TENET by night
Bacchus Cantatas for the God of Wine
Jonathan Woody, bass Jolle Greenleaf, soprano Alana Youseffian, violin Matt Zucker, viola da gamba Jeffrey Grossman, harpsichord
NOVEMBER 26, 2020
PROGRAM
Bachus, Nicolas Bernier (1664-1734) L’Amour et Bacchus, Louis-Nicolas Clérambault (1676-1749)
NOTES
The early 18th century in France saw the continued adaptation of Italian styles that had been taking place in the country for a century, as King Louis XIV elevated France to a great power and, in doing so, elevated the music of the French court. However, the grand motets of Jean-Baptiste Lully at the Sun King’s court at Versaille had, by the 1710s, given way to religious and political austerity, and a cloistering of artistic activity only in Versailles and select Parisian institutions. Outside of those mostly noble (read: 1%) spaces, the emerging bourgeoisie of France was primed for a more accessible musical offering, and the cantates françaises, with their manageable forms and smaller forces, served to fill the gap. These more nimble works found their performances in concerts spirituels that took place in the salons of wealthy patrons in Paris, and académies that were founded by intellectuals in the provincial cities.
Nicolas Bernier’s (1665-1734) career as organist and composer reflects these shifting musical and historical forces, studying with Antonio Caldara (1670-1734) in Rome before serving in positions at Chartres and the Sainte Chappelle. Bernier’s represents the first generation of cantata composition in France, following the tradition established by Lully and synthesizing older Italian forms and French airs de cour into a more fully realized style. His Bachus, (1703) is an early example of the hybrid cantate française, with Italianate structural elements (da capo form, ritornello introductions to airs) and a more French melodic idea.
Even more successful at this musical synthesis, Louis-Nicolas Clérambault (1676-1749) was a thoroughly Parisian musician, building a career both in favor of the nobility as the organist & choirmaster for Mme. de Maintenon’s Maison Royale de St. Cyr, and as an urban musician, with a post at St. Sulpice. A decade younger than Bernier, Clérambault was contemporarily understood as the most celebrated composer of cantates francaises, more masterfully blending the Italian structural forms and instrumental idioms and incorporating a metric modulation more appropriate to the French language. In his L’Amour et Bacchus, we see recitative that shifts from duple to triple meter to cut time within a handful of measures, evoking the ease with which Clérambault can musically depict the natural rhythms of French.
Both cantatas revolve around Bacchus, or Dionysus, the Roman/Greek god of wine and frivolity. In the Bernier, the singer offers praise to the lascivious deity and implores the goddess Venus to join their celebrations. The mention of war prompts a swift admonition, as victory is declared over the “buveurs étendus sur l’arène, qui nagent dans des flots de vin,” or “drunks arrayed in the pit, floating on rivers of wine.” In Clérambault’s version, Bacchus and ‘L’Amour,’ perhaps better known as Cupid, argue who has the greater power. After each offering examplesof their charms, they agree that it’s better not to fight, but instead team up: “Unissons nos plaisirs pour les rendre plus doux,” or “Let us unite our pleasures to render them sweeter.”
The incidence of these allegorical characters in 18th century cantates françaises is prevalent, and reflects an Age of Enlightenment-rooted interest in exploring the literary content of ancient Greece and Rome, in search of connection to contemporary truth. As we explore the music of 18th century and its history, we engage on a similar project to elucidate clues about our present and how art can link the experiences of people then and now. Perhaps we may unite our present-day pleasures with those of a bygone era and indulge in a bit of insouciant mirth, brought to us through the gift of the ages.
-Jonathan Woody
TRANSLATIONS
Bacchus Libretto by Jean-Baptiste Rousseau Translation by Jonathan Woody
RECITATIVE Let us sing to the god Bacchus, Let us sing and let his glory Be the eternal object of our most sweet concerts. Let another teach the universe The glorious story of Hector’s proud conqueror; Let him revive, in his verses, The odious memory of the children of Pelops. Mighty God of wine, Worthy object of our desires, It is to you alone that I abandon myself; Wreaths and garlands crowning my hair, in all places I aspire to follow you; It is for you alone that I want to live Among the banquets and the games.
ARIA Your supreme generosity prevents our wanting, Your extreme sweetness calms our regrets, Without you, Venus herself would lose her charms, You serve the constancy of lovers’ hearts, You provide hope for the most unfortunate. Your supreme bounty…
RECITATIVE But what involuntary transport Grasps, all of a sudden, my restless mind? Upon which sacred valley, into which solitary wood Am I suddenly being transported? Bacchus has unveiled his mysteries before my eyes; A confused movement of joy and terror Inspires in me a new daring, And the Maenads in fury Have seen nothing of the sort in the Thracian lairs.
ARIA Come down, mother of Love, Come adorn the festivities Of the god who has made conquest Of the realms where the day was born. Come down, mother of Love; Mars has stopped you for too long.
Already the young Silvanus, Drunk on love and wine, Pursues Doris in the plains; And the nymphs of the forests With a sparkling, fresh nectar, Douse the old Silenus.
Come down, etc…
RECITATIVE Unholy ones, flee this place! I yield to the motions that this great day inspires in me. Faithful followers of the most charming of the gods, Ordain the feast, bring me my lyre: Let us celebrate together such a glorious day. But, amongst the transports of a pleasant delirium, Begone the seditious noises That a blind mist attracts: We leave it to the inhuman Scythians To mix their banquets with murder and carnage, The darts of the savage Centaur Must never soil our innocent hands.
ARIA Let us banish the hideous Bellona, From the innocence of our meals, The Satyrs, Bacchus and Fauna, Detest the horror of combat.
Woe to the bloodthirsty mortals, Who, by their tragic crimes, Bloody the sweet mysteries Of a god who presides over peace.
Let us banish, etc…
RECITATIVE Do they want me to go to war? Follow me, my friends; run, fight, Let us fill this cup, let’s surround ourselves with ivy, Bacchantes, lend me your dreaded thyrsi. How many subdued athletes! How many rivals struck to ground! Oh, son of Jupiter, we experience at last Your sovereign assistance; I see only drinkers extended across the pit, Who are swimming on rivers of wine.
ARIA Triumph! Victory! Honor to Bacchus, Let us publish your glory. Triumph! Victory! We drink to the vanquished.
Raucous trumpet, Amplify our voices, Sound out their defeat: Raucous trumpet, Sing of our exploits.
Triumph! Victory, etc…
L’Amour et Bacchus LOVE AND BACCHUS No, nothing is equal to my glory, I am the most powerful of the gods.
LOVE My quiver triumphs in all places, Must you contest Love’s victory?
BACCHUS My scepter triumphs in all places, Must you contest the victory of Bacchus?
BACCHUS I banish suspicions, complaints, and grief Unceasing laughter accompanies me And the charms of my divine nectar Often make the wisest silly. I spill at once pleasure and wine.
When Bacchus brings you war, Don’t get in his way. It’s in the bottle and the glass That one finds the sweetest pleasure.
Thoroughly pleased by your defeat, Sleep follows the god of drinks. What makes his victory perfect, Is to give you relaxation.
LOVE You haven’t always refused to give me The tribute to which you are obliged. Is it up to you, god of wine? Is it up to you to claim The supreme joys which are reserved for me? Ariadne once submitted you to her charms, All too happy to augment my various triumphs. Bacchus, conqueror of the universe, Came to turn himself over to my arms And offer himself to my shackles.
The attractions that Love offers Lift themselves to the heavens He holds under his power All mortals and gods.
On the earth and in the waves, Everything cedes to him in turn And the empire of the world Is that which Love has built.
BACCHUS But will such a vain preference Unite us on this day forever? If Love and Bacchus don’t understand each other, All the pleasures are imperfect.
LOVE I want very much to share my conquests with you, I will douse my features in your lovely juice. Lovers, you who prepare feasts, Always call to them both Love and Bacchus.
LOVE AND BACCHUS Let us swear an eternal peace, Let us banish our jealous frenzies, Let’s run, let’s fly, the universe calls us, Let’s unite our pleasures to make them sweeter.
PERFORMER BIOS
Bass-baritone Jonathan Woody is a sought-after performer of early and new music in New York and across North America. Praised as “charismatic” and “riveting” by the NY TImes, Jonathan has appeared with Apollo’s Fire, Boston Early Music Festival, Pacific MusicWorks, Bach Collegium San Diego, Portland Baroque Orchestra and New York Baroque Incorporated in recent seasons, and is a member of the Grammy®-nominated Choir of Trinity Wall Street. Upcoming engagements include appearances with the Washington Bach Consort, Cathedral Choral Society, Opera Lafayette and the Choir of St. Thomas Fifth Avenue as soloist. Recording credits include I srael in Egypt with the Choir of Trinity Wall Street (Musica Omnia), Boston Early Music Festival’s St. Matthew Passion of J. Sebastiani (RadioBremen), New York Polyphony’s Roma Æterna (BIS Records), and the Choir of Trinity Wall Street’s Missa Gentis Humanae (Musica Omnia).
Hailed as a “golden soprano” and “a major force in the New York early music-scene” (T he New York Times), soprano J olle Greenleaf is one of today’s foremost figures in the field of early music. Balancing a career as a leading soloist and an innovative impresario, she is in great demand both as a guest artist and as the artistic director of TENET Vocal Artists, a premier New York-based ensemble specializing in early music. She is a celebrated interpreter of the music of Bach Buxtehude, Handel, Purcell, and most notably, Monteverdi. She has performed as a soloist in venues throughout the U.S., Scandinavia, Europe, and Central America for important presenters including Vancouver Early Music Festival, Denmark’s Vendsyssel Festival, Costa Rica International Music Festival, Puerto Rico’s Festival Casals, Utrecht Festival, at Panama’s National Theater, and San Cristobal, the Cathedral in Havana, Cuba.
A native of New Jersey, award-winning violinist Alana Youssefian has quickly forged a reputation as a sought-after soloist known for her passionate interpretations of works spanning the baroque era to the music of today. Alana enjoys an active solo career with the world’s leading period instrument orchestras, in addition to holding engagements at venues such as the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Kimmel Center, Carnegie Hall, and Alice Tully Hall. In April 2020 her debut album Brillance Indéniable was released on the Avie label to rave reviews. Her video recordings on the Voices of Music YouTube channel have garnered over one million views. In her free time, Alana enjoys spending time with her fiancé Jared and their cats Jimmy and Django, Stephen King novels, and 60’s British rock.
Keyboardist and conductor J effrey Grossman specializes in vital, engaging performances of music of the past, through processes that are intensely collaborative and historically informed. As the artistic director of the acclaimed baroque ensemble the Sebastians, Jeffrey has directed from the keyboard Bach’s St. John and St. Matthew Passions and Handel’s Messiah in collaboration with TENET Vocal Artists. Last season, he led Monteverdi's V espers of 1610 with the Green Mountain Project in New York and Venice. For over a decade, he also toured portions of the United States with artists of the Piatigorsky Foundation, performing outreach concerts to underserved communities. A native of Detroit, Michigan, he holds degrees from Harvard, Juilliard, and Carnegie Mellon University; he teaches performance practice at Yale University. w ww.jeffreygrossman.com
Matt Zucker appears internationally as a collaborator and soloist specializing in historical cellos and viola da gamba. Recent engagements include performances with Les Arts Florissants, Trinity Baroque Orchestra, House of Time, Washington National Cathedral Baroque Orchestra, The Sebastians, New York Baroque Incorporated, Variant 6, and Opera Lafayette. Matt has spent his summers performing at the Boston Early Music Festival, Dans les Jardins de William Christie in Thiré, France, and Teatro Nuovo, a festival dedicated to historically-informed performances of 19th-century opera. Matt graduated from the Historical Performance program at the Juilliard School and was awarded a Benzaquen Career Advancement Grant. He holds additional degrees in cello performance and music theory from the Eastman School of Music and the Cleveland Institute of Music. Matt can be heard on Brillance Indéniable, a Swineshead Productions recording of Louis-Gabriel Guillemain violin works with Alana Youssefian and Le Bien-Aimé.