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.
Music for St. Cecilia: This week's show celebrates the feast day of the patron saint of music: St. Cecilia. We'll hear motets and an antiphon in her honor by Palestrina, Peter Philips, and Henri Dumont, plus selections from the Cecilian Vespers by Alessandro Scarlatti, performed by the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and soloists.
Most Excellent Music for the Doge: The election of a new Doge in Venice was celebrated with pomp, pageantry, and plenty of spectacular music. This week's show presents a recreation of a Venetian coronation as it may have been celebrated at San Marco in 1595, with music by Andrea and Giovanni Gabrieli, performed by the Gabrieli Consort and Players.
Happy 80th, William Christie!: Conductor and harpsichordist William Christie celebrates his 80th birthday with new recordings that have been issued to honor this early music pioneering. We'll hear selections from Christie's recordings of William Purcell, along with musical dialogues between Christie, Justin Taylor, Thomas Dunford, and Theotime Langlois de Swarte.
A Star in the East: This week we'll hear a pre-Christmas feast of Baroque music with instrumental Noels by MarcAntoine Charpentier, a devotional song by Francesca Caccini, one of Bach's Christmas cantatas, and more, with performances by Les Violons du Roy and the English Baroque Soloists.