La Vida Bona “A well-grounded’ Program, in Two Parts
Broadcast premiere, Part I Tuesday, November 17, 2020 • 7:30 pm EST, presented on YouTube, aconyc.org, and Facebook Live.
Filmed at Harlem Parish, Manhattan, New York City, Thomas Crawford Founder & Artistic Director.
Henry Purcell’s inventive Chaconne opened the program, performed with superb musicianship by the ACO’s performers, thereby setting the standard of sublime artistry to follow, beautifully filmed, recorded, and produced in the magnificent Harlem Parish setting. How delightful to hear, see and experience representative 17th-century works performed on period instruments. The imaginatively engaged listener propelled by their suspension of belief is anachronistically transported into a magical musical experience.

During this time of Covid and its suppression of performing arts, perhaps akin to the effects of endemic 17th century European plagues on its composers, this musical project is a heartwarming, vital, joy, and hope-filled retreat for the weary musical denizen generously treated to a feast of the visual and aural beauty of musical works and world-class performers. Gently close your eyes, arise in a court, salon, church, or stage center where rich artistry abounds, immersed in the late Baroque’s transformational tenet of Affektenlehre, embracing music’s capability for eliciting specific human emotions in the responsive listening participant.
The Program
Chaconne (King Arthur) by Henry Purcell (1659-1695)
Karen Dekker and Chloe Fedor, violin
Maureen Murchie, viola
Arnie Tanimoto, cello
Thomas Crawford, harpsichord
L’Eraclito amoroso by Barbara Strozzi (1619-1677)
Guadalupe Peraza, mezzo soprano
Arnie Tanimoto, viola da gamba
Charles Weaver, theorbo
La Favorite, Source: Troisième Ordre by François Couperin (1668-1733)
Thomas Crawford, harpsichord
Ciaccona in E Major by Nicola Francesco Haym (1678-1729)
Chloe Fedor and Karen Dekker, violin
Arnie Tanimoto, viola da gamba
Charles Weaver, theorbo
Chaconne in A Major Pièces de Viole Book 4, by Marin Marais (1656-1728)
Arnie Tanimoto, viola da gamba
Charles Weaver, theorbo
Chacona a la vida bona, by Juan Arañés (d. 1649)
Guadalupe Peraza, mezzo soprano
Chloe Fedor and Karen Dekker, violin
Arnie Tanimoto, cello
Charles Weaver, baroque guitar
Michael K. Harrist, percussion
After the performance, we enjoyed a guest interview hosted by Tom Crawford and Amanda Sidebottom speaking with mezzo-soprano Guadalupe Peraza about tonight’s venue and music.
Be sure to tune in to the broadcast premiere of Part II on Friday, November 20, 2020, at 7:30 pm EST, presented on aconyc.org, Facebook Live, and YouTube. That program features Trio Sonata, Op. 2, No. 12 Ciacona by Arcangelo Corelli, Lamento della ninfa by Claudio Monteverdi, La Marionas by Santiago de Murcia, and Chaconne Partita for Violin in D minor, BWV 1004 by Johann Sebastian Bach. Performers include Karen Dekker and Chloe Fedor, violin, Arnie Tanimoto, cello, Thomas Crawford, harpsichord, Guadalupe Peraza, mezzo-soprano, Arnie Tanimoto, viola da gamba, Charles Weaver, theorbo, Alex Guerrero, tenor, Dominic Inferrera, baritone, Enrico Lagasca, bass-baritone, and Charles Weaver, guitar.
Concert and interview runtime about 55 minutes.
American Classical Orchestra 552 West End Avenue, New York, NY 10024 212.362.2727, aconyc.org, American Classical Orchestra is a 501(c)(3), and contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowable by law.

Edward A. Kliszus
Performer, conductor, and educator Edward Kliszus began his musical studies at the age of 5 and has since been deeply involved in the fine, performing, and literary arts. He is a long-time and current member of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) and the American Federation of Musicians (AFM). He studied trumpet performance and music education while attending the Manhattan School of Music and was a student of Mel Broiles, principal trumpet of the New York Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. His post-graduate studies at New York University focused on trumpet and piano performance, music composition, and analysis of composer Elliott Carter's 1974 work Brass Quintet. He was music director and conductor of the New Jersey based Union Symphony Orchestra for 15 years and has performed at Manhattan's West Village venue Monologues and Madness. He currently focuses his artistic and creative endeavors on writing, music composition, piano jazz, and as a critic for TheFrontRowCenter.com and OpeningNight.Online. He holds a Ph.D. from New York University, Master of Music from the Manhattan School of Music, and Bachelor of Music from Nyack College.
American Classical Orchestra – The Chaconne Project Part I