LADM Sophonisba postcard

							SOphonisba: HeRoic Queen
March 25, 2011 at 7PM                     March 26, 2011 at 7PM
Gordon Chapel at Old South Church         First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church
645 Boylston Street, Boston, MA           630 Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington, MA


La Donna Musicale is celebrating Women’s History Month with the performance of
highlights from Sofonisba, by 18th-century Italian composer Maria Teresa Agnesi.
Agnesi brilliantly sets to music the story of a Carthaginian princess, struggling
to resolve the conflicts between power, love, honor, and death. Internationally
renowned male soprano Robert Crowe joins rising stars contralto Renée Rapier,
tenor Pablo Bustos, and mezzo-soprano Mary Gerbi in this extraordinary drama.
         Renée Rapier, Robert Crowe, Pablo Bustos, and Mary Gerbi, voices                              “…outstanding music stylishly performed.” – Early Music America
     Na’ama Lion, flute; Sarah Darling, Laura Gulley, violins; Jane Starkman, viola                   “Wonderful performance of wonderful music.” – Classical Discoveries
Ruth McKay, harpsichord; Janet Haas, violone; Laury Gutiérrez, viola da gamba, director               “Everything about this American ensemble is first rate.” – Goldberg




I
    n 1739 a Milanese newspaper praised Maria Teresa Agnesi
    “for her wonderful ability in Music… all those present were                                                                                         NON-PROFIT ORG
    sweetly entranced and full of admiration, especially his Royal                                                                                         U.S. POSTAGE
    Highness.” This was typical of the praise she garnered at                                                                                                   PAID
academic gatherings hosted by the Agnesi family, where                                  PO Box 15309                                                       BOSTON MA
dignitaries, nobles, and scholars mingled for cultural exchange and                   Boston, MA 02215                                                    PERMIT NO. 900
entertainment. Her “dramma eroico” Sofonisba was dedicated to the
powerful queen Maria Teresa of Austria.                                            Address correction requested

Agnesi’s compositional style is that of the pre-Classical period. It is
full of vitality, intense emotional mannerisms, and expression,
represented by the skillful use of harmony and the sometimes
unusual use of the semitone. The arias are delightfully memorable                 This concert is being presented in
and dramatically moving.                                                         celebration of the 25th Anniversary
                                                                                       of Early Music America.
                               Mr. Crowe, the first male soprano to be a
                               National Winner of the Metropolitan Opera
                               Competition, has been described by the New
                               York Times as “a male soprano of staggering
                               gifts.” Ms. Rapier recently won the Metro-
 Robert Crowe   Renée Rapier
                               politan Opera Regional Competition and will
                               go on to the finals in New York. Ms. Gerbi’s
                               ensemble Cut Circle won the 2010 Noah
                               Greenberg award from the AMS, and Mr. Bustos
                               was a finalist at the 2006 Philadelphia Bach
                               Festival’s International Bach Aria Competition.
  Mary Gerbi    Pablo Bustos

                 Tickets: Preferred reserved seating $35 – General seating $20
                    students/low income $10 – Under 18 years old, FREE
                             $5 off for EMA members and seniors
                   To order tickets online: www.mktix.com/ladm