Acquiescent: The French Baroque in China
Schedule
Sat Sep 21 2024 at 07:30 pm
UTC-04:00Location
Heliconian Club | Toronto, ON
Advertisement
North Wind Concerts presentsACQUIESCENT: The FRENCH BAROQUE in CHINA
North Wind Concerts starts the 2024-25 season in fascinating and immersive fashion on September 21 with Acquiescent: The French Baroque in China.
Curated and performed by harpsichordist Louise Hung assisted by colleagues Jin Cho, traverso, Matthew Antal, viola, and cellist Margaret Jordan-Gay, the program juxtaposes music by Jean-Philippe Rameau and Michel Blavet – pieces known to have been performed at the Chinese Imperial Court by the Jesuit missionary Jean-Joseph Amiot - with projected visuals (Louise Hung), soundscapes (Matthew Antal) and first-hand accounts of how this music was received by Emperor Qianlong and his courtiers.
Recontextualized in the culturally contrasting settings of an eighteenth-century Parisian salon and a Chinese Imperial banquet, Acquiescent aims to explore the instability of musical meaning and power dynamics of Western classical music. This performance provides the opportunity to dissect a moment when Western classical music encountered another culture – not in the dominant role, but in the deferential position under a culturally-centrist Imperial power.
Wrapped in the sounds and projected visuals of a country residence on the outskirts of eighteenth-century Paris, the audience will hear French Baroque chamber music as it was originally enjoyed: in a salon, seated in leisurely fashion around the performers as in a social gathering. Then, travelling to Imperial China, the audience (as guests of an Imperial banquet) will hear music of eighteenth-century France again, but as exotic entertainment, seated in two lines facing inward on either side of the performers, under the gaze of the Emperor Qianlong.
To date, few concerts and recordings have aimed to reconstruct these particular cross-cultural performances, and these concerts in September may well be the first in Canada to do so.
Join us for an intriguing and thought-provoking exploration - and some very wonderful music!
ACQUIESCENT: The French Baroque in China
Music for harpsichord solo and chamber ensemble by Jean-Philippe Rameau
and sonatas for flute and b.c. by Michel Blavet
LOUISE HUNG, harpsichord
JIN CHO, traverso
MATTHEW ANTAL, viola
MARGARET JORDAN-GAY, cello
Saturday September 21, 2024 @ 7:30 p.m.
Heliconian Hall
(35 Hazelton Avenue, a short walk from the Bay subway station).
Admission: Pay-What-You-Wish
Tickets available online at https://bemusednetwork.com/events/detail/1022 or at the door.
Information: 416-588-4301 or https://northwindconcerts.com/acquiescent/
Advertisement
Where is it happening?
Heliconian Club, 35 Hazelton Avenue,Toronto, Ontario, CanadaEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
