The baroque virtuosi of LES DÉLICES return to 5BMF this season with their new program, Songs Without Words. This innovative and daring program takes the adaptation of 17th Century songs for instruments as its point of departure and brings the concept into the 20th Century with torch songs and jazz standards arranged and improvised by the ensemble. Music by baroque composers Lambert, Lully, and Marais is heard alongside tunes by Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin, Stephen Sondheim, and more in this program of timeless melodies and inspired improvisations. Cleveland’s Plain Dealercommented, “mixing old and new numbers freely, the ensemble liberated the music of both eras, creating a kind of conversation across the centuries.”

Founded by baroque oboist Debra Nagy in 2009, Les Délices has established a reputation for their unique programs that are “thematically concise, richly expressive, and featuring composers few people have heard of ” (New York Times). The group’s debut CD was named one of the “Top Ten Early Music Discoveries of 2009” (NPR’s Harmonia), and their performances have been called “a beguiling experience” (Cleveland Plain Dealer), “astonishing” (ClevelandClassical.com), and “first class” (Early Music America Magazine). Since their sold-out New York debut at the Frick Collection, highlights of Les Délices’ touring activities include Music Before 1800, Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, San Francisco Early Music Society, the Yale Collection of Musical Instruments, and Columbia University’s Miller Theater. Les Délices also presents its own annual four-concert series in Cleveland art galleries and at Plymouth Church in Shaker Heights, OH, where the group is Artist in Residence.

Visit 5bmf.org for more show info!