Arcadia Players- Reviews

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Arcadia Players

Celebrating
20 Years of
Historical Performance

Ian Watson, Artistic Director

Concert review excerpts from the past decade

"What a Difference a Piano and a Venue Make," May 2009
from Classical Voice of New England

Northampton, MA, 9 May, and Ashburnham, MA, 10 May 2009. This past weekend, the Arcadia Players Chamber Ensemble, consisting of Lisa Rautenberg, violin, Alice Robbins, cello, and Monica Jakuc Leverett, together with tenor Peter Shea, offered the same all-Haydn program in 2 venues using 2 different pianos. The differences were remarkable, but we will first dispense with the things that were the same. You may read the full text of this review at Classical Voice of New England.

"Arcadia Players Reveals the Glory of Another Handel Oratorio," April 2009
from Classical Voice of New England

Northampton, MA, 18 April 2009. For its offering in this the 200th anniversary year of Handel’s death, Ian Watson, Artistic Director of Arcadia Players chose to present an oratorio other than the ubiquitous Messiah. Israel in Egypt, Handel’s 2nd Biblical oratorio, following Saul written at about the same time, was presented in St. Mary’s Church by an ensemble of 22 musicians that included strings, pairs of oboes, bassoons, and trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani, and organ, and 23 singers: 8 sopranos, 5 each altos, tenors, and basses. This year is the 270th anniversary of the work’s première on 4 April 1739. You may read the full text of this review at Classical Voice of New England.

"Arcadia Players’ Monteverdi Vespers of 1610," December 2008

from Classical Voice of New England

Northampton, MA, 21 December 2008. Arcadia Players’ offering for the holiday season this year was the Vespro della beate Vergine by Claudio Monteverdi, first performed in 1610 in Mantua, where he was employed by Duke Vincenzo I Gonzaga. He used it again in 1613 in Venice (where it was also published) as his audition piece of sorts, successful since he was hired as maestro de cappella at St. Mark’s Cathedral, succeeding Giovanni Gabrieli in that post, because Francesco Gonzaga succeeded his father in 1612 and left Monteverdi unemployed. You may read the full text of this review at Classical Voice of New England.

"Musical past masters: Performing on period instruments, The Arcadia Players break history's sound barrier" November 2008
from the Daily Hampshire Gazette and Amherst Bulletin

"Hip" may not be the first word a Baroque music performance brings to mind, but, say Arcadia Players of western Massachusetts, when they use the harpsichords, wooden flutes and viols of the music's time period, it's a fitting description of their concerts. You may read the full text of this article at amherstbulletin.com

"A daring, redone Beethoven," October 2008
from the Worcester Telegram

Worcester, MA, 27 October 2008— Saturday night in Tuckerman Hall, the instrumental past of music became — what shall we say? Interesting? Challenging? Invasive? Deranging? All these and more. Maestro Ian Watkins brought his Arcadia Players in from the frontier provinces for a night of Beethoven in Worcester. You may read the full text of this review at telegram.com

"A Weekend of Historically Informed Beethoven (+ 2 Pupils)," October 2008
from Classical Voice of New England

Northampton and Ashburnham, MA, 11 and 12 October 2008. There aren’t too many places outside major metropolitan areas where one can hear historically informed performances by 1st rate musicians with any frequency, but Western Mass is blessed with regular opportunities to do so. Yet the possibility of a weekend full of this kind of Beethoven playing is rare even here. For the 1st [i.e. 3rd] concert in its 20th season on Saturday evening in Smith College’s Sweeney Concert Hall, Arcadia Players offered a program of Beethoven firsts. You may read the full text of this review at Classical Voice of New England.

"Arcadia Players’ Stunning Haydn Sampler," March 2008
from Classical Voice of New England

Amherst, MA, 30 March 2008. Arcadia Players, directed by Ian Watson, brought its 19th season to a close in Grace Episcopal Church on the Town Common here yesterday evening with a well-crafted historically-informed performance of an all-Haydn program that elicited shouts of “Bravo” and brought listeners to their feet more than once ... This was a fabulous finale to a fine season. Audiences are growing in size and talking about what they hear – there’s a “buzz,” as they say, and are undoubtedly anxiously anticipating the 20th season in the fall. You may read the full text of this review at Classical Voice of New England.

"Arcadia Players’ Signature Authentic 'Messiah',” December 2007
from Classical Voice of New England

Northampton, MA, 16 December 2007. Arcadia Players, conducted by its Artistic Director Ian Watson, offered its own characteristic interpretation of G.F. Handel’s classic, originally composed for Lent, in St. Mary’s Church here yesterday evening. Weather permitting, it will be repeated in Springfield, MA, this afternoon, where it may be, sadly, the final concert in the Old First Church on Court Square. The parish, founded in 1637, has voted, in the face of declining membership and increased maintenance costs, to disband and to sell the building, which dates from 1819 ... You may read the full text of this review at Classical Voice of New England.

"A Splendid Salamone Rossi Sampler," November 2007
from Classical Voice of New England

For the 2nd concert of its 19th season, four instrumentalists from Arcadia Players roster joined forces with the vocal sextet Cantabile to present a recital of music by violinist and composer Salamone Rossi in the Italianate Music Room added in the early 20th-century to the late-19th-century Empire-style Skinner mansion, Wistariahurst, here ... This was the perfect setting for the music by this Jewish composer of Mantua, contemporary of Cremonan Claudio Monteverdi, and to a degree heir of Venetian Giovanni Gabrieli of the previous generation, and the musicians exploited the venue magnificently ... You may read the full text of this review at Classical Voice of New England.

"Fugues and Fantazias Voiced by Viols," October 2007
from Classical Voice of New England

Arcadia Players presented the Five College Consort of Viols in a program of music by Bach, Purcell, Charpentier, and Muffat in the Caswell Library of Deerfield Academy here yesterday evening as a part of the school’s (founded in 1797) Parents Weekend ... You may read the full text of this review at Classical Voice of New England.\

"Arcadia Players excel in opening of 19th season," September 2007
(from the Republican)

The Vivaldi "Gloria" never sounded better than it sounded yesterday afternoon as the Arcadia Players opened their 19th season at Smith College's matchless Sweeney Concert Hall with a program entitled "The Italian Connection: Bach and Vivaldi." ... You may read the full text of this article at MassLive.com

"Mozart tribute delivers 'straightforward excellence'," January 2006
(from the Daily Hampshire Gazette)

Saturday night's Mozart concert by the Arcadia Players was 24 hours late for the composer's birthday, but in musical terms the evening's performance was on target. In an hour and a half in the Helen Hills Hills Chapel at Smith College, conductor/harpsichordist Ian Watson and 10 other musicians helped the world celebrate the much-heralded 250th anniversary with a program of three definitive compositions ... You may read the full text of this article at gazettenet.com (subscription required)

"Vivaldi's 'Four Seasons' delights fans," February 2005
(from the Springfield Republican)

Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" was the centerpiece of Friday evening's Arcadia Players concert, "Vivaldi By Candlelight," presented to an estimated 200 enthusiastic Baroque music fans at Smith College's Helen Hills Hills Chapel. Violinist Dana Maiben, a founding member of Arcadia Players, interpreted the four concertos with insightful ebullience, supported by a small ensemble ... You may download the full text of this review for a modest fee at The Republican Archives

"Arcadia's director is a keyboard master," October 2004
(from the Springfield Republican)

There's a new keyboard player in town. He's quick, accurate, elegant, and clever, and he's the new artistic director of the Arcadia Players Baroque Orchestra, Ian Watson. Watson led the Arcadians in the first full concert of their 16th season, an all-J.S. Bach program, Friday evening at Smith College's Helen Hills Chapel. An inquisitive and ultimately delighted audience clearly eager to "meet the new boss" ... You may download the full text of this review for a modest fee at The Republican Archives

"Arcadia oboe band's powerful," September 2004
(from the Springfield Republican)

Historic Northampton met historic music Sunday afternoon. Arcadia Players Baroque Ensemble revived "Music in the New England Colonies" to celebrate the city's 350th anniversary and inaugurate Historic Northampton's new bandstand with music for violins, viols, voice and oboe. Sunday's was the first of five concerts the Baroque ensemble has scheduled for its 16th season and its first under Ian Watson, artistic director ... You may download the full text of this review for a modest fee at The Republican Archives

Bach's "Christmas Oratorio," December 2001
(from The Journal, Bravo)
(click on the link above to go to the full text)

"Arcadia Players open season with sacred music of Spain," October 2001

(from the Springfield Union-News)

"Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea," a generous aural feast of 16th- and 17th-century music from the Spanish world, was the focus of the Arcadia Players' season-opening concert Friday at Grace Church. Directed by Dana Maiben, the program gathered Arcadian core instrumentalists and vocal soloists with the Mexican trio La Fontegara, the Connecticut-based wind ensemble Alta, and the Valley's own Da Camera Singers, along with guest artists who swelled the performing forces to rival Friday's audience in size ... You may download the full text of this review for a modest fee at The Republican Archives

"Arcadia Players concert warm and sparkling," December 2000
(from the Springfield Union-News)

Parts 1-3 of J. S. Bach's "Christmas Oratorio" made a generous holiday present to an Arcadia Players audience that comfortably filled St. Brigid's Church Wednesday evening. The Arcadians will spread the wealth of this glorious work with repeat performances ... You may download the full text of this review for a modest fee at The Republican Archives

"Concert recalls sound of Bach's time," September 2000
(from the Springfield Union-News)

The Arcadia Players opened their "Celebrating Bach 2000" Season Friday evening at Grace Church in Amherst with an ambitious program presenting four of J. S. Bach's six Brandenburg concertos. Principal violinist Dana Maiben served as music director for the program and soloist in three of the four concertos. Back from a year-long sabbatical, Arcadia Players founder and artistic director Margaret Irwin-Brandon presided at the harpsichord ... You may download the full text of this review for a modest fee at The Republican Archives

"Arcadia Players present buoyant Handel's Messiah," December 1999
(from the Springfield Union-News)

Despite illness in the singers' ranks that sidelined one and sent another home in mid-performance, the Arcadia Players presented a brilliant millennial "Messiah" Wednesday evening at St. Brigid's Church. The zest and buoyancy that has always characterized their interpretation of Handel's masterwork coupled with a resonant richness of orchestral core sound in this first of three performances ... You may download the full text of this review for a modest fee at The Republican Archives

"Arcadia Players off to sound start," October 1999
(from the Springfield Union-News)

Music of Mozart and Haydn bore the Arcadia Players into their second decade Saturday evening at South Congregational Church. Under the direction of founding concertmaster Dana Maiben, the Arcadians opened their 1999-2000 season with Classical Magic, featuring Mozart's Concerto No. 27 for piano and orchestra, K.595 with Monica Jakuc the soloist, Haydn's Symphony in F-sharp minor, No. 45, nicknamed the "Farewell" Symphony .... You may download the full text of this review for a modest fee at The Republican Archives

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NORTHAMPTON -- The Arcadia Players Baroque Orcestra, Chorus and Soloists delighted and awed audiences with its holiday season concert at St. Brigid's Catholic Church in Amherst, Christ Church Cathedral in Springfield, and St. Mary's Catholic Church in Northampton. For the second year, its Christmas performance was Johann Sebastian Bach's Christmas Oratorio, Parts 1, 2 and 3, plus the final chorus of Part 6.

I saw the concert at St. Mary's, and the spirituality of the chorales was perfectly suited to the soaring interior of the church. Of the 15 singers in the chorus, most performed solo pieces in turn and did so beautifully. John Salvi's sonorous bass recitative was particularly impressive, along with the women's choir in Er ist auf Erden kommen arm (He comes to the earth in poverty) and contralto Kayla Werlin's moving Schlafe, mein Liebster, geniesse der Ruh (Sleep, my dearest, enjoy the slumber).

The entire chorus was outstanding in the beauty of their singing and the clarity of their German phrasing. This is the 13th season for the Arcadia Players under the direction of its founder, Margaret Irwin-Brandon. The Players' traditional Christmas fare, Handel's Messiah, is now performed at Easter, for which it was originally composed. Irwin-Brandon, a "hopful visionary and optimist," has found the revision well-received by audiences. She noted to this reviewer the special characteristics of the instrument ensemble, one of only five or six in the country. The antique instruments played with passion and precision by the orchestra are from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, or are exact replicas of the originals. Thus, the sound is as Bach's audiences would have heard it.

Irwin-Brandon notes that the Baroque instruments are not as predictable or streamlined as their modern counterparts. The three natural trumpets have no valves, and the oboes are fingered primarily on open holes. The strings of the violins are strung in gut and the bows are shorter and more flexible than the modern counterparts. Among the many fine players, the virtuosity of Dana Maiben on the violin, and [Jesse] Lepkoff on the flute, was notable.

The cantatas that were played focused on the first, second and third Christmas days. Irwin-Brandon, who conducted the concert while playing the harpsichord, describes the parts of the Oratorio: the first part portrays the world rejoicing at the news of the long-awaited birth of the baby Jesus; the second part, the stories of the shepherds and the angels; and the third, a shadow of the tragic events ahead for the newborn babe. The final chorus is a musical celebration with an elaborate orchestral score underlying a four-part chorale. We are most fortunate to have the Arcadia Players presenting this outstanding musical event to us annually.