguished one by one in order to represent the gradual distancing of the Israelites from God.
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document.write('These superb pieces for voice and continuo are presented with equally inspiring motets for voices and the touching Dialogus inter Jesum et Hominem. The continuo section is formed by theorbo, organ, harp and basse-de-viole adding variety and a wonderfully rich and consistent base for the intricate texture of the melismatic and ornate voice parts.
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document.write('Cast: 4 singers, 4 instrumentalists.
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document.write('Bach Baroque
'); document.write('Johann Sebastian Bach is perhaps one of the most prolific composers of all times, with an output of hundreds of sacred cantatas, oratorios, concertos, instrumental and orchestral suites, having left an impressive legacy of unique masterpieces. This programme focuses on the secular aspect of his compositions, demonstrating his skills as a court composer and giving a picture of how he kept abreast of new trends by reflecting these into his compositions.
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document.write('The evening is opened with the Orchestral Suite in Bm which reflects the contact the composer had with dancing. This is accompanied by the monumental 5th Brandenburg Concerto in which Bach surpassed any convention of his time with a virtuose cadenza for the harpsichord.
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document.write('The programme is brilliantly concluded with the humorous Coffe Cantata, which reflects the frenzi this new commodity caused in the austere social standards in Bach\'s time!
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document.write('Cast: 3 singers, 7 instrumentalists.
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document.write('Galanterie
'); document.write('This intimate programme is performed by a small ensemble with flute, violin, basse-de-viole and continuo and explores the wonderful world of the musique-de-chambre in its most comprehensive meaning, where composers took the opportunity to develop and explore the full capabilities of the instruments, fomenting new compositional techniques which still challenge performers today.
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document.write('In the programme works by Rameau, Telemann, Vivaldi, Couperin, Philidor and Marais.
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document.write('Cast: 5 instrumentalists, with the possibility of having a soprano.
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document.write('Stillus Fantasticus
'); document.write('Performed by Spirituoso
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document.write('Acclaimed for their solid performances as a duo in a partnership that extends for over 10 years, Lisete da Silva (recorders and flute) & Ricardo Barros (harpsichord) are joined by Nicholas Stringfellow (gamba & cello) in a feast of Italian extravaganza. The trio grasps their audience in a sheer display of virtuoso bravura with a celebrated programme featuring pieces ranging from the 16th to the 18th Century.
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document.write('Pieces by Selma e Salaverde, Castelo, Fontana,Vivaldi and Corelli receive a thoroughly, fresh and enthusiastic approach in a performance that leaves the listeners on the edge of their seats!
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document.write('Cast: 3 instrumentalists
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document.write('Solo
La Superbe!
'); document.write('Described as an energetic and passionate performer, Ricardo Barros performs a selection of virtuoso pieces from the Golden Age of Harpsichord Music.
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document.write('Imbued with impressive technique but, above all, a sensitive and highly emotionally charged approach to music making, the performer indulges the audience by carefully presenting the character of each piece, ranging from psychological portraits to impressively descriptive works by composers such as Rameau, Forqueray, Royer, Couperin, Duphly and Balbastre in arresting performances where the senses are intensively stirred and moved!
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document.write('Cast: Solo harpsichord
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document.write('Les Tendres Sentiments
'); document.write('18th Century France saw a flourishing of compositions for the harpsichord the nobility\'s instrument par excellence. Few composers knew how to explore the instrument\'s sonority and expand its apparent limitations such as Pancrace Royer, a Burgundian immigrant who quickly established himself as one of the most daring composers of his time. His collection of harpsichord pieces, integrally presented in this programme, demonstrate the composer\'s ability to assimilate foreigner styles and adapt them to a rather traditionalist French audience. Royer indeed promoted the works of foreign composers particularly during the period he assumed the directorship of the Concerts Spirituels, the first series of public concerts in France.
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document.write('Royer\'s Pieces de Clavecin surprise the listener with their highly descriptive emotional portraits and fantastically virtuosi pieces such as Le Vertigo and La Marche des Scythes.
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document.write('');
document.write('Cast: Solo harpsichord
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document.write('