2019-2020: The Fellowship of Early Music Hebreo: ROSSI’S MANTUA Guest Ensemble Profeti della Quinta JANUARY 31 & FEBRUARY 1, 2020 2019-2020 Jeanne Lamon Hall, Trinity-St.Paul’s Centre Season Sponsor THANK YOU! This production is made possible by The David Fallis Fund for Culture Bridging Programming It is with sincere appreciation and gratitude that we salute the following supporters of this fund: Anonymous (2) Matthew & Phyllis Airhart Michelle & Robert Knight Rita-Anne Piquet The Pluralism Fund Join us at our Intermission Café! The Toronto Consort is happy to offer a wide range of refreshments: BEVERAGES SNACKS PREMIUM ($2) ($2) BAKED GOODS ($2.50) Coffee Assortment of Chips Assortment by Tea Assortment of Candy Bars Harbord Bakery Coke Breathsavers Diet Coke Halls San Pellegrino Apple Juice Pre-order in the lobby! Back by popular demand, pre-order your refreshments in the lobby and skip the line at intermission! PROGRAM The Songs of Salomon HaShirim asher liShlomo Music by Salomone Rossi and Elam Rotem Salomone Rossi Lamnatséah ‘al hagitít Psalm 8 (c.1570-1630) Elohím hashivénu Psalm 80:4, 8, 20 Elam Rotem Kol dodí hineh-zéh bá Song of Songs 2: 8-13 Siméni chachotám al libécha Song of Songs 8: 6-7 Girolamo Kapsperger Passacaglia (ca. 1580-1651) Salomone Rossi Shir hama’alót, ashréy kol yeré Adonái Psalm 128 Hashkivénu Evening prayer Elam Rotem Shechoráh aní venaváh Song of Songs 1: 5-7 Aní yeshenáh velibí er Song of Songs 5:2-16, 6:1-3 INTERMISSION – Join us for the Intermission Café, located in the gym. Salomone Rossi Mizmór letodáh Psalm 100 Haleluyáh, Halelí nafshí et Adonái Psalm 146 Al naharót Bavél Psalm 137 Cor mio, deh non languire Madrigal Udite lacrimosi spirti d’Averno Madrigal Rimanti in pace Madrigal Elam Rotem Improvisation on Ballo del Granduca Salomone Rossi Messaggier di speranza Elam Rotem Hinách yafáh ra’yatí Song of Songs 4:1-7 Salomone Rossi Yitgadal veyitkadash Kaddish prayer Supported by the cultural department of Basel, Switzerland Tonight’s Performers are: Staff & Administration Michelle Knight, Managing Director Adam Thomas Smith, Director of SPECIAL GUESTS: Audience Engagement and Education Nellie Austin, Bookkeeper Profeti Della Quinta Chris Abbott, Graphic Designer Yara Jakymiw, Season Brochure Graphic Designer Martin Reis, Derek Haukenfreres, Box Office Peter Smurlick, Database Consultant Doron Schleifer, Gordon Baker, Stage Manager Roman Melish – countertenor Cecilia Booth, Front of House, Volunteer Coordinator Gordon Peck, Technical Director Lior Leibovici, Ann Blennerhassett, CD Sales and Event Assistant Jacob Lawrence – tenor Elam Rotem – bass, cembalo and musical direction Board of Directors Orí Harmelin – Theorbo Heather Turnbull, President Harry Deeg, Treasurer Frances Campbell, Secretary Jason Bernardon Jennifer Bryan Stephanie Butler Anita Nador Andrea Whitehead Gavin Winter The Toronto Consort Paul Jenkins, ex officio Michelle Knight, ex officio is a Proud Member of Alison Melville, ex officio Follow us on Facebook and Instagram! @TorontoConsort 427 Bloor Street West, Toronto ON M5S 1X7 Box Office 416-964-6337 Admin 416-966-1045 | [email protected] bloorstculturecorridor.com TorontoConsort.org ABOUT US Top Row: Paul Jenkins, David Fallis, Laura Pudwell, Esteban La Rotta, John Pepper, Cory Knight Bottom Row: Katherine Hill, Michele DeBoer, Alison Melville, Ben Grossman Photo Credit: Bruce Zinger Since its founding in 1972, The Toronto Consort from dedicated music-history aficionados has become internationally recognized for its to occasional or first-time patrons. excellence in the performance of medieval, Each year, the Consort presents a five- renaissance and early baroque music. Led by production, twelve-concert series in the beautiful a collective of Artistic Associates, the group’s acoustic of Jeanne Lamon Hall at Trinity-St. members are amongst Canada’s leading early Paul’s Centre, located in downtown Toronto’s music specialists, including both singers and Bloor Street Cultural Corridor. The Consort tours instrumentalists on early plucked and bowed regularly, having been to Europe and Great Britain, strings, flutes, keyboards, and percussion. across Canada, and into the United States. The Toronto Consort specializes in rarely The Toronto Consort also offers free audience- heard repertoire from roughly 1100 AD to 1650 AD, engagement activities, such as pre-concert lectures, frequently presented in collaboration with other high school education concerts and learning artists, such as actors, dancers, visual and workshops, and the Early Music Collaboration Lab for multi-media artists, and guest specialists. The Seniors and Youth, and runs development programs collaborative nature of its creative process for Emerging Artists and Board of Directors Training. has led to diverse productions enthusiastically To contact or learn more about The Toronto received by varied modern audiences, Consort, visit TorontoConsort.org. PROGRAM NOTES The Songs of Salomon Ha’Shirim asher li’Shlomo This program portrays the many-faceted art of Salomone Rossi, who was a court composer in the service of the Gonzaga family and a uniquely innovative composer of Jewish liturgical music. Although overshadowed by the works of his colleague and collaborator Claudio Monteverdi, Rossi’s madrigals are beautiful and refined examples of the Genre. They also feature an important milestone in music history: Rossi’s Primo libro di Madrigali á 5 (1600) includes the first known printed intabulation for the chitarrone – also known as the theorbo. This novelty creates a bridge between the 16th century polyphonic Madrigal and the new musical style of the early 17th century. Alongside his prolific ‘secular’ activities, Rossi, being Jewish, revolutionized the music of the Synagogue by introducing polyphonic settings of Hebrew prayers and psalms. These Hebrew works are characterized by their elegant simplicity; yet at times Rossi employs in them madrigal- like techniques in order to heighten the emotions of his listeners. The program also includes a few compositions by Elam Rotem, which are inspired by Rossi, both in terms of musical style and of the choice of a biblical text in Hebrew. The music of Salomone Rossi has played a significant role in the work of Profeti della Quinta since the group’s foundation. The native Hebrew speaking singers, who specialize in the music of the Italian Baroque, have an immediate connection to Salomone Rossi as a Jewish Italian composer. – Elam Rotem, Music Director TEXTS & TRANSLATIONS Psalm 8 Lamnatséach ‘al hagitít mizmór ledavíd. For the chief musician on the gitit a psalm of David. Adonái adonéinu ma adír shimkhá bekhól Lord, our Lord, how mighty is Your ha’árets ashér tená hodekhá ‘al hashamáyim. name throughout the earth, Mipi ‘olelim veyonekím yisádta ‘oz lemá’an for You placed Your glory over the heavens. tsorerékha lehashbít ‘oyév umitnakém. From the mouth of babes and sucklings You Ki er’é shamékha ma’asé etsbe’otékha ordained the strength, because of Your enemies, yaréach vekhokhavim ashér konánta. to stop the adversary and the avenger. Ma enósh ki tizkerénu uvén When I see Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, adám ki tifkedénu. the moon and the stars that You established. Vatechaseréhu me’át me’elohím What is man that You should remember him, vekhavód vehadár te’ateréhu. and a mortal that You should care for him. Tamshiléhu bema’aséi yadékha kol You placed him a little below the angels, sháta tachat ragláv. with honor and esteem did You adorn him. Tsoné va’alafím kulám vegám bahamót sadái. You made him rule over the works of Your hands, Tsipór shamáyim udgéi hayám everything You set under his feet. ‘ovér orchót yamím. Sheep and oxen, all these, as well as beasts of the field. Adonái adonéinu ma adír Birds of the skies and fish of the sea, shimkhá bekhól ha’árets. whatever crosses the paths of the seas. Lord, our Lord, how mighty is Your name throughout the earth. Psalm 80:4, 8, 20 Elohim hashivénu veha’ér panékha venivashé’a. God restore us, brighten Your face and we shall be saved. Elohim tseva’ót hashivenu God of hosts restore us, veha’ér panékha venivashé’a. brighten Your face and we shall be saved. Adonái ‘elohim tseva’ót hashivenu Lord God of hosts restore us, veha’ér panékha venivashé’a. brighten Your face and we shall be saved. Song of Songs 2:8-13 Kol dodí hineh-zéh bá, medalég al-heharím, It is the voice of my beloved! Behold, he cometh mekapétz al-hageva’ót. leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills. Doméh dodí litzví o le’ófer ha’ayalím, My beloved is like a roe or a young hart. hineh-zéh oméd achár kotlénu mashgíach Behold, he standeth behind our wall; he peers min-hachalonót, metzítz min-hacharakím. through the windows, peeks through the lattices. Anáh dodí ve’ámar lí: My beloved spake and saith unto me: Kúmi lách ra’yatí yafatí ulchi-lách. Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. Ki-hinéh hasetáv avár For lo, the winter is past, hagéshem chaláf halách ló. the rain is over and gone. Hanitzaním nir’ú ba’áretz, The flowers appear on the earth; et hazamír higía’, the time of the singing of birds is come, vekól hatór nishmá’ be’artzénu. and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. Hate’enáh chanetáh fagéha vehagefaním The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, semadár nátenu réyach. and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Kúmi lách ra’yatí yafatí ulchi-lách. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away. Song of Songs 8: 6-7 Set me as a seal upon thine heart, Siméni chachotám al libécha, as a seal upon thine arm; kachotám al zero’écha, for love is strong as death, and jealousy ki-azáh chamávet ahaváh, kasháh chish’ól kin’áh, is as cruel as the grave. The ardours reshaféha rishpéy esh shalhevetyáh. thereof are as a flame from God.