Flanders Recorder Quartet revives the recorder for onStage at Connecticut College
NEW LONDON, Conn. - The recorder returns to its former place of glory Feb. 26 with a special onStage at Connecticut College performance by the Flanders Recorder Quartet at 8 p.m. at John C. Evans Hall. The quartet - made up of world-renowned recorder players Bart Spanhove, Tom Beets, Joris Van Goethem and Paul Van Loey - has played more than 1,500 concerts on five continents.
The group, which has evolved into one of the world's top ensembles, is famous for their unique and rare collection of recorders, which were one of the most important instruments of the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Among other rarities, the quartet boasts 10 recorders copied from the collection of Henry VIII and a 7-foot, 6-inch tall baroque sub-bass recorder.
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel praised the group for managing "a startling range of dynamics on instruments that are supposed to have almost none at all."
Famous in Early Music circles, the group plays regularly at Early Music festivals from Tokyo and Paris to Helsinki and Mexico City. The quartet has titled the concert "Banchetto Musicale," or literally "musical banquet," a term dating back to the 16th century when dance, music and theater were produced to complement a meal in much the same way as red wine is made to be served with meat and white to be served with fish.
"We hope to tickle your palate with a musical banquet in which we get out our best silver service, recorders of the highest quality in all shapes and sizes, and use them in 1001 different ways. To live up to the title, we're even performing on beer and wine bottles from our own cellars," said Spanhove.
For more information or to purchase tickets, call (860) 439-ARTS, visit http://onstage.conncoll.edu or visit the Connecticut College Ticket Office. Tickets to the Flanders Recorder Quartet are $22 for the general public, $20 for seniors and $11 for students.
About Connecticut College
Situated on the coast of southern New England, Connecticut College is a highly selective private liberal arts college with 1900 students from all across the country and throughout the world. On the college's 750-acre arboretum campus overlooking Long Island Sound, students and faculty create a vibrant social, cultural and intellectual community enriched by diverse perspectives. The college, founded in 1911, is known for its unique combination of interdisciplinary studies, international programs, funded internships, student-faculty research and service learning.
For more information, visit www.conncoll.edu.
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February 12, 2009
