UPDATED: The Boston Camerata to Present ‘Douce Dame Jolie: Guillaume de Machaut’s Last Affair’
By David SalazarThe Boston Camerata is set to present “Douce Dame Jolie: Guillaume de Machaut’s Last Affair” on May 7, 2022.***
The showcase, which will take place at the Longy School of Music of Bard College in Cambridge, Massachusetts, will feature vocalists Anne Azéma, Camila Parias, Deborah Rentz-Moore, Michael Barrett, and Craig Juricka as well as a number of musicians including Shira Kammen, Christa Patton, Liza Malmut; Azéma will also perform the hurdy-gurdy and share narration duties with Joel Cohen. Azéma will also direct the show.
Per an official release, “the program tells the story of composer and poet Guillaume de Machaut (1300-1377) and his brief and intense romance with an admiring poet, dancer, and musician Péronne d’Armentière. Their bittersweet story, told in the words of both Machaut and Péronne, and sung to the accompaniment of harps, lutes, and vielles, is among the most affecting tributes to romantic love of the late Middle Ages.”
“It’s the story of an impossible love,” Azéma added. “And, eight centuries after it happened, it still speaks and sings to us so strongly, reawakening our own hopes and sorrows and joys. Machaut and Péronne are forever linked, down through the ages!”
All attendees will be required to wear masks and show proof of vaccination against COVID-19. Those unable to attend will have the option of streaming the performances days after the event.
***UPDATE: In a previous version of this article, it was announced that the production would take place on March 6, 2022. However, the company informed OperaWire that there had been a date change, which is now reflected in the text. The rest of the article remains unchanged.