Sanctuary Sunday - War of the Romantics Concert Event

For those of you who follow this blog and live in the NY area, may I recommend spending next Sunday afternoon at the historic Round Hill Community Church in Backcountry Greenwich. There you will find a wonderful musical event taking place in a most idyllic setting. The theme of the concert is the "War of The Romantics" and features well-known musicians performing works by Brahms, Wagner, & Poulenc

My Dear Friend, Hadi Hajjar and his wife, Mirella, are hosting a reception following the concert featuring a feast of Lebanese Hors d'Ouevres and Pastries, many of their own creation.

Here is a bit about the program from their website:

"Greek Soprano, Eleni Calenos, will appear at the Round Hill Community Church performing the soaring solos in Poulenc’s Gloria as part of the program, War of the Romantics, on Sunday, March 27 at 4 p.m. Of her 2008 debut as Cio-Cio-San in Madame Butterfly, the Houston press said, “The phenomenon was the Cio-Cio-San of soprano Eleni Calenos, whose nuanced characterization was a true wonder to hear. She sailed thru her dramatic arias as if buoyed by the stirring music.”

War of the Romantics refers to the contentious aesthetic battles between the supporters of the conservative Brahms, the radical Wagner and the French composer Francis Poulenc, who eschewed German romanticism in any form.

The program also includes Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll which was written as a Christmas gift for his wife Cosima, and will be performed in the original instrumentation. After intermission, the chorus will sing Brahms’ Neue Liebeslieder Waltzes (New Love Songs), and dramatic soprano Jenna Hintz, will perform Dich Teure Halle from Tannhäuser. The chorus will end the concert with the rousing Entrance of the Guests. Instrumentalists are from New York ensembles such as the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Dorian Wind Quintet and Antares. The choir and orchestra are under the direction of Christopher Kabala.

Tickets are $25 and may be purchased at the door. For more information, call 203-869-1091."