“. . .these neglected chansons take on a hitherto unsuspected radiance that touches heart and mind alike.” Bestenliste, Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik (January 2020)
Weather-Related Cancellations: Concerts presented by Blue Heron will go on regardless of weather, unless the governor declares a State of Emergency. In the event of cancellation, every attempt will be made to update this space, our Facebook page, and phone voicemail (which is (617) 960-7956). If time, technology, and electricity permit, an email to ticket holders (through Vendini) and to our full email list will also be sent.
Blue Heron’s Scott Metcalfe and longtime collaborator Debra Nagy of Les Délices reunite for a very special episode of SalonEra. SalonEra is a FREE early music-focused webseries that highlights a diverse range of repertoires with the help of special guests. Episodes air on Les Délices’ YouTube page and at salonera.org/watch-now. Register for the episode to get an emailed reminder on the day of the premiere!
All concerts this season will be recorded and presented online a week after the live performances. You may purchase a online-only ticket, or your in-person ticket will also include virtual access.
Concerts in the 2021-22 season will be presented without an intermission and last approximately one hour. The musicians will be unmasked during the performance; masks are required for all audience, staff, and volunteers. All performers, staff, and volunteers are fully vaccinated.
Ce jour de l’an que mant doist estrenier
by Baude Cordier (fl. c. 1400)
Laura Jeppesen (fiddle), Sophie Michaux (voice), and Scott Metcalfe (fiddle)
Video by Kathy Wittman | Ball Square Films
Audio by Joel Gordon
Office Closed for Thanksgiving
The Blue Heron office is closed
Thursday, November 25 and Friday, November 26. Regular Office hours (M-F 10am-2pm) resume Monday, November 29.
COVID-19 Safety Policy
In light of recent developments with COVID-19 variants, Blue Heron is establishing safety protocols for the protection of everyone attending our concerts this season. Click here for the most up-to-date policy information.
We are so excited to see you all again in person, and we thank you in advance for your flexibility as we do what we can to keep you and our musicians safe!
This highly important [Peterhouse recording] project, one of the most important early choral projects of our time, has unearthed a series of masterly composers hitherto virtually unknown...Such is the authority of Scott Metcalfe and his singers with this repertoire that they negotiate even the most daringly challenging and unexpected passages with utter confidence, and, as previously, with a delicious blend of expressiveness and seemingly inexorable forward momentum.
D. James Ross, Early Music Review (UK)
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a revelation - fresh, dynamic and vibrant...urgent and wondrous music-making of the highest order
Damian Fowler, Gramophone (UK)
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fine gradations of dynamics; pungent diction; telling contrasts of ethereal and earthly timbres; tempos that are more lusty than languid; a way of propelling a phrase toward a goal. ... The singing is both precise and fluid, immaculate and alive...
Alex Ross, The New Yorker
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A listener then would have been lucky to hear these works brought off with such panache. The program is by turns pensive and lively, and the scholarship required to evoke stylistic accuracy is put totally at the service of performance.
David Allen, The New York Times
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I feel privileged to be able to revel in such a subtle shaped set of performances... This is the kind of recording that makes you sit up and pay attention.. There is plenty that is memorable here, and always the anticipation of something juicy to relish just around the corner. You can't ask much more than that from a CD.
Dominy Clements, MusicWeb International
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The earthy sensuousness of Blue Heron's singing coupled with the curatorial care behind its programming have clearly earned the trust of audiences
Jeremy Eichler, The Boston Globe
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But Blue Heron’s devotion to this repertory — the ensemble has recorded five albums of music from the Peterhouse Partbooks — is not justified only by its rarity. This is vivid and radiant music. ...
... With two or three singers to a part and women stepping into the shoes of boy choristers, Blue Heron brings a zesty and sensual sound to these works of devotional music.
