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New York City Opera countertenor David Walker ’88, whose singing has received high praise from the New York Times and London Times, performed baroque consort music with the Four Nations Ensemble Oct. 12 at the Williams Center for the Arts.
The concert featured some of the most beloved songs and arias from the baroque period, including two of Henry Purcell’s most popular art songs (“Music for a While” and “Evening Hymn”), two arias by J.S. Bach, including the poignant “Agnus Dei” from the B-Minor Mass, and two arias from Handel’s opera Belshazaar, which showcased the performance skills that Walker has been widely celebrated for in his many starring roles in Handel operas throughout the world.
In addition to these vocal settings featuring Walker, Four Nations performed a set of instrumental works, including instrumental works from the French and German baroque, with music by Francois Couperin, Georg Philip Telemann, and Louis-Gabriel Guillemain.
“We wanted to feature David, an alumnus from the Williams Center who has reached international acclaim in the music profession,” says Ellis Finger, director of the Williams Center. “He has been featured in baroque opera productions throughout the world, and has established an extraordinary record of achievement in the operas of George Frederic Handel, primarily at Glimmerglass and at New York City Opera.”
Finger selected Four Nations Ensemble to work with Walker because of its major accomplishments as interpreters of music of the baroque in period-instrument performances. Artistic director and harpsichordist Andrew Appel, who is highly regarded both as a scholar and performer, will perform with ensemble members Charles Brink, baroque flute; Clair Jolivet, baroque violin; and Susy Napper, viola da gamba.
“Having this group perform in our 20th anniversary season confirms Lafayette’s commitment to presenting early music by period-instrument ensembles, a tradition that dates back to Waverly Consort, Boston Baroque, and Joshua Rifkin’s Bach Ensemble to Musica ad Rhenum, Piffaro, and last year, Red Priest and the Academy of Ancient Music,” says Finger.
Walker’s highly acclaimed performance of Nero in The Coronation of Poppea at the English National Opera in fall 2000 led The London Times to exclaim that he “has now joined the rank of top flight countertenors.” Following his New York City Opera debut as Arsace in Partenope, the New York Times praised Walker as “a poised and cultivated artist.”
His honors include a 1999 ARIA (Awards Recognizing Individual Artistry) award, winning the 1998 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, a 1998 Sullivan Foundation Career Grant, and first place in the 1997 Florida Grand Opera Competition.
Last season, Walker’s season include performances of new roles in the title parts of Philip Glass’ Akhnaten with Opéra du Rhin in Strasbourg and Handel’s Flavio with New York City Opera, and the Refugee in Jonathan Dove’s Flight with Opera Theatre of St. Louis. He also returned to Boston Baroque for performances of Handel’s Theodora and the Richmond Symphony for performances of Messiah, as well as performing works of Bach and Vivaldi with the Cathedral Choral Society at Washington, D.C.’s National Cathedral.
Founded in 1986, the Four Nations Ensemble brings together soloists who are leading exponents of period instrument and vocal performance to present music from the Renaissance through the Viennese Classical masterpieces of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. Four Nations has developed a leading presence in the early music scene in New York and across the country, exploring and performing the major masterpieces of the 17th and 18th centuries, from trio sonata to piano trio and quartet.
Four Nations has performed at major houses and series throughout the United States, including the Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center. The ensemble has participated in festivals such as the Boston Early Music Festival, New York’s Mostly Mozart, Amherst Festival, New Haven’s International Festival of Arts & Ideas, Virginia Waterfront International Arts Festival, Chautauqua, Indiana Early Music Festival, the Redwoods Festival in Santa Rosa, Calif., and Brasilseguridade in Rio de Janeiro.
The nationally recognized Performance Series attracts more than 10,000 people each season. It has been cited for performing excellence by the National Endowment for the Arts, National Dance Project, Chamber Music America, Lila Wallace Reader’s Digest Fund, Pennsylvania Arts and Humanities Councils, and Association of Performing Arts Presenters.
The 2003-04 Performance Series at Lafayette is supported in part by gifts from Friends of the Williams Center for the Arts; by the F.M. Kirby Foundation; by provisions of the Alan and Wendy Pesky Artist-in-Residence Program, the James Bradley Fund, and the Ed Brunswick Jazz Fund; and by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour, and New England Foundation for the Arts.