Marlon Daniel & Ensemble du Monde in ‘Modern Serenade’ at Merkin Concert Hall, March 14

[Marlon Daniel]

Ensemble du Monde

http://www.ensembledumonde.com

“On March 14, 2010 7pm at Merkin Concert Hall, Ensemble du Monde and its Music Director Marlon Daniel will perform a concert entitled ‘Modern Serenade’ that feature favorite works of 20th century composers Aaron Copland, Dmitri Shostakovich, Charles Tomlinson Griffes and Arnold Schönberg that are both exciting and lyrical. This concert is highlighted by the virtuosity of rising classical music stars Kimball Gallagher (piano), Andrew Parker (English horn), Crystal Zagarello (flute) and trumpeter Christopher Coletti, newest member of Canadian Brass. Also featured is visual artist Xéna Lee (Artist World 2009/10 Visual-Artist-in-Residence), whose newly created works (specifically created for this concert) are on display on the stage as part of Ensemble du Monde’s Art-meets-Music Project.

COPLAND: Quiet City 


Christopher Coletti, trumpet / Andrew Parker, English horn

SHOSTAKOVICH: Concerto for Piano and Trumpet in C Minor Op. 35

Kimball Gallagher, piano / Christopher Coletti, trumpet

INTERMISSION

GRIFFES: Poem

Crystal Zagarello, flute

SCHÖENBERG: Verklärte Nacht Op. 4

Sunday March 14, 2010 7PM

MERKIN CONCERT HALL • 129 West 67th Street NYC

Tickets $50 / Seniors and Students $30

“Praised in 2010 as ' … the future of classical music on stage' by Time OUT, Ensemble du Monde is one of the most dynamic and innovative chamber orchestras on the classical music scene today. Founded in New York City in 2000 and named to reflect the diversity of its members, the group performs throughout the New York area, the United States and abroad.”

TimeOutNY.com: 'Light as a feather: Magali Léger makes her New York debut'

[Magali Léger (Photo from TimeOutNY.com)]

TimeOutNY.com

Posted in The Volume by Olivia Giovetti on January 11th, 2010 at 10:49 am
"While happy to send us their suspect pop music, it seems France has been holding out on us with soprano Magali Léger. Doe-eyed, irrepressibly adorable—imagine Audrey Tautou with high Cs—and blessed with Michelle Obama arms, Léger left us somewhat agog after her New York debut last night in an overdue recital.

“Performing with the Ensemble du Monde and its music director, Marlon Daniel, Léger gave the Merkin Concert Hall a preview of April’s Saint-Georges International Festival of Guadeloupe, a four-day event to honor the composer dubbed 'the Black Mozart.' Like Joseph Boulogne, the Chevalier de St. Georges, Léger is a native of the island of Guadeloupe, and perhaps it’s this shared balance between French Caribbean and French Baroque that made her an ideal interpreter for these rarely heard works.”

“Presenting two arias from the same opera, Léger was the embodiment of her last name (French for 'light') with a liberating coloratura that skyrocketed to the upper register effortlessly. Hers was a Riviera soprano, mixing the warmth of sun-baked ochres with the coolness of rippling azures to create an irresistible tone. The connection she fostered with the cozy audience allowed her to shine, even when the orchestra seemed unable to curb its enthusiastic dynamics (which hovered near forte for most of the evening).” [Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799) is the subject of an extensive biographical essay, as well as discussions of his fencing and recordings, at AfriClassical.com]

YouTube Video of Magali Léger, Soprano in Ensemble du Monde Concert, New York, Jan. 10

[Magali Léger in Comic Opera, from BurdenClothing.com]

AfriClassical has posted news of the 2009-2010 season of Ensemble du Monde, led by Marlon Daniel, conductor. We have discussed the second concert, in which music of Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges will be sung by soprano Magali Léger on Jan. 10, 2010. Today we present a post which includes a link to a YouTube video of the singer in a French comic opera:

BurdenClothing.com
NYC: Ensemble du Monde features Magali Léger
January 1st, 2010
by Omar
“If you’re in the area, and you’re in the mood to get a bit more 'cultured' than usual, check out the upcoming performance by Ensemble du Monde featuring Guadeloupean star Magali Léger at The Kaufman Center later this month. Check out the info below…

“In Ensemble du Monde’s second concert, ‘Classical Innovators’, the works of Beethoven, Grétry, Mozart and Boulogne (Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges), will never sound so fresh as when they are performed by French Caribbean super star soprano Magali Léger, making her New York début.

Ensemble du Monde
Marlon Daniel, Music Director & Conductor
BOULOGNE L’amant anonyme: Overture and Two Arias
Magali Léger, soprano
GRÉTRY Aria de Lenore from L’amant jaloux
Magali Léger, soprano
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 3 in E-Flat Major Op. 55 'Eroica'”

“For a taste of what you can expect..check out the video of Ms. Léger in action...” (Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges is the subject of an extensive biographical essay, as well as discussions of his fencing and recordings, at AfriClassical.com)