Sing! Baroque Bel Canto!
── Vocal and Harpsichord Concert
Countertenor：Yu Sen Chu
Soprano： Maki Yoshizawa
Harpsichordist： Machiko Suto
Laugh! Sigh! Sing out!
A tribute to the most talked - about star rivalry of the 18th century
── Faustina Bordoni and Francesca Cuzzoni
The duel of fates betwixt two Italian opera divas
Soprano Maki Yoshizawa, countertenor Chu Yu-Sen, and harpsichordist Machiko Suto collaborate to conquer the audience with ornate improvisational coloratura and unrelenting stage presence
Presenting a Baroque-style vocal feast, rich in passion and overflowing with emotion
♫ Composition and Order
┊Henry Purcell (1659-1695)
┊A ground in gamut Z.645 - Harpsichord Solo
┊“Let us wander” from The Indian Queen Z.630
┊“If love’s a sweet passion” from The Fairy Queen Z.629
┊Sweeter than roses from Pausanias, the Betrayer of his Country Z.585/1
┊”O let me weep”(The plaint) from The Fairy Queen Z.629
┊”Strike the viols” from Come, Ye sons of Art Z.323
＊＊＊Intermission ＊＊＊
┊William Babell (1690-1723): Vivace- Allegro, from ‘The overture in Rinaldo’
┊Georg Friedrich Händel (1685-1783): “Lascia la spina, cogli la rosa” from Il trionfo del tempo e del disinganno
＊Taiwan Premiere
┊Johann Adolph Hasse (1699-1783) : “O placido il mare” from Siroe, Re di Persia
┊Giovanni Bononcini (1670-1747) 喬瓦尼·博農奇尼
＊Taiwan Premiere
┊“Spera che questo cor” from Astianatte
＊Taiwan Premiere
┊“Deh! Lascia o core di sospirar” from Astianatte
┊Antonio Vivaldi(1678-1741): “Nel profondo cieco mondo” from Orlando Furioso
♫ Suitable Audience
-
Those interested in vocal music and harpsichord
-
Those interested in classical music and early music
-
Those on their music learning journey
♫ Registration Information
✻ Performance Details
│ Date: March 27, 2022 (Sunday)
│ Time: Doors open at 13:30, performance starts at 14:00
│ Venue: Claude Debussy Centre musical et artistique (No. 16, Lane 23, Ruian St., Daan Dist., Taipei City)
✻ Ticket Prices
│ Regular Price: NT$450, Debussy Member Discount: NT$200
│ Early Bird Discount: NT$400, valid until March 14 (Monday)
MUSICIAN
Countertenor：Yu Sen Chu
Born in Shilin, Taipei, graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from Taipei National University of the Arts and a Master’s degree in Vocal Performance with Distinction from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (RBC) in the UK. In the same year, she was selected for the Royal Opera House Jette Parker Young Artist Mentoring Programme and awarded a full scholarship for Baroque Vocal Studies at Olimpia College of Music and Arts in Italy.
Her vocal training includes mentorship from Yvonne Sandison, Chen Hsin-Ying, Deng Ji-Long, Lin Ci-Yin, and Professor Che Yan-Jiang. While in the UK, she was a member of the RBC Chamber Choir conducted by Paul Spicer and a recipient of the 2019-2020 Ex Cathedra Choral Scholarship under the direction of Jeffrey Skidmore.
She has participated in various operatic productions, including performing as Belcore in L'elisir d'amore at the Guandu Arts Festival, conducted by Professor Chang Chia-Yun with the TNUA Symphony Orchestra; Miss Todd in The Old Maid and the Thief with the TNUA Opera Class; Nero in The Coronation of Poppea and Ariel in the Baroque pastiche The Enchanted Island, both conducted by Paul Wingfield with the RBC Baroque Orchestra.
Recently, she was awarded the 2022 Young Artist Award by the Vocalists’ Association. In addition to her performances, she is dedicated to promoting vocal education, with her YouTube vocal channel reaching over 10,000 subscribers.
Soprano： Maki Yoshizawa
Maki Yoshizawa was born in Kanagawa, Japan. She graduated from Toho Gakuen School of Music in Japan, the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, and the Master's program at the National Taipei University of the Arts.
She studied under Maria Bayer, Rannveig Braga, and Chi-long Teng. She participated in various concerts and festivals in Japan, Austria, Germany, Hungary, Italy, France and Taiwan. Due to her passion for European early music, she has frequently performed early music and Baroque opera as a soloist and ensemble member in many churches and concerts.
One of her most notable performances was portraying La Musique in the opera Les Plaisirs de Versailles by Marc-Antoine Charpentier at Stift Zwettl in 2016. In November 2022, she will perform the role of Flora in Britten's The Turn of the Screw at Weiwuying National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts. She currently works as a choral director for the Irodori Children's Choir(彩聲兒童青年合唱團) and Kids Link Preschool, and gives vocal and piano lessons at the Shiye Bilingual Music Center and the Taipei Debussy Music and Arts Center.
Harpsichordist： Machiko Suto
2014: Co-founded the chamber ensemble IJ SPACE in Amsterdam with recorder player Liang Yi-Chang.
2017: Awarded the Jury Special Prize (Harpsichord Category) at the Prix Annelie de Man Competition in the Netherlands.
2017: Performed in the "Four Seasons" concert tour with Angela Schijf and the Vivaldi Consort.
2018: Won First Prize at the 19th Biagio Marini Chamber Music Competition in Germany with the IJ SPACE chamber ensemble.
2018: Achieved Third Prize at the International Van Wassenaer Chamber Music Competition during the Utrecht Early Music Festival in the Netherlands with the IJ SPACE chamber ensemble.
2019: Invited to perform a solo recital at the "Wunderkammer Trieste" music festival in Italy.
2019: Performed with the Spanish ensemble "Ensemble La Pícara" at the "FIAS2019" music festival at the Royal Palace of Madrid.
2019: Presented a solo harpsichord recital titled "Time Traveler's Fantasy" by Madiko Sudo.
2020: Released IJ SPACE's debut CD, Francesco Mancini: Six Recorder Sonatas, under the Swiss classical label Claves Records.
2020: Performed in "Passionate Venice" as part of the concert series at Chung Yuan Christian University's Arts Center and in the NSO Maestros Series concert Century Encounter conducted by Lü Shao-Chia.
Trailer
Famous vocalists in the Baroque period often acted with great arrogance, making even composers yield to them. These renowned singers, enjoying high status, frequently altered the original scores written by composers to showcase their exceptional vocal skills.
As the harpsichordist accompanying the rehearsals, the composer could only endure and silently comply.
The portrayal of the self-absorbed Baroque diva by Maki, contrasted with the pained expression of the composer played by Yu-Sheng, reflects a common scene in the lives of musicians during the Baroque period.
Recap Video
The first concert of 2022, "Sing! Baroque Bel Canto!
── Vocal and Harpsichord Concert," successfully concluded with the company of many music-loving friends.
As the third installment of the early music series, this time we not only featured our resident harpsichordist Machiko Suto, but also invited vocalists Maki Yoshizawa and Yu Sen Chu to perform. With their incredibly expressive voices, they led the audience back to the salon concerts of the Baroque period, allowing everyone to experience the artistic atmosphere of that time.
The teachers specially selected several rarely performed Italian arias for this concert, personally studying the manuscripts and rewriting them, enabling these beautiful pieces to be presented before us. We are fortunate to share the Taiwan premiere of these works with all of you.
This promotional project was also a significant challenge for the design team at Debussy.
After discussions with the teachers, we decided to shoot a narrative-style promotional video, aiming to introduce vocal music in a fun and engaging way. The atmosphere on set was joyful, with the teachers donning Baroque costumes and wigs, complemented by their excellent performances, which added an extra layer of humor to the entire video.
Thank you once again for participating in the "Sing! Baroque Bel Canto! ── Vocal and Harpsichord Concert" hosted by the Debussy Music and Arts Center. We will continue to cultivate and prepare more exciting content for those who love music and the arts. We look forward to seeing you again in the near future.
Behind the Scenes Revealed! "Sing! Baroque Bel Canto! ── Vocal and Harpsichord Concert"
The most exciting aspect of Baroque music lies in the improvisational space beyond the sheet music. Whether it’s the ornamentation of the harpsichord or the vocal embellishments, how to express a sound that is both pearlescent and beautiful continually tests the musician’s aesthetic sense and skill. It is a challenge for musicians and also a playground for their creative freedom.
This performance draws inspiration from the intense rivalry between two outstanding Baroque vocalists—Fostina Bordoni and Francesca Cuzzoni. Teachers Yu Sen and Maki discovered multiple manuscripts and handwritten scores from that era, personally organizing and arranging them to recreate the arias that these two extraordinary divas were said to have performed with great intensity on stage.
Many pieces will also have their Taiwan premiere, which is very exciting.
"Learning music is not just an exploration of the external world; it is also a journey of self-discovery."
Just as Teacher Yu Sen fell in love with vocal music through "The Marriage of Figaro," we hope this performance will allow more people to experience the charm of vocal music and Baroque music.
♫ Video Shooting, Video Editing, Copywriting |
Debussy Music and Arts Center Design Team | Yang Meng-Jie, Cheng Meng-Han, Jhong Yi-Fei, Tseng Ching-Fu