Early Music Now is a one-hour program showcasing music from the Middle Ages, Renaissance and early Baroque: from sonorous medieval chant and polyphony to delightful renaissance madrigals, dances, and consort music to magnificent baroque cantatas and keyboard music. Host Sara Schneider brings knowledge, charm, and passion to her presentation of seven hundred years of music history. From the latest recordings by today's vibrant young ensembles, to classics from the dawn of the early music revival, Early Music Now makes this repertoire accessible and enjoyable to a wide audience.
Crazy for Claudio: Today's show presents works of Claudio Monteverdi with selections from Missa in illo tempore, written for the 1590s Gonzaga court in Mantua. We'll also hear madrigals of Monteverdi and selections from his opera, L'Orfeo.
Baroque Bash: This week's Baroque extravaganza includes recent releases: Plucked Bach II with mandolinist Alon Sariel; Vivaldi played by violinist Theotime Langlois de Swarte and Le Consort; and Barbara Strozzi's virtuosic vocals featuring Federico Fiorio and La Florida Capella.
A Sense of Occasion: This week's show presents music written for or performed at various types of ceremonies: weddings, funerals, christenings, and coronations! We'll hear works by Heinrich Isaac, Guillaume Dufay, Gilles Binchois, and J.S. Bach, with performances by Doulce Memoire, the Binchois Consort and the Orlando Consort.
A Date with a Muse: Jean-Philippe Rameau's opera-ballet Les Fetes de Polymnie was composed to celebrate a French military victory in 1745. We'll hear Tempesta di Mare perform an orchestral suite from this work, along with other music by Rameau.