Tuesday, April 30, 2024 ~ 8:00 pm
The Library of Congress
Coolidge Auditorium
LES VIOLONS
DU ROY
WITH
MILOŠ,
GUITAR
Made Possible By
The Carolyn Royall Just Fund
in the Library of Congress
CONCERTS FROM THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 2023-2024
The Carolyn Royall Just Fund
in the Library of Congress
The CAROLYN ROYALL JUST FUND in the Library of
Congress, established in 1993 through a bequest of the
distinguished attorney and symphony player Carolyn
Royall Just, supports the presentation and broadcasting
of classical chamber music concerts.
A recording of this event and/or extras like conversations with the
artist, educational videos or lectures may be available at:
1) loc.gov/item/event-411404/les-violons-du-roy-with-milos-classical-
guitar/2024-04-30/
2) The Library’s YouTube channel
3) The Library’s Event Video Collection
Videos may not be available on all platforms, and some videos will
only be accessible for a limited period of time.
Italian harpsichord by Thomas and Barbara Wolf, 2015
(aer GBC, c. 1685)
Preconcert Conversation with the Artists
6:30 pm, Whittall Pavilion
Please request ASL and ADA accommodations ve days in advance
of the concert at 202-707-6362 or AD[email protected].
The use of recording devices is strictly prohibited.
LES VIOLONS
DU ROY
WITH
MILOŠ,
GUITAR
AND
JONATHAN COHEN,
MUSIC DIRECTOR
The Library of Congress
Coolidge Auditorium
Tuesday, April 30, 2024 ~ 8:00 pm
Made Possible By
The Carolyn Royall Just Fund
in the Library of Congress
1
2
P
Harpsichord, Conductor
Jonathan Cohen
Soloist, Acoustic Guitar
Miloš
•
P
A V (
Sinfonia from L'Olimpiade, RV 725 (by 1734)
Allegro
Andante
Allegro
Allegro molto
Les Violons du Roy
A M (
Adagio from Oboe Concerto in D minor, S. Z799 (c.1717)
Les Violons du Roy & Miloš, classical guitar
J S B (
Chaconne from Violin Partita no. 2 in D minor,
BWV 1004 (1720)
Miloš, classical guitar
First Violin
Katya Poplyanski
Noella Bouchard
Michelle Seto
Maud Langlois
Second Violin
Pascale Gagnon
Angelique Duguay
Camille Poirier-Lachance
Nicole Trotier
Viola
Isaac Chalk
Annie Morrier
Jean-Louis Blouin
Cello
Benoit Loiselle
Marieve Bock
Bass
Raphael McNabney
3
F G (
Concerto grosso aer Arcangelo Corelli’s Violin Sonata
in D minor, op. 5/12, “La Follia,” H.143 (1729)
Les Violons du Roy
I
J-P R (
Excerpt from Les Boréades, RCT 31 (1763)
Acte IV, Scène IV : Entrée pour les Muses, les Zéphyres, les Saisons,
les Heures et les Arts
G F H (
Minuet in G minor, HWV 434/4 (1733)
S L W (
Passacaglia, WeissSW 18.6
Miloš, classical guitar
H P (
Suite from The Fairy Queen, Z. 629 (1692)
Acte I
Prelude
Hornpipe
Rondeau
Excerpt from Timon of Athens, Z. 632
Masque. Curtain tune on a Ground
Les Violons du Roy
A V
Concerto for Lute, 2 Violins and Continuo in D major, F.
XII/15, RV 93
1. Allegro
2. Largo
3. Allegro
L B (
Fandango from Guitar Quintet in D major (“Fandango”),
G.448 (1798)
Les Violons du Roy & Miloš, classical guitar
4
About the Program
A V, Sinfonia from L'Olimpiade and
Concerto for Lute, Two Violins & Continuo
Vivaldi is primarily known today for his pathbreaking instrumental compositions
including concerti and some of the most evocative early program music, such as
The Four Seasons. During his day, however, Vivaldi’s operas were quite successful,
including his setting of Pietro Metastasio’s (1698-1782) rendition of L’Olimpiade
(The Olympiad), which tells the story of rivalries in both athletics and love that
was later set by over 50 composers. Originally performed at the Teatro Sant’Angelo
in Venice on February 17, 1734, during carnival, the larger work was called a
Dramma per Musica, but is classied as an Opera Seria—the most important, and as
the name implies, serious opera style, of the Baroque period.
This Sinfonia functions as an overture set in the tripartite, fast-slow-fast structure
of the Italian overture. Vivaldi’s highly arpeggiated style is recognizable, building
upon the idiomatic violin style pioneered by his predecessor Arcangelo Corelli
(1653-1713). The sharp dynamic contrasts heard in this work are redolent of
Vivaldi’s concerti style such that it is interesting to note that there seems to be
some thematic transfer, some compositional recycling, between this piece
and the Violin Concerto in C major, RV 177. The sinfonia is followed by three
movements: Andante in cut time, Allegro in 3/8 time, and Allegro molto with a
binary structure in 2/4 time. While Vivaldi’s overture would not have contained
thematic material from the rest of the opera, as one might expect to hear today, it
would have served the important social function of allowing the audience to settle
before the narrative began.
Opening with Vivaldi, the program comes full circle to close with his Lute Concerto
in D major, RV 93, one of only four works in his repertory that features solo lute,
2 violins, and basso continuo. The music for tonight’s performance has been
adapted for guitar instead of lute. Composed in the 1730s, this intimate chamber
concerto contrasts timbres between bowed and plucked string instruments. The
rst movement begins with a ritornello played by the violins that is then taken
up but the lute (or guitar). Motivic play with the ritornello can be heard in the lute
part throughout the movement as it moves from major to a more lyrical minor
section. The second movement, Largo, slows the pace following the Baroque
aesthetic love of contrast. It is comprised of several internal sections that allow
the soloist to ruminate upon a cantilena melody over the accompanying violins
and basso continuo as the meter shis from triple to duple. The third and nal
movement is another fast movement in a 6/8 time. This creates a dancelike quality
that has been compared to the tarantella, the southern Italian folk dance known
for its upbeat, playful quality. This can be heard in the dancing triplets throughout
that contrast with the steady pulse of the basso continuo and the larger harmonic
rhythm of the movement.
Stacey Jocoy
Music Reference Specialist
Library of Congress, Music Division
5
A M, Adagio from Oboe Concerto
1
Alessandro Marcello (1673-1747) was the rst son of an Italian nobleman. As a
member of the upper class, he enjoyed a career in Venetian government in
addition to a variety of artistic and academic pursuits that included painting,
writing poetry, and playing the violin. Marcello also enjoyed collecting musical
instruments, particularly keyboards and woodwinds, an interest he indulged as
head of Venice’s Accademia degli Animosi by greatly expanding their instrument
collection.
Though Marcello’s compositional output is small, the Oboe Concerto is considered
a foundational piece of the oboe repertoire and remains Marcello’s best known
work. The rst extant published version, entitled Concerti a cinque, appeared in
an anthology by Jeanne Roger in 1717. The composer’s identity was the source
of confusion for many years. Other editions appeared around this same time
with dierent attributions, including simply “Marcello,” “Alexandro Marcello,”
and possibly Alessandro’s pen name, “Eterio Stinfalico.” Consequently, the work
was falsely attributed to others composers, including a contemporary, Antonio
Vivaldi, and Benedetto Marcello, Alessandro’s younger brother. Since Benedetto
was the more well-known composer, some may have presumed that the concerto
was indeed by him rather than Alessandro.
Johann Sebastian Bach transcribed the piece for solo keyboard, BWV 974. The
approximate date of Bach’s earliest known transcription of the piece is 1715, so
it was likely based on an earlier edition of the concerto that has since been lost.
Bach added extensive ornamentation to the second movement, some of which is
still heard in modern performances of the concerto.
Stephanie Akau
Archivist
Library of Congress, Music Division
•
J S B, Chaconne
2
For practitioners of the art, there is no need to justify transcription as an
enterprise.
When pushed by critics of a conservative bent, arguments of
precedence of practice
by luminaries like J.S. Bach and Beethoven represent one tactic.
3
Ferruccio Busoni
1 Adapted from notes related to the performance of a saxophone transcription.
2 Adapted from notes related to a performance of Busoni's piano transcription of
the Chaconne.
3 Busoni himself employed this argument as a starting point: "It is only necessary
to mention J.S. Bach in order, with one decisive blow, to raise the rank of the transcription
to artistic honour in the reader's estimation. He was one of the most prolic arrangers of
his own and other pieces, especially as organist. From him I learnt to recognise the truth
6
(1866-1924) oered other forms of justication, as articulated in his “Value of
the Transcription” essay from 1910 and the contemporaneous “Sketch of a New
Esthetic of Music.” This is all to say that Bach would not have been surprised to
hear his music reimagined for dierent instruments, and when we hear a familiar
work like the Chaconne performed by a guitaran instrument with its own unique
characteristicsit is an opportunity to listen with fresh ears to a classic work.
Bach's famous Chaconne comes from his second partita for solo violin, completed
by 1720. Built atop a repeating harmonic structure, the Chaconne displays Bach's
mastery of registrally-delineated counterpoint in music for a single instrument.
The guitar must accomplish and honor with linear and harmonic clarity across
its six stringsthe two bonus strings give opportunities for resonance and other
technical considerations impacting the execution of the music on this very-
dierent music. It will be fun to hear how Miloš adapts this incredible music to
his instrument.
•
F G, Concerto grosso, “La Follia”
Francesco Geminiani (1687-1762) was a celebrated violinist, composer, and
theorist born just a few years aer J.S. Bach and Handel in 1687. He was possibly
a student of both Alessandro Scarlatti and Arcangelo Corelli, who is central to the
story of the work being performed today. In his 1749 A Treatise of Good Taste in the
Art of Musick, “Geminiani said that he had the pleasure of discussing with Corelli
the latter’s Follia (op. 5 no. 12) and heard him acknowledge the Satisfaction he
took in composing it, and the Value he set upon it.’”
4
Corelli’s op. 5 violin sonatas is a marvelous set, nished by 1700. The nal work
in the collection is a set of variations on La Follia, and Corelli’s version was much
admired and imitated. When Geminiani endeavored to turn the op. 5 sonatas into
a set of concerti grossi, he transformed it into an ensemble work that served as a
potent vehicle for the violin soloists. The tune that served as such a potent source
for the variations had its origins in dance, and is though to have first appeared in
1546 in Alonso Mudarra's Fantasia que contrahaze la harpa.
5
Composers like Lully
contributed to its modernization and solidification by the time Corelli added his
famous set to the mix, which in turn was elaborated by Geminiani.
Geminiani had more to oer than just his work featuring the violin. In fact, his
nal treatise is called The Art of Playing the Guitar o Cittra from 1760. It was a
didactic work with a number of sonatas playable on both violin and guitar. Another
that Good and Great Universal Music remains the same through whatever medium it is
sounded. But also the second truth, that dierent mediums each have a dierent language
(their own) in which this music again sounds somewhat dierently." Busoni, Ferruccio,
"Value of the Transcription," in The Essence of Music and Other Papers, transl. Rosamond Ley,
republication (New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1987).
4 Enrico Careri, “Geminiani, Francesco” (Grove Music Online, 2001).
5 G. Gerbino & A. Silbiger, “Folia” (Grove Music Online, 2001).
7
interesting tidbit is that early in his career while in Naples, Geminiani met with
humiliation: “Geminiani was demoted from first violin to viola because of his
inability to play in time, and this was perhaps one of the reasons that prompted
the young and promising virtuoso to seek his fortune elsewhere.”
6
Thusly has the
cycle of burdening promising violinists with the viola, or even the mere threat of
viola, continued to this day.
7
David Plylar
Senior Music Specialist
Library of Congress, Music Division
•
J-P R, Entrée pour les Muses,
les Zéphyres, les Saisons, les Heures et les Arts
Rameau dened the concept of the Gallic style in the age aer Jean Baptiste Lully
(1632-1687) and is also considered to be one of the most important music theorists
of the period. His Treatise on Harmony (1722) helped to codify the movement away
from modality that had begun in the previous century, toward tonality, which
would dominate European musicality until the early 20 century. Rameau’s works
including Castor et Pollux and Les Indes galantes, explored French opera, recreating
Lully’s genres of tragédie lyrique and opéra-ballet. One of his last tragédies was Les
Boréades (The Descendants of Boreas), RCT 31.
Deriving from the classical mythology of Boreas, the Greek god of the northern
wind, the plot weaves a convoluted path that allowed many opportunities for the
staged spectacles so beloved by Baroque audiences. These would have included
impressive storm scenes with the innovative machinery to create the eects of
rolling waves and ascending and descending cloud chariots for the transport
of the gods. French opera would not be French without multiple dance-lled
scenes or divertissements. Acte IV, Scène IV: “Entrée pour les Muses, Les Zéphyrs,
les Saisons, les Heures et les Arts” allows for a lyrical nal entrance of the
metaphorical characters of the opera. This creates a strong contrast with the
energetic contradanses heard later in the piece. Such dances were both important
to the period French style and to the necessary happy resolution of the piece, as
the aesthetic dictates of the day argued that the narrative purpose of opera was to
depict the world as it should be, rather than how it was.
•
6 Careri.
7 Full disclosure: viola jokes may or may not have been endemic at this time.
8
G F H, Minuet in G minor
In addition to his formidable compositional career, Handel (1685-1759) was also
known internationally as a keyboard virtuoso. He regularly conducted secular
music, including opera, from the harpsichord and his stage music was popularly
performed throughout London, especially at the pleasure gardens, like the one
at Vauxhall. This accounts for his publication of harpsichord music in 1720 that
became a bestseller, prompting the publisher, John Walsh, to issue a sequel a
decade later that incorporated this minuet. Walsh grouped the minuet with the
Suite in B-Flat Major (HWV 434) and so, even though scholarship has argued
that it was not originally part of the suite, it is still oen associated with it and
subsequently numbered in Handel’s repertory as HWV 434/4. This beautifully
plaintive work features the ternary or rounded binary structure (ABA’) that
features an ornamented B section clearly meant to contrast with the lyrical A
theme.
•
S L W, Passacaglia
Weiss (1687-1750) was one of the most celebrated lutenists of the 18 century
and also one of the most prolic. He was in the same aristocratic household with
Alessandro and Domenico Scarlatti for a time, serving as musician and valet to
Alexander Sobieski, the Polish prince. Aer the prince’s death in 1714, Weiss
became a member of the Dresden Hofkapelle, where he remained for the rest of
his life, eventually becoming the highest paid instrumentalist in the ensemble.
Weiss also met Johann Sebastian Bach in 1739 and there seems to have been some
mutual admiration as BWV 1025 is an arrangement of one of Weiss’s works, his
sonata 47. Baroque compositional style was as much about variation as it was
about providing the opportunity for the virtuoso performers to ornament the
work. The passacaglia was an earlier, Renaissance form that allowed for both,
providing a bass line over which the melody could be endlessly varied. Weiss’s
Passacaglia for Lute in D major is a set of variations on a ground bass, featuring a
triple-time theme that serves as harmonic structure for virtuosic inventions.
•
H P, Suite from The Fairy Queen
and excerpt from Timon of Athens
Purcell’s semi-opera The Fairy Queen is loosely based around the action of
Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and was premiered at the Dorset
Garden Theatre, London in 1692. Semi-operas were a uniquely English answer
to question of how to naturalize the best parts of the Italian opera to the English
stage. It was an innovation that combined spoken drama with interspersed
musical masques—sung and danced entertainments—that were usually arranged
9
into ve acts and, when performed in their entirety, would oen span over four
hours. While semi-operas were considered novel and popular in their time, it is
important to understand that the contemporary concert culture allowed audience
members to move freely through the concert halls, coming and going at will.
Baroque spectacle is thus in full eect in these collections of solos and choruses,
dances, and instrumental pieces that frame the spoken sections like pageants
rather than the constant alternation of speech and song one might associate with
modern musicals. This suite preceded the overture and features a lively prelude,
followed by a hornpipe, both in G minor, rounded out by a B-at major Rondeau.
The hornpipe was particular to England and Ireland in the period as it recalled
the triple-time country dance piece of the same name found in mid-17th century
publications. The choice of a rondeau for the concluding section allows the
repetitive form, usually ABA or ABACA, to draw the piece to a recognizable and
satisfying end.
Timon of Athens is another Restoration revival and adaptation of Shakespeare, in
this case by Thomas Shadwell, subtitled The Woman Hater. Purcell’s incidental
music was most likely composed to accompany the fourth act of the play as
background for the reclusive and somewhat manic action of the main character.
Composed in 1694 at the height of his compositional career, the piece entitled
the “Curtain tune on a Ground,” recalls Purcell’s theoretical treatise written and
published in the same year (Introduction to the Skill of Musick, 12 edition. London:
Henry Playford, 1694), in which he comments that composing upon a ground is
the ‘easiest form’ of composition.
~ Stacey Jocoy
•
L B, Guitar Quintet in D major, “Fandango”
8
The heavyweight composers of the Classical period, such as Haydn and Mozart,
were key voices of the Viennese tradition. Luigi Boccherini (1743-1805) is one
major composer from that era who has been somewhat neglected by mainstream
music history, because his work was very separate geographically and stylistically
from the Viennese scene for the majority of his adult career. Born and raised
in Italy, Boccherini trained as a cellist and composer. As a young musician
he was relatively stable nancially and appeared frequently on tour with his
father, Leopoldo (1712-1766), a singer and double bass player. While their tours
included appearances in Vienna, the younger Boccherini chose to advance his
career elsewhere in Europe. He moved to Paris initially to facilitate widespread
publication of his compositions. Shortly thereaer he relocated to Spain, where
he worked under the patronage of various members of the Spanish court. He
eventually held positions in the Capilla Real (Royal Chapel) and in the court of
Prince Wilhelm of Prussia, who became King Friedrich Wilhelm II.
9
8 Adapted from a previous note about the full quintet.
9 Christian Speck and Stanley Sadie, “Boccherini, (Ridolfo) Luigi,” Grove Music
Online: Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press <http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/
article/grove/music/03337>.
10
The Quintet in D major, G.448 (“Fandango”) belongs to a set of six quintets for
guitar and strings that Boccherini arranged and composed between 1798-1799
(Sei Quintetti con Chitarra). These quintets are part of an extended set of works
dedicated to François de Borgia, Marquis de Benavente. Benavente became
Boccherini’s patron aer King Friedrich Wilhelm III refused to extend the
composer’s stipend that his recently deceased father had guaranteed.
10
Almost all
the music in these six quintets is recycled from other works by Boccherini. The
D-major quintet is comprised of material from two string quintets (originally for
two cellos) in D major, G.270 (1771) and G.341 (1788).
11
The nale, which is as long as the rst two movements combined, opens as a
sedate Grave assai with fragmented tuneful statements in the guitar and violins.
The instruments are grouped again as they were in the opening of the Pastorale.
Boccherini must have intended this little introduction to be a joke, for what comes
next is alive and vigorous compared to the sleepy, though beautiful, nature of
the Grave assai. The Fandango forms the bulk of the closing movement. Some
consider the Grave assai and Fandango to be separate movements entirely, since
they are so dierent in character. They are very linked however, as the Grave assai
is eectively a harmonic transition from the rst two movements to the Fandango,
leading away from the stable D-major tonality and preparing for F major and
hints of D minor in the Fandango.
The Fandango section of the quintet has inspired the quintet’s nickname and
is a direct quotation of the nal movement of Boccherini’s Quintet in D major,
G. 341 for two violins, viola and two cellos. Origins of the Fandango in Spain
are imprecise. It is generally believed to be a dance form imported from Latin
America. Accounts of its existence in Spain date to the 17 century. It was made
popular by the late 18 century and regional varitions of the dance developed
throughout Spain over time. The Fandango has been utilized in Western art music
by the likes of Mozart, Rameau, Scarlatti, Albéniz, Granados, and Falla.
12
The Oxford Dictionary of Music explains the Fandango is in “simple triple or
compound duple time, and of ever-increasing speed, with sudden steps during
which the performers remain motionless.” The accompaniment traditionally
involves guitar, castanets and/or clapping of the hands.
13
Boccherini’s Fandango
is a ravishing, sensual dance. Rhythmically gripping, he plays with the weight
of the meter by exploring snippets of hemiolas in accompanimental gures. His
treatment of the rhythm evokes the nature of dance and oozes a sense of physical
motion. The natural emphasis is on the rst beat of each bar, but what is more
important is the approach to each downbeat. Boccherini uses his full arsenal of
rhythmic motives in various forms of sequences to drive the harmony and propel
bodies around a dance oor.
As with any dance music, repetition is key in creating an impetus for cyclical
motion. The guitar largely acts as the rhythm section would in a dance band,
driving the pulse and energy, while sometimes surfacing with thematic material.
Castanets are employed to further enhance the dance experience, and may be
played either by one of the quintet members or an additional musician. Boccherini
masterfully shapes his phrases so that the listener can experience dancers moving
their bodies in tandem. One technique he uses frequently to create this energy is
10 Yves Gérard, L. Boccherini Sei Quintetti con Chitarra (Paris: Heugel & Cie., 1974),
I V-V.
11 Speck and Sadie.
12 Israel J. Katz, “Fandango,” Grove Music Online: Oxford Music Online. Oxford Uni-
versity Press <http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/article/grove/music/09282>.
13 “Fandango,” The Oxford Dictionary of Music, 2nd ed. rev., Oxford Music Online.
Oxford University Press <http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/article/opr/t237/e3593>.
11
to move by a half-step between two tied quarter notes over a bar line. Usually
this is from a raised seventh scale degree to a tonic pitch. This leading eect is
also accomplished when Boccherini moves chromatically between sustained
tones over bar lines. The players are then responsible for applying appropriate
performance practice to achieve the authentic Spanish sound. In this instance,
the slightest amount of portamento (sliding between two pitches) can aect the
folk character.
Nicholas A. Brown-Cáceres
Assistant Chief
Library of Congress, Music Division
•
About the Artists
Miloš is one of the world’s most celebrated classical guitarists. His career began its
meteoric rise in 2011, with the release of his international best-selling Deutsche
Grammophon debut album Mediterraneo. Since then, he has earned legions of
fans, awards, and acclaim around the world through his extensive touring, six
chart topping recordings, and television appearances.
Now exclusive to SONY Classical, Miloš is committed to expanding the repertoire
for the classical guitar. His new album, simply entitled Baroque came out in
October 2023 and presents a carefully curated selection of baroque works
especially transcribed and arranged for the guitar, both solo and in collaboration
with Jonathan Cohen and his ensemble Arcangelo. Equally passionate about new
music, Miloš’ latest release The Moon and the Forest features two world premiere
concerti, by Howard Shore and Joby Talbot.
Over the past decade, the instrument’s popularity has exploded thanks to Miloš’
pioneering approach. Aspiring guitarists can even learn from him through
Schott’s Play Guitar with Miloš series. In 2016 BBC Music Magazine included him in
their list of “Six of the Best Classical Guitarists of the Past Century.”
Miloš has appeared as a soloist with some of the world’s greatest orchestras,
including the London and LA Philharmonics, Atlanta Symphony, Philadelphia
Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Orquesta Nacional de
España, Santa Cecilia Rome, and NHK Tokyo. His rst sold-out solo recital in the
round of the Royal Albert Hall was lauded by the critics and caused worldwide
sensation. He returned to the hall post-pandemic in June 2022 to a full capacity
audience.
Other recent and forthcoming highlights include debuts with the Frankfurt
Radio Symphony and Alain Altinoglu for the annual Europe Open Air concert,
Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Korean National Symphony; return
performances with the Atlanta and Detroit Symphonies, Orchestre Métropolitain
12
in Montreal, Hallé Orchestra, Graz and London Philharmonics; extensive tours
across the U.K., U.S. and Australia, as well as recitals in Munich, London, Hong
Kong, and the Verbier, Caramoor, Gstaad, and Schleswig Holstein Music Festivals.
A passionate advocate for music education, Miloš is an active patron of numerous
charities supporting young musicians in the U.K. and abroad. He recently launched
the Miloš Karadaglić Foundation. Based in Porto Montenegro, this philanthropic
organization aims to act as a regional hub of inuence by empowering artistic
excellence though various educational opportunities, partnerships and close
mentorship. Born in Montenegro in 1983, Miloš moved to London to study at the
Royal Academy of Music at the age of 17. He continues to live and work in London,
while keeping close ties to his homeland. He performs on a 2017 Greg Smallman
guitar.
•
Jonathan Cohen has forged a remarkable career as a conductor, cellist and
keyboardist. Well known for his passion and commitment to chamber music
Cohen is equally at home in such diverse activities as baroque opera and the
classical symphonic repertoire. He is Artistic Director of Arcangelo, Music
Director of Les Violons du Roy, Artistic Director of the Tetbury Festival and
Artistic Partner of Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. From the 2023-2024 season, he
has been the Artistic Director of the Handel and Haydn Society.
The 22-23 season saw Cohen return to the U.S. to conduct the Handel and Haydn
Society and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and his projects with Les Violons du Roy
included Handel’s Alcina and programmes with Carolyn Sampson and Philippe
Jaroussky. He conducted the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Real Filharmonia
de Galicia, and Orquesta Barroca de Sevilla, as well as projects with Arcangelo
including Handel’s Theodora.
Cohen founded Arcangelo in 2010, which strives to perform high quality
and specially created projects. He has toured with them to exceptional halls
and festivals including Wigmore Hall London, Philharmonie Berlin, Kölner
Philharmonie, Vienna Musikverein, Salzburg Festival, and Carnegie Hall. They
made their Proms debut at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse in 2016 and returned
to the Proms in 2018 (Theodora) and 2021 (St. Matthew Passion).
Arcangelo is busy and much in demand in the recording studio, partnering with
ne soloists such as Iestyn Davies (its disc Arias for Guadagni won the Recital
Category at the 2012 Gramophone Awards and its recording of Bach cantatas was
best Baroque Vocal recording at the 2017 Gramophone Awards), Anna Prohaska,
and Christopher Purves for Hyperion Records. Its recording CPE Bach Cello
Concertos with Nicolas Altstaedt won the BBC Music Magazine Awards Concerto
category in 2017, and its Buxtehude Trio Sonatas, Op.1 recording for Alpha Classics
was nominated for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance at the 2018
Grammy Awards. Arcangelo’s recent recordings include Handel’s Brockes-Passion,
Buxtehude's Trio Sonatas Op. 2, and a further disc of Bach cantatas with Iestyn
Davies.
13
•
Les Violons du Roy takes its name from the celebrated court orchestra of the
French kings. It was founded in 1984 by Bernard Labadie, now styled founding
conductor, and continues under music director Jonathan Cohen to explore the
nearly boundless repertoire of music for chamber orchestra in performances
matched as closely as possible to the period of each work’s composition. Its
minimum een-member complement plays modern instruments, albeit
with period bows for Baroque and Classical music, and its interpretations are
deeply informed by the latest research on seventeenth- and eighteenth-century
performance practice. The repertoire of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries
receives similar attention and gures regularly on the orchestra’s programs.
Les Violons du Roy has been a focal point of Québec City’s musical life since it
was founded in 1984, and in 1997 it reached out to enrich the cultural landscape
of Montréal as well. In 2007, the orchestra moved into its permanent home base
in Québec City’s Palais Montcalm while continuing to build on the worldwide
reputation it has acquired in countless concerts and recordings carried by medici.
tv, Radio-Canada, CBC, and NPR along with regular appearances on the festival
circuit. Les Violons du Roy has performed dozens of times throughout Canada as
well as in Germany, the U.K., Austria, Belgium, Brazil, China, Colombia, Ecuador,
South Korea, Spain, the United States, France, Israel, Morocco, Mexico, Norway,
the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Switzerland, in collaboration with such world-
renowned soloists as Magdalena Kožená, David Daniels, Vivica Genaux, Alexandre
Tharaud, Ian Bostridge, Emmanuel Pahud, Stephanie Blythe, Marc-André
Hamelin, Philippe Jaroussky, Anthony Marwood, Isabelle Faust, Julia Lezhneva
and Anthony Roth Costanzo, and Avi Avital. The orchestra has performed at the
Berlin Philharmonie and iconic venues in London, Paris, and Brussels, with two
performances on invitation at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.
Since Les Violons du Roy’s rst trip to Washington, D.C. in 1995, its U.S. travels
have been enriched with numerous and regular stops in New York, Chicago, and
Los Angeles. Its ten appearances at Carnegie Hall include ve with La Chapelle
de Québec featuring the Messiah, the Christmas Oratorio, and the St. John Passion
under Bernard Labadie, founder and music director of the choir, and another
featuring Dido and Aeneas under Richard Egarr. Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los
Angeles has hosted the orchestra three times, once with La Chapelle de Québec in
the Messiah, again under Bernard Labadie.
The thirty-six recordings released thus far by Les Violons du Roy have been met
with widespread critical acclaim. The twelve released on the Dorian label include
Mozart’s Requiem with La Chapelle de Québec (Juno Award 2002) and of Handel’s
Apollo e Dafne with soprano Karina Gauvin (Juno Award 2000). Since 2004, a
dozen more have appeared through a partnership between Les Violons du Roy
and Quebec’s ATMA label, including Water Music (Félix Award 2008), and Piazzolla
(Juno Award 2006). Further recordings on Erato, Naïve, Hyperion, Analekta, and
Decca Gold include Vivica Genaux, Truls Mørk, Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Alexandre
Tharaud, Marc-André Hamelin, Valérie Milot, Anthony Roth Costanzo (Grammy
Award 2019 nomination) and Charles Richard-Hamelin (Juno Award 2020
nomination).
14
Concerts from the Library of Congress
The Coolidge Auditorium, constructed in 1925 through a generous gi from
Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge, has been the venue for countless world-class
performers and performances. Gertrude Clarke Whittall presented to the Library
a gi of ve Stradivari instruments which were rst heard here during a concert
on January 10, 1936. These parallel but separate donations serve as the pillars that
now support a full season of concerts made possible by gi trusts and foundations
that followed those established by Mrs. Coolidge and Mrs. Whittall.
Concert Sta
CHIEF, MUSIC DIVISION
ASSISTANT CHIEF
SENIOR PRODUCERS
FOR CONCERTS AND
SPECIAL PROJECTS
SENIOR MUSIC SPECIALIST
MUSIC SPECIALIST
ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER
SENIOR RECORDING ENGINEER
ASSISTANT ENGINEER
PRODUCTION MANAGER
CURATOR OF
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
PROGRAM DESIGN
PROGRAM PRODUCTION
Susan H. Vita
Nicholas A. Brown-Cáceres
Michele L. Glymph
Anne McLean
David H. Plylar
Claudia Morales
Donna P. Williams
Michael E. Turpin
Sandie (Jay) Kinloch
Solomon E. HaileSelassie
Carol Lynn Ward-Bamford
David H. Plylar
Michael Munshaw
•
15
Support Concerts from the Library of Congress
Gis from Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge and Gertrude Clarke
Whittall are the pillars that support what has grown over nearly 100 years
into a full season of concerts available to all. The concerts are made
possible by their gis and vision, and by gis from generous donors who
followed their example.
The Coolidge Auditorium, constructed in 1925, has been the venue for
countless world-class performers and performances. The ve Stradivari
instruments presented to the Library by Mrs. Whittall were rst heard
here during a concert on January 10, 1936.
The unprecedented gis by Mrs. Coolidge and Mrs. Whittall and others
ensure that music will ll the halls for generations to come.
Julian E. and Freda Hauptman Berla Fund
Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Foundation
William and Adeline Cro Memorial Fund
Da Capo Fund
Ira and Leonore Gershwin Fund
Isenbergh Clarinet Fund
Irving and Verna Fine Fund
Mae and Irving Jurow Fund
Carolyn Royall Just Fund
Kindler Foundation Trust Fund
Dina Koston and Robert Shapiro Fund
for New Music
Boris and Sonya Kroyt Memorial Fund
Wanda Landowska/Denise Restout
Memorial Fund
Katie and Walter Louchheim Fund
Robert Mann Fund
The Sally Hart and Bennett Tarlton
McCallum Fund
McKim Fund
Norman P. Scala Memorial Fund
Karl B. Schmid Memorial Fund
Judith Lieber Tokel & George Sonneborn
Fund
The Elinor D. Sosne Fund for Music
Anne Adlum Hull and William Remsen
Strickland Fund
Rose and Monroe Vincent Fund
Gertrude Clarke Whittall Foundation
Fund for Music Division
GIFT AND TRUST FUNDS
Concerts from the Library of Congress receives sustaining support
from the following gi and trust funds:
BEQUESTS
We remember with appreciation the generous friends whose gis through
bequests from their estates were received:
William I. Bandas
Elmer Cerin
Barbara Gauntt
Sorab K. Modi
Claire R. Sherman
•
•
16
Producer ($10,000 and above)
Anonymous
Frederic J. and Lucia M. Hill
Andre Kostelanetz Royalty Pool
Revada Foundation of the Logan Family
Allan Reiter
In memory of Helen & Jack Reiter
George Sonneborn
Adele M. Thomas
Charitable Foundation, Inc.
William Zachs
Underwriter ($2,500 and above)
Anonymous
Peter and Ann Belenky
Ronald M. Costell, M.D.
In memory of Marsha E. Swiss, Dr. Giulio
Cantoni and Mrs. Paula Saotti
Geraldine E. Ostrove
Joyce E. Palmer
Dr. Judith C. and Dr. Eldor O. Pederson
Harriet Rogers
Philip B. and Beverly Sklover
Anna Slomovic
The George and Ruth Tretter
Charitable Gi Fund,
Carl Tretter, Trustee
Benefactor ($1,000 and above)
Anonymous (2)
Anonymous
In memory of Barbara Goolsby
Barry Abel and Stephen Morris
William D. Alexander
Leonard and Gabriela Bebchick
Marc and Vivian Brodsky
Doris Celarier
William A. Cohen
DC Jazz Festival
Cathy Eisner Falvo and Jessica Aimee Falvo
In honor of Carole Falvo
Leslie G. Ford
Dene Garbow
In memory of Mel Garbow
J. David Greydanus
Milton J. Grossman
In memory of Dana Krueger Grossman
Michael and Susan Hughes
Sid Kaplan
Virginia Lee
In memory of Dr. & Mrs. Chai Chang Choi
Kay and Marc Levinson
Egon and Irene Marx
Winton E. Matthews, Jr.
Franklin L. Moses
Judith Neibrief
William M. Pegram
(Benefactor, continued)
Richard Price and Yung Chang
Arthur F. Purcell
Marti Schweitzer and Richard A. Smith
Christopher Sipes
Karl M. Snow
James and Carol Tsang
Patron ($500 and above)
Naomi M. Adaniya
Diane E. Dixson
Carol Ann Dyer
Ann Franke and Daniel Alpert
Becky Jo Fredriksson and Rosa D. Wiener
Howard Gofreed
Margaret Hines
James and Zona Hostetler
In memory of Randy Hostetler
Dr. Judith Klavans
Lori Laitman and Bruce Rosenblum
Frederick R. Maurer and Katherine Barton
John O'Donnell
David Seidman and Ruth Greenstein
Rebecca and Sidney Shaw
In memory of Dr. Leonard G. Shaw
Karl M. Snow
Linda Sundberg
Joan Undeland
In memory of Richard Undeland
Alan Vollmann
Amy Weinstein and Philip Esoco,
In memory of Freda Hauptman Berla
Sidney Wolfe and Suzanne Goldberg
Sponsor ($250 and above)
Anonymous
In memory of Barbara Goolsby
Tonia and Scott Anderson
Nicholas A. Brown-Cáceres
In honor of Olimpia E. Cáceres-Brown
Richard W. Burris and Shirley Downs
Bruce Carlson
John Earle
In honor of Ann Franke
Lawrence W. Feinberg
Sandra D. Key
David and Helen Mao
George P. Mueller
David Parkes
Juliet A. Sablosky
Michael and Michal Schneider
In honor of the Music Division sta
Lorna C. Totman
In memory of Daniel Gallik
T Y T O S!
We would like to acknowledge these generous contributions to the 2023-2024 season.
Gis from January 1, 2023 to January 8, 2024
CONTACT US TO MAKE YOUR GIFT
Your tax-deductible gi brings concerts to the community absolutely free
to everyone and helps grow, advance, and make universally accessible the
Library’s unparalleled performing arts programs.
Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge
by John Singer Sargent, 1923.
Mail your contribution to:
Susan H. Vita, Chief, Music Division
Library of Congress
101 Independence Avenue SE, LM-613
Washington, DC 20540-9130
For information on the concert series, contact
Anne McLean, Senior Producer for Concerts and Special Projects
(202) 707-5502 | amcl@loc.gov
To discuss your gi or a gi in your will, contact
Sara L. Karrer, Director, Alumni and Planned Gis
(202) 707-6150 | saka@loc.gov
Please scan this QR code to download this eveningʼs program:
