Baroque cellist to perform Feb. 28 in Grayslake
Baroque cellist Shirley Hunt will perform "Scordatura and More" at 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 28, at the Byron Colby Barn in Grayslake, as part of the 14th annual Early Music Series.
The Early Music Series at the Byron Colby Barn features highly acclaimed musicians performing music from the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods. Admission is $20 for adults and is available at the door only via cash or check (no credit cards). To inspire early appreciation for the arts, children younger than 16 are admitted free.
Hunt entertains and educates with a recital featuring early compositions for the cello performed in a variety of historical tuning systems. Her program opens with Giuseppe Colombi's "Ciaccona," a ground bass that becomes increasingly ornate with each repetition. This 17th century work, along with the two ricecares by Domenico Gabrielli, are performed in a scordatura tuning, in which the cello's top string is lowered one whole step.
Sonata No. 2 by Domenico Galli, a talented instrument maker and poet as well as a composer, was likely intended for a B flat-F-c-g tuning, while Francesco Paolo Supriani and Giuseppe Maria Dall'Abaco's works call for the standard C-G-d-a tuning. J.S. Bach's Suite No. 5 in C minor, the only non-Italian work on the program, returns to a resonant scordatura to close the recital.
Hunt brings imagination and integrity to the music of the Renaissance and Baroque eras on both the cello and viola da gamba. Praised by The Strad as "stylish and accomplished," she embraces an eclectic life as a multi-instrumental soloist and collaborator.
Hunt is a member of New York's Sonnambula Viols, Boston's Musical Offering, Bradamante Cello Duo, and Douglas Detrick's AnyWhen Ensemble, a chamber-jazz quintet. She has performed and recorded with North America's leading period instrument ensembles, including Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, American Bach Soloists, Musica Angelica, Bach Collegium San Diego, and Boston Baroque.
Hunt recently released "J.S. Bach Suites & Sonatas Volume One," the first installment in a three-part series featuring Bach's complete cello suites and viola da gamba sonatas.
The Byron Colby Barn is at 1561 Jones Point Road in Grayslake, inside the Prairie Crossing conservation community. From I-94 north, exit Route 120 west, turn south at Route 45, then go right at Jones Point Road. Ample free parking is in the parking lot adjacent to the Barn. Audience members are welcome to bring a bottle of wine to share with friends during performances.
For more information about the Early Music Series, visit www.libertyprairie.org/earlymusic.
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