JEFFREY THOMASmusic director

VERSAILLES& THE PARISIAN BAROQUE

Versailles & The Parisian BaroqueThe 2015 American Bach Soloists Festival & Academy is a celebration of Bach’s French contemporaries and the splendid music of the extravagant court at Versailles.

Artistic and Music Director Jeffrey Thomas will conduct masterworks by Couperin, Rameau, Rebel, and others, including Marin Marais’ spectacular opera Sémélé, presented for the first time outside of Europe. From the grand to the elegantly mirthful, this exploration of the musical inspiration and wit of the French Baroque will be performed alongside Bach’s Mass in B Minor, a beloved tradition of the ABS Festival & Academy.

The concerts, lectures, master classes, and colloquium of the ABS Festival & Academy provide a comprehensive, 10-day immersive experience in the music and culture of the Baroque. Join us and be seduced by the beauty and grandeur of Versailles & The Parisian Baroque.

ABS at the Alliance FrançaiseIn collaboration with the Alliance Française de San Francisco, a film series and a lecture by ABS violinist Robert Mealy will explore the theme of the ABS Festival & Academy during the weeks leading up to opening night. These events are free and open to the public.

Alliance Française de San Francisco1345 Bush StreetSan Francisco, CA 94109afsf.com

FILM SERIESMolière (Laurent Tirard, 2007)Tuesday July 21 7:00 pmRidicule (Patrice Leconte, 1996)Tuesday July 28 7:00 pm

LECTUREVersailles & The Parisian BaroqueRobert MealyFriday July 31 7:00 pm

Friday August 7 2015 8:00 p.m.Versailles & The Parisian Baroque - Part IAmerican Bach SoloistsJeffrey Thomas, conductor

Jean-Féry Rebel Les élémens

Jean-Philippe Rameau Overture and Suite from Naïs

Jacques Aubert Concert de simphonies pour les Violons, Flutes, et Hautbois

The Festival opens on Friday, August 7, with a trio of stunning orchestral works by three French masters. The high-minded musical ideals and splendor of the era are fully evident in the Overture and suite of dances from Jean-Philippe Rameau’s opera Naïs. Here beauty and grandeur are enhanced by a third trait: velocity! As first violinist at the Paris Opera, Jacques Aubert had an ear for music that would be suitable for drama and dance. His Concert de Symphonies in D Major, an early incarnation of what would become the French symphony, is a delightful, foot-tapping tour of dance forms. Finally, Jean-Féry Rebel’s imaginative and vivid work for orchestra, Les élémens, depicts the creation of the world from chaos using motifs representing earth, air, fire, and water.

Saturday August 8 2015 8:00 p.m.Versailles & The Parisian Baroque - Part IIAmerican Bach Soloists

Marin Marais Suite en ré majeur à trois violes

Michel Lambert & Sébastien Le Camus Airs de cour

François-André Danican Philidor Sinfonia I in G Minor

André Campra Les femmes

Quirinus van Blankenburg L’Apologie des femmes

Joseph Bodin de Boismortier Sonata No. 5 in A Major for Flute and Violin

François Couperin Troisième Ordre “L’Impériale” from Les Nations

From the grand to the intimate, ABS’s exploration of the Parisian Baroque continues into the drawing rooms, private halls, and Royal residence at Versailles. Featuring works by Marin Marais, François Couperin, André Campra, & Quirinus van Blankenburg, the elegance, refinement, mirth, and poignancy that were hallmarks of the Parisian Baroque will be presented.

Sunday August 9 2015 7:00 p.m.Sunday August 16 2015 2:00 p.m.Johann Sebastian Bach:Mass in B MinorABS Academy Festival Orchestra & American Bach Choirwith soloists from the ABS AcademyJeffrey Thomas, conductor

View ABS’s Newest Video Bach’s Mass in B Minor: Anatomy of a Masterworkamericanbach.org/youtube

This 30-minute documentary filmed during the 2014 ABS Festival & Academy provides an overview of Bach’s Mass and the ABS musicians who perform it each summer. Interviews include Jeffrey Thomas, Elizabeth Blumenstock, Debra Nagy, Steven Lehning, John Thiessen, and many more.

Bach’s Mass in B Minor is the pinnacle of Baroque repertoire and ABS’s annual performances draw Bach pilgrims to San Francisco from around the world. Jeffrey Thomas and the ABS Festival Orchestra, with vocal and instrumental soloists from the ABS Academy, perform this masterwork on each Festival Sunday.

The American Bach Soloists Academy—the educational component of the ABS Summer Bach Festival—offers advanced conservatory-level students and emerging professionals unique opportunities to study and perform Baroque music in a multi-disciplinary learning environment.

Academy participants are featured exclusively in three evenings of Academy-in-Action Concerts. Additionally a number of Academy-related events are offered to the public at no charge, including…Public Colloquia

Annual engaging forums for performers and audience members alike explore a variety of topics centered on historical, artistic, and practical considerations of performing Baroque music today.

Master Class Series

The ABS Academy opens its doors to the public to witness the artistic transformations that make Master Classes so tremendously exciting, as performers and their master teachers share their knowledge and insights.

Lecture Series

Join the members of the American Bach Soloists Academy for a series of enlightening and informative public lectures presented by the Academy faculty on a wide range of subjects centered on Festival themes.

Academy Events

Saturday August 8 20152:30 p.m. Public Colloquium:

The Culture of Versailles Join ABS Academy faculty and guests as they explore what sets French Baroque music apart from that of the rest of Europe. The first of three 45-minute sessions will outline the culture of Paris and Versailles through a survey of the art, architecture, and politics of the period. Then, ABS Academy instrumental and vocal faculty members will share their insights gained from years of historically informed performing experience as they discuss the challenges specific to French Baroque music. It will conclude with a discussion of the Querelle des Bouffons, the philosophical battle that took place in Paris in the 1750s over the relative merits of French and Italian style. (Free)

Monday August 10 2015 8:00 p.m. Academy-in-Action Series

Chamber works by Baroque masters $10

Tuesday August 11 20153:00 p.m. Master Class Series

Harpsichord (Free)5:00 p.m. Lecture Series: Kenneth Slowik

Musical institutions of the Grand Siècle (Free)

8:00 p.m. Academy-in-Action Series Chamber works by Baroque masters $10

Wednesday August 12 20153:00 p.m. Master Class Series

Violin & Viola (Free)5:00 p.m. Lecture Series: Robert Mealy

Le Parnasse Français: what makes French music so French? (Free)

8:00 p.m. Academy-in-Action Series Chamber works by Baroque masters $10

Thursday August 13 20153:00 p.m. Master Class Series

Violoncello, Viola da gamba, Violone, & Contrabass (Free)

5:00 p.m. Lecture Series: Corey Jamason The Fabulous World of the Clavecinistes (Free)

Friday August 14 20153:00 p.m. Master Class Series

Winds & Brass (Free)5:00 p.m. Lecture Series: Judith Malafronte

Trillo or tremblement? Italian and French vocal style (Free)

Saturday August 15 20153:00 p.m. Master Class Series

Voice (Free)5:00 p.m. Lecture Series: Debra Nagy

Arts Entrepreneurship & Le Concert Spirituel (Free)

Friday August 14 2015 8:00 p.m.OperaMarin Marais:SéméléABS Academy Festival OrchestraAmerican Bach Choirwith soloists from the ABS AcademyJeffrey Thomas, conductor

Drawn from the same mythological source that would inspire Handel over three decades later, Marin Marais’ 1709 opera Sémélé is an amorous tale of desire and ambition. The mortal woman Sémélé wins the devotion of Jupiter, king of the gods. Inflamed by her husband’s wandering eye, Juno devises a plan to ruin the pairing that ends in tragedy but also a wondrous new beginning for Sémélé. Utilizing a cast of musicians from the ABS Academy and Festival Orchestra, Jeffrey Thomas conducts the first complete performance outside of Europe of this gem from the golden era of musical Paris.

THOMAS

Marin MaraisMaster viol player to the royal court of Versailles. His impressive musical legacy includes five volumes of Pièces de violes and four brilliant operas.

Saturday August 15 2015 8:00 p.m.Distinguished Artist SeriesJohn Thiessen, Baroque trumpetKathryn Mueller, sopranoAmerican Bach Soloists

Girolamo Fantini Sonata per tromba e basso continuo detta del Nero

Marco Uccellini Aria nona “L’Emenfrodito”

Alessandro Scarlatti Su le sponde del Tebro

Antonio Caldara Sonata in A Major for Violoncello & Basso continuo

Arcangelo Corelli Sonata a Quattro for Trumpet, 2 Violins & Basso continuo

Jeremiah Clarke Suite of Ayres for the Theatre

Henry Purcell Sonata No. V in G Minor

George Frideric Handel “Let the bright seraphim” from Samson

Described by The New York Times as “the gold standard of Baroque trumpet playing in this country,” John Thiessen’s performances combine beauty of sound with brilliance and virtuosity. Performing a diverse program of Italian chamber music and cantatas, English music for the theater, and oratorio, John Thiessen will demonstrate his instrumental mastery in an astonishing variety of styles and settings in music by Corelli, Jeremiah Clarke, Handel, and Alessandro Scarlatti. For this special recital, members of ABS and guest soloists, including soprano Kathryn Mueller, will join Thiessen.

THIESSEN

MUELLER

Festival ScheduleFriday August 7 2015 5:00 p.m. Opening Night Dinner 8:00 p.m. Versailles & The Parisian Baroque Part I of II

Saturday August 8 2015 2:30 p.m. Public Colloquium: The Culture of Versailles 8:00 p.m. Versailles & The Parisian Baroque Part II of II

Sunday August 9 2015 7:00 p.m. Bach’s Mass in B Minor

Monday August 10 2015 8:00 p.m. Academy-in-Action

Tuesday August 11 2015 3:00 p.m. Master Class: Harpsichord 5:00 p.m. Lecture: Kenneth Slowik 8:00 p.m. Academy-in-Action

Wednesday August 12 2015 3:00 p.m. Master Class: Violin & Viola 5:00 p.m. Lecture: Robert Mealy 8:00 p.m. Academy-in-Action

Thursday August 13 2015 3:00 p.m. Master Class: Violoncello, Viola da gamba, Violone, Contrabass 5:00 p.m. Lecture: Corey Jamason

Friday August 14 2015 3:00 p.m. Master Class: Winds & Brass 5:00 p.m. Lecture: Judith Malafronte 8:00 p.m. Marais’ Sémélé

Saturday August 15 2015 3:00 p.m. Master Class: Voice 5:00 p.m. Lecture: Debra Nagy 8:00 p.m. Distinguished Artist Series John Thiessen, Baroque trumpet

Sunday August 16 2015 2:00 p.m. Bach’s Mass in B Minor

View all Festival & Academy Events online:

americanbach.orgAll events at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, 50 Oak Street at Van Ness

Support ABSTicket sales cover less than half the cost of bringing ABS to our community.ABS is proud to receive significant foundation and government support, but the bulk of our contributed income comes from generous donations from individuals like you.

Won’t you please consider including a tax-deductible donation to help us bridge the gap? Become an ABS donor and enjoy special benefits. For more information, please call (415) 621-7900 or visit americanbach.org/support. Thank you!

3 Ways to OrderBEST WAY! ONLINE @ americanbach.org

Choose your exact seat locations. NO HANDLING CHARGES.BY MAIL OR FAX

Mail: ABS, 44 Page Street Suite 403, San Francisco CA 94102-5975Fax: (415) 621-7920

BY PHONE Call: (415) 621-7900 Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

SUBSCRIBERS & DONORS ARE THE CORNERSTONES OF THE FESTIVAL. Please consider including a tax-deductible donation with your order.

GALLERY

STAGE

PREMIUM AA

B

C

A

CONCERT HALL SEATING

Name

Address

City State Zip

Phone (Day) o Home o Work o Other

Email

SUBSCRIPTION - Save 15% PREMIUM A B C Total

Festival Pass - 8 Concerts including complimentary admission to Academy-In-Action performances

quantity x $296 quantity x $275 quantity x $210 quantity x $115 =

Choose Mass in B Minor performance o Sunday August 9 at 7pm or o Sunday August 16 at 2pm

Opening Night Dinner at Dobbs Ferry 409 Gough @ Hayes

Friday August 7: Join other Festival supporters as we launch the 2015 ABS Festival & Academy.

quantity x $100 =

NON-SUBSCRIPTION SINGLE TICKETS

FESTIVAL CONCERTS Students (30 and under with Valid ID) please purchase online or call (415) 621-7900.

Friday August 7 Versailles Part One n/a quantity x $66 quantity x $51 quantity x $27 =

Saturday August 8 Versailles Part Two n/a quantity x $66 quantity x $51 quantity x $27 =

Sunday August 9 Bach’s Mass in B Minor quantity x $75 quantity x $66 quantity x $51 quantity x $27 =

Friday August 14 Marais’ Sémélé quantity x $75 quantity x $60 quantity x $45 quantity x $27 =

Saturday August 15 John Thiessen n/a quantity x $66 quantity x $51 quantity x $27 =

Sunday August 16 Bach’s Mass in B Minor quantity x $75 quantity x $66 quantity x $51 quantity x $27 =

ACADEMY-IN-ACTION - General Admission

Monday August 10 quantity x $10 + Tuesday August 11 quantity x $10 + Wednesday August 12 quantity x $10 =

TOTAL FOR TICKETS =

Tax-Deductible Contribution +

Handling Charge ($0 for subscribers) + $4.00

TOTAL PAYMENT =

Check enclosed and made payable to American Bach Soloists

Charge my Visa MasterCard American Express Discover

Card # Exp. month / year

Mail: American Bach Soloists44 Page Street, Suite 403San Francisco, CA 94102-5975

Non

-Pro

fit O

rg.

U.S

. Pos

tage

PAID

San

Fran

cisc

o, C

A

Perm

it N

o. 1

568

AM

ERIC

AN

BAC

H S

OLO

ISTS

44 P

AGE

STRE

ET, S

UIT

E 40

3SA

N F

RAN

CISC

O C

A 9

4102

-597

5

Amer

ican

Bac

h So

loist

s - a

501

(c)(3

) Non

profi

t Art

s Org

aniz

atio

n -

is su

ppor

ted

by th

ese

and

othe

r und

erw

riter

s:

Nak

amic

hi F

ound

atio

n

Cla

ren

Ce

e. H

elle

r

CH

ar

ita

ble

Fo

un

dat

ion

JEFF

REY

THO

MAS

mus

ic di

rect

or

SFB

ac

hFes

tiv

al.

or

g

Ver

sail

les

& T

he

Par

isia

n B

aro

qu

e