This weekend I’m going to two, count ’em, two vocal and instrumental concerts at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu, featuring two performers who are husband-and-wife teams.

The first will be Friday night at 7:30pm and will be presented by Early Music Hawaii. The concert by Asteria, called “Flower of Passion — Thorn of Despair,” featuring Sylvia Rhyne, soprano and Eric Redlinger, tenor and lute, singing medieval songs of love and Arthurian romance. The publicity hype says “The troubadours, singer-poets of medieval France, preached the gospel of courtly love and chivalry as the ultimate in human experience. Winner of the first Early Music America prize for medieval performance, Asteria tells one of the most beloved Arthurian stories, that of Yvain, the Knight of the Lion, which inspired the elegant chansons of the 15th century.” Upon further reading of their website,  “this engaging duo brings out the passion and emotional impact of late medieval vocal and instrumental music with timeless love songs of wide appeal, transporting their listeners back to the age of chivalry.”

They have been called “meltingly beautiful…” (The New York Times), “captivating and intimate” (Goldberg Magazine), and “brilliant… an exquisite feast for the eyes, the ears, the mind and the heart. (Miami Bach Society). More quotes can be found here. They repeat the concert at the Queen Emma Community Center in Kealakekua, Sunday at 3:30 pm.

The second concert will be the Stark Duo, featuring Georgine Stark, soprano, and Darel Stark, violin and viola, on Sunday afternoon at 4 pm. The program will be: Sonata No. 3 in C major (Bach); Eszká-emlékzaj (Remembrance Noise), Op. 12 (Kurtág) and other works by Adolphe-Charles Adam, John Carollo (he’s my neighbor!), Britten, David Diamond, Saint-Saëns, and Vieuxtemps. A concert with the Starks is always filled with stunning virtuosity, vocal and instrumental pyrotechnics. You may notice that Georgine Stark is frequently tagged in my blog! Darel, too!

Tickets for Friday’s concert may be obtained from Early Music Hawaii. Tickets for Sunday’s concert may be purchased on the church’s website.

I’m going to both concerts — hope to see you there!