Blue Heron

Music for Three Sovereigns

The Boston-based group, under the direction of Scott Metcalfe, makes its debut at The Cloisters with music from the court of the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, and from the Burgundian scriptorium of his daughter, Marguerite of Austria. The program includes sacred music by such Renaissance masters as Josquin des Pres, Ludwig Senfl, and Heinrich Isaac from the Liber selectarum cantionum, published in 1520 and containing some of the choicest pieces from the Emperor’s chapel. Also included are settings by Josquin and Jean Mouton of Dido’s Lament, the final words uttered by the tragic queen of Carthage. The twelve singers of the ensemble will be accompanied by a cornetto and a sackbut.