Four Nations: The Sounds of the Past
Painting by Jackie Rogers
Forget Sarah Palin for just a moment; better yet, forget her for an entire afternoon and lose the present to the sounds and sights of the past. The Four Nations’ Hudson River Harvest Concerts is a series of three concerts (one, alas, already sold out) in settings as transcendent as their music, which is 18th-century and played on the harpsichords and other instruments of the era that the composers conceived it for.
This Sunday, for example, Four Nations presents a program of Jean Marie Leclair’s sensual and devilishly difficult music, which they will compare to that of the composers who inspired and competed with him (Locatelli and Mondonville). The setting: a magnificent Palladian Barn with heart-stopping views. In October, the theater music of Henry Purcell and George Frederic Handel will be presented in a glorious Dutch Barn. (Purcell, as it happens, wrote thrilling music for Restoration Comedies. Who knew?)
Each of the afternoons begins with a glass of good wine, supplied by Chatham Liquors, and an opportunity, for those who arrive on time, to spend a half-hour touring the property. The concert begins at 4, and after, around 5:45, an astonishing array of substantial hors d’oeuvres by Susan Lawrence of Chappaqua (FYI: the Clintons’ caterer) fuels whatever corner of the soul the music failed to satisfy.
The Four Nations Ensemble
Sunday, September 14; Saturday, October 25
Admission: $75
For tickets and details: 212.928.5708;
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Posted by Marilyn Bethany on 09/12/08 at 07:51 AM • Permalink
