Chatham Baroque season begins this weekend
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If the three members of Chatham Baroque were the sensationalist types, they might rent some billboards exclaiming their 2009-10 season to be "Bigger and Better!" -- perhaps with a few more exclamation points.
That isn't how they rolle (an old German term for the turn), yet the members of the local period music trio are excited to build upon the musical partnership that began last year when baroque violinist Andrew Fouts joined viola da gamba player Patricia Halverson and lutenist Scott Pauley.
"The first year was tremendous with Andrew," says Pauley, who also plays the larger lute-like instrument, the theorbo, and the baroque guitar. "We hit it off immediately. ... I would expect this season to continue to get to know each other and to become even more of an ensemble."
Even as Fouts assimilated the style of Halverson and Pauley, the violinist in turn altered the group's timbre and treatment of works with his energetic and virtuosic style. Just as important has been his influence on Chatham Baroque concerts.
"Our repertoire has changed slightly, adding composers like Bach, [which] Andrew has an affinity for," says Pauley. "It is new for us to play music from a bit later in the baroque period and the bigger names. We have always focused on bringing to life lesser-known composers."
That means for this season less Kapsberger and Bertali and more Bach, Handel, Corelli and Purcell.
"We learned this last year when we did the Bach program and people really liked it," says Pauley. "We learned that we need to have a mix of unknown programs and more known programs."
Chatham Baroque's season opens this weekend and includes a performance tonight at 8 at Synod Hall, Oakland; and at 2:30 p.m. tomorrow at Calvary Episcopal Church, Shadyside.
The first concerts of the season were to bring to the stage Fouts' teacher, the acclaimed baroque violinist Stanley Ritchie, but he had hand surgery in August and has not recovered sufficiently. Stepping in will be violinist Dana Maiben, who has performed with the trio before, for works by Handel, Purcell and Lawes.
For the December holiday concerts, Chatham Baroque will perform Handel's "Gloria" with soprano Sherezade Pantahki.
The Lenten offering will be Pergolesi's doleful "Stabat Mater," with soprano Abigail Haynes-Lennox and countertenor Ian Howell.
The season concludes in April with the trio alone playing fast-paced pieces by Corelli, Bach, Buxtehude and more.
This season again will find Chatham Baroque performing some concerts in alternate and relaxed venues in which you can get a bite to eat or have a drink: its "Wandering Minstrels" concert series.
"Audiences love the intimacy of the experience," says executive director Joshua Foster. The group will play at the Gypsy Cafe on the South Side and at St. James Parish, Sewickley, in addition to its traditional concerts at Synod Hall and other venues.
First Published October 10, 2009 12:00 am
