Last fall, it was when I learned that Doulce Mémoire was going to make an appearance at the 2019 Boston Early Festival that I made the decision to book my tickets. It was at a previous Festival that I heard this group for the first time and eagerly bought one of their CDs. What was so memorable about the previous concert was that they intertwined music and dance so they became one—all the players sang and danced while playing instruments—I loved it!
The enthusiasm they generated was infectious and everyone went home happy, with hearts filled with lightness and glee.
Today’s performance was “their best performance yet,” as I heard one audience-goer outside. The daily newsletter called it “saving the best for last,” and would “take us on a journey to Renaissance France with a dazzling stage show, complete with costumes, dance, and gorgeous music.“
Appearing at their first June Festival since 2001, an incomparable troupe of 12 singers, dancers, and instrumentalists transport you to 16th-century France for a vivacious pageant inspired by the revelry of the court of King Francis I. An extravagant sequence of elaborate, costumed tableaux honors all corners of French society, with rustic country dances, stately celebrations, and carnivalesque humor. Be enchanted by the magical festivities from this close-knit ensemble of artists who have earned international accolades and acclaim for their truly special blend of scholarship, wit, and passion.
What I thought went well beyond the norm was that the singers and all the instrumentalists played from memory, changing configuration and dancing with every song. The music never stopped—the beginning of the next piece came right after the ending of the previous one so that the each half was continuous and without a break.
What a show!
Here is a short video clip I found on YouTube of this spectacular group and part of the show we saw. You’ll love it, too!
In the morning I took the big program book plus some CDs I bought and a T-shirt and mailed them back to Hawaii so I don’t have to carry them around for the next three weeks.
I had some time to kill and decided to go back to see the instrument exhibits I missed.
I decided not to buy a clavichord!
My cousin, Brian Liu, picked me up from Jordan Hall and we drove out to Andover, where we met another of my cousins, Phillip Au, and his wife, Jean, and had a wonderful dinner at Samuel’s on the campus of Philips Academy. I had not seen my cousin Phillip in more than 50 years!
What a beautiful campus!