Tag Archives: Anonymous 4

The Mountain Goats and Anonymous 4 bridge the centuries at Merkin Concert Hall

Posted on March 26, 2012 | Leave a comment

Anonymous four and John Darnielle, right, of the Mountain Goats at Merkin Concert Hall

UPDATE: Audio link to full concert added

Hear the full concert by clicking here.

Who knew John Darnielle had a secret wish to work with Anonymous 4, the a cappella quartet that specializes in music of the 12th through 15th centuries? The Ecstatic Music Festival, created by New Amsterdam Records‘ Judd Greenstein, gave him a shot, and the result was Transcendental Youth, a song cycle presented Saturday,  March 24, at Merkin Concert Hall.

Darnielle, the writer and singer who performs as the Mountain Goats (and for this evening, he was the lone Goat) got the “why” question out of the way first.
As he was getting ready to finish college, his dad gave him a gift — a CD of A4’s 1993 An English Ladymass— an intense listen, he said, and one he returned to over and over as he coped with the more mundane stresses of completing two thesis papers (in English and Classics).

The Mountain Goats set list is after the jump.

John Darnielle (Photo © 2010, Steven P. Marsh)

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Posted in Classical, Concerts, Contemporary, Contemporary Classical, Folk, Music, News, Pop and Rock, Review

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Don’t miss Anonymous 4 in Nyack tomorrow

Posted on October 9, 2009 | Leave a comment
Anonymous 4

Anonymous 4

This is just a reminder to anyone in the NYC metro area that Anonymous 4 are performing Saturday, Oct. 10, at GraceMusic in Nyack, NY. It’s a pleasant and easy trip up the Hudson Valley from the five boroughs or anywhere else in the Tri-State.

The first ladies of early music will be performing their new program, Secret Voices: Music from The Las Huelgas Codex, c. 1300.

It’ll be a fantastic show. And it’s for a good cause, as proceeds will be donated the church, which has housed GraceMusic for decades. Get there early, as seating is general admission. GraceMusic has a limited number of stadium cushions available to make the wooden pews more comfortable. But since this show is likely to draw a full house, I’d advise you to bring your own cushion if possible.

If you drive, the concert is just two blocks from the heart of the village, in easy walking distance from the municipal parking lot and steps away from buses from Tarrytown (connecting service from Metro-North’s Hudson Line) and Manhattan. For schedule information, click here.

Read previous coverage by Will You Miss Me When I’m Gone? here. And click here to read more on Anonymous 4’s web site.

Anonymous 4 performs at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 10. A meet-the-artists reception follows the concert. Free child care available. Grace Episcopal Church, 130 First Avenue, Nyack, NY. (845) 358-1297. $20 at the door.

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Voices along the Hudson: Anonymous 4 coming to Nyack

Posted on September 25, 2009 | 3 comments
Ruth Cunningham, Marsha Genensky, Susan Hellauer and Jacqueline Horner-Kwiatek

ANONYMOUS 4: Ruth Cunningham, Marsha Genensky, Susan Hellauer and Jacqueline Horner-Kwiatek (Photo by Christian Steiner)

Anonymous 4, the female vocal quartet that has long been at the forefront of modern interpretation of medieval chant and polyphonic music is coming to the Nyack next month.

The concert will kick off the 40th season of GraceMusic on Saturday, Oct. 10, in the Gothic-style nave of  Grace Episcopal Church in the village on the banks of the Hudson River at the western end of the Tappan Zee bridge. It’s an intimate room with a bright, lively acoustic. The concert is a benefit for the parish’s Second Mile fund-raising campaign.

The internationally known a cappella quartet will perform a program called Secret Voices: The Sisters of Las Huelgas. It features 13th-century polyphony and sacred Latin song from the Spanish Las Huelgas Codex, collected for a convent of aristocratic women. They defied a rule that forbade them to sing polyphony and produced the most beautiful and demanding music in Europe at that time.

Anonymous 4 performs at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 10. A meet-the-artists reception follows the concert. Free child care available. Grace Episcopal Church, 130 First Avenue, Nyack, NY. (845) 358-1297. $20 at the door.

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