The PhilaLandmarks Early Music Series brings the historical homes of Philadelphia to life through vibrant and educational period-instrument chamber music performance.
Philadelphia is the home of numerous world-class early music ensembles. Performances in the lovingly restored PhilaLandmarks houses provide the perfect opportunity to hear and get to know these creative musicians. Here is a taste of a few of the ensembles you'll hear at the PhilaLandmarks Early Music Series concerts:
Night Music charms its audiences with music of the Revolutionary and Romantic eras, performing music of Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, and beyond on string and wind instruments of the time.
- Diversions & Distractions: Early Classical music for home entertainment both personal and celebratory centered around the lighthearted divertimento. With no set form or instrumentation, divertimenti ran the gamut from intimate duos to miniature orchestra: think of Mozart’s ‘Eine Kleine Nachtmusik’, often performed as a string quartet but equally successful in an expanded ensemble. Symphonies were often arranged and published for home performance, as in Salomon’s version of Haydn’s “Surprise” symphony for flute and strings. Smaller works for less conventional, even whimsical combinations – as in Dittersdorf’s charming duo for viola and bass – were surprisingly common. While the flexible string quartet’s expressive capabilities and efficiency ultimately led it to dominate home musicales, it climbed there on the shoulders of the divertimenti that preceded it.
- PROGRAM
- F.J. Haydn (1732-1809): Divertimento in C major, Hob.II:11 "Der Geburtstag"
- W. A. Mozart (1756-1791): Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, K. 525
- Intermission
- K.D von Dittersdorf (1739-1799): Duetto for viola and violone, Kr.219
- L.A. Lebrun (1752-1790): trio for oboe, violin, and cello
- F.J. Haydn: Symphony No. 94 “Surprise” (period arr. by Johann Peter Salomon)
Thursday, November 16, 2017 | 7:30 PM
Tickets $30 (including the reception)
Powel House
244 S 3rd Street | Philadelphia, PA 19106
Grand Harmonie is fast becoming the Northeast's go-to ensemble for energetic and imaginative performances of Classical and Romantic repertoire. Their programs feature a special emphasis on the rich history of wind and brass music.
- Across the Pond: Mister Harper and Mister Johnson: A re-imagining of a Philadelphia Soiree featuring music for historic trumpets and fortepiano. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, domestic musical salons were a vital and important part of the music scenes in major cities throughout Europe and the budding United States. Musicians like Therese Jansen and Thomas Harper held court in London, while John Norton and Francis Johnson made waves in Philadelphia. Johnson, an African American keyed bugler, violinist, and composer, eventually performed in London as well, bringing a group of black musicians to perform in celebrations for Queen Victoria's coronation in 1838. In this concert you will hear an Broadwood fortepiano from 1806, built in London and housed in Philadelphia for many years until restored in 2011, and a variety of English trumpets built in the 19th century. Come hear these stunning instruments in a beautiful Philadelphia landmark and go back in time with us!
- Members of Grand Harmonie:
- Chris Belluscio, historic trumpets
- Sylvia Berry, fortepiano
- PROGRAM
- G. F. Handel (1685-1759): Airs from Vauxhall Gardens
- John Norton (c.1810-1868): Suite from Norton’s Preceptor for the Slide Trumpet (1827)
- F. J. Haydn (1732-1809): Piano Sonata in C Major, Hob. XVI: 50 (1794)
- Vincent Wallace (1812-1865): Let me Like a Soldier Fall
- F Schubert (1797-1828): Ave Maria
- Sir Henry Bishop (1786-1855): Pretty Jane
- Francis Johnson (1792-1844): Philadelphia Firemen's Cotillion
Thursday, February 15, 2018 | 7:30 PM
Tickets $30 (including the reception)
Hill-Physick House
321 S 4th St | Philadelphia, PA 19106
Formed in 2013, Kleine Kammermusik is dedicated to bringing to life the wealth of intimate chamber music from the courts of Europe. Each member brings superb artistry and a high level of virtuosity to music full of dazzling surprises.
- Woods and Brooks: Horticultural and Musical connections between 18th-century Europe and America. The eighteenth century saw a craze for horticulture, enriched by discoveries on colonial expeditions, and particularly plants and trees from North America that were found to adapt remarkably well to the European climate. While outside, aristocrats planted intricately designed gardens and took pride in propagating rare species collected on exotic travels, inside their salons, they cultivated music with equal vigor, so that it flourished with equal profusion. This concert of works from the Baroque age will be accompanied by a lecture outlining parallels between the trade of materials such as plants and timbers used in the construction of musical instruments, and the exchange of musical culture in the eighteenth century.
- Kleine Kammermusik:
- Geoffrey Burgess, oboes
- Stephanie Corwin, bassoon
- Rebecca Humphrey, cello
- Leon Schelhase, harpsichord
- PROGRAM
- Music for baroque winds and basso continuo by:
- J.S. Bach, G.P. Telemann, J.B. de Boismortier and G.B. Platti
- Lecture: “What has the American Honey Locust tree got to do with Johann Sebastian Bach?" by Geoffrey Burgess
Thursday, March 8, 2018 | 7:30 PM
Tickets $30 (including the reception)
Hill-Physick House
321 S 4th St | Philadelphia, PA 19106
The Franklin Quartet performs music from the dawn of the string quartet on period instruments. Named after Age of Enlightenment polymath Benjamin Franklin, the Franklin Quartet brings a spirit of invention and exploration to its presentation of early string quartet repertoire.
- By George!: Pathos and passion, explosive international politics, extravagance, and dramatic deaths – the lives of England’s King Georges are enough to make even the most unshakable historian exclaim ‘by George!’ Discover the Britain’s other Fab Four through the lens of English and German quartets of the Georgian era, presented by the Franklin Quartet, with a lecture from the Franklin’s own British subject, violinist Rebecca Harris.
- Franklin Quartet:
- Daniel Elyar, violin & viola
- Rebecca Harris, violin
- Marika Holmqvist, violin & viola
- Rebecca Humphrey, cello
Thursday, April 12, 2018 | 7:30 PM
Tickets $30 (including the reception)
Powel House
244 S 3rd St | Philadelphia, PA 19106
