PERFORMANCES
Hudson River Harvest Concerts 2026
After 30 years,
a feast of three concerts and a farewell.
In 1994, 32 years ago, I was welcomed into three homes by three, star hosts, Joan K. Davidson, Pierre Lemoine and Pete Levec, and Roger and Lorelle Phillips, to inaugurate a series of concerts that were unlike any other in the county. This year we claim those decades a success and offer you three final events in the series that will be...exciting, moving, beautiful and filled with gratitude.
September 19: Four Nations often boasts of introducing you to works and composers that are unfamiliar...worthy. NOT THIS TIME! We have decided to close the program with Mozart's beloved and familiar Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. We offer it in the original version for string quintet but add harpsichord. There will be a shimmer of novelty but a happy shiver of meeting an old friend. We intend to leave you smiling.
October 17: In aristocratic circles the display of carnival-like virtuosity in the music room was scorned. However, there was intimate chamber music that demanding the greatest mastery of technique and expression. Finesse and good taste. This program looks at the violin, harpsichord, cello, lute, and voice as tours de force in the salon.
November 14: When we think of tragic loss among composers, Schubert comes to mind. Mozart and Purcell follow. But we present you with Pergolesi, dying at 26 and leaving two works that changed the course of history. His Stabat Mater, a masterpiece for two singers and strings, inspired generations of composers who followed in the young footsteps. You will wonder who this music makes you remember...Mozart? Bach? but you will also wonder how so young a man could pen so profound a statement.
Serenades
The Artists
Pascale Beaudin, soprano
Charles Brink, flute
Oliver Brault & Aniela Eddy, violin
Nicole Divall & Kristen Linfante, viola
Loretta O'Sullivan, cello
Luke Stence, bass
Scott Pauley, lute
Andrew Appel, harpsichord
The Program
Muffat: Sonata of 5 parts from Armonico Tributo
Bach: Cantata 209: Non sa che sia dolore
Mozart: Serenade: Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
The Intimate Virtuoso
The Artists
Pascale Beaudin, soprano
Oliver Brault, violin
Loretta O’Sullivan, cello
Andrew Appel, harpsichord
Nik Divall, lute
The Program
Vivaldi
Sonata for violin & Continuo Opus 2 #2
Sonata for cello & continuo in F major
Cantata for soprano & continuo
Kapsburger
Toccata VI for lute
Scarlatti
Three sonatas
Bach
Angenehmer Zephyrus from Cantata BWV 205
Pergolesi and his Stabat Mater
The Artists
Pascale Beaudin, soprano
Daniel Moody, countertenor
Charles Brink, flute
Oliver Brault & Aniela Eddy, violin
Kristen Linfante, viola
Jaap TerLinden, cello
Luke Stence, bass
Scott Pauley, lute
Andrew Appel, harpsichord
The Program
Pleyel
Flute quartet
Pergolesi
Stabat Mater (1736)
France
The Performers
Pascale Beaudin, soprano
Charles Brink, flute
Olivier Brault & Aniela Eddy, violin
Kristen Linfante, viola
Loretta O’Sullivan, cello
Scott Pauley, lute
Andrew Appel, harpsichord
Program
François Couperin: Premier Ordre: La Françoise
Jean Philippe Rameau: Le Berger Fidele Cantata for voice and instruments
Jean Marie Leclair: Concerto for flute and strings in C major, opus 7 #3
America & England
The Performers
Joseph Thalken, piano and composer
Pascale Beaudin, soprano
Olivier Brault & Aniela Eddy, violin
Nicole Divall, viola
Loretta O’Sullivan, cello
Scott Pauley, lute
Program
Henry Purcell: King Arthur
Lerner & Lowe: Camelot
Henry Purcell: Dido and Aeneas
Spain
The Performers
Daniel Moody, alto
Charles Brink, flute
Olivier Brault & Chloe Fedor, violin
Nicole Divall, viola
Kieran Campbell, cello
Nick Divall, lute & guitar
Andrew Appel, harpsichord
Program
François Couperin: Second Ordre: L’Espagnole
Domenico Scarlatti: Salve Regina
Luigi Boccherini: Quintet IV for guitar and strings in D major G. 448
Marie Fel: from Pompadour to Recamier
The Performers
Pascale Beaudin, soprano
Charles Brink, flute
Olivier Brault & Evan Few, violin
Nicole Divall, viola
Loretta O'Sullivan, cello
Scott Pauley, lute
Andrew Appel, harpsichord
Program
Mondonville: Trio in C minor
Rameau: Two arias
Rameau: Premier pieces en concert
Pergolesi: Air from La Serva Padrona
J. J. Rousseau: Air from Devin du Village
H. Jadin: String Quartet in F minor
Marie Fel: from Pompadour to Recamier
The Performers
Pascale Beaudin, soprano
Charles Brink, flute
Olivier Brault & Evan Few, violin
Nicole Divall, viola
Loretta O'Sullivan, cello
Scott Pauley, lute
Andrew Appel, harpsichord
Program
Mondonville: Trio in C minor
Rameau: Two arias
Rameau: Premier pieces en concert
Pergolesi: Air from La Serva Padrona
J. J. Rousseau: Air from Devin du Village
H. Jadin: String Quartet in F minor
Esther Charlotte Brandes: Melodrama
The Performers
Pascale Beaudin, soprano
Olivier Brault & Chloe Fedor, violin
Nicole Divall, viola
Loretta O’Sullivan, cello
Andrew Appel, harpsichord
Program
G. Benda: Ariadne Overture & scene
Janitsch: Sonata for violin, viola & continuo
F. Benda: Sonata in F for violin & continuo
C. H. Graun: Barbaro Barbaro!
C. H. Graun: A tanti pianti miei
C. P. E. Bach: Trio Sanguineus und Melancholicus
Esther Charlotte Brandes: Melodrama
The Performers
Pascale Beaudin, soprano
Olivier Brault & Chloe Fedor, violin
Nicole Divall, viola
Loretta O’Sullivan, cello
Andrew Appel, harpsichord
Program
G. Benda: Ariadne Overture & scene
Janitsch: Sonata for violin, viola & continuo
F. Benda: Sonata in F for violin & continuo
C. H. Graun: Barbaro Barbaro!
C. H. Graun: A tanti pianti miei
C. P. E. Bach: Trio Sanguineus und Melancholicus
Elizabeth Ann Linley: An English Nightingale
The Performers
Pascale Beaudin, soprano
Charles Brink, flute
Olivier Brault & Aniela Eddy, violin
Kristen Linfante, viola
Loretta O’Sullivan, cello
Scott Pauley, lute
Andrew Appel, harpsichord
Program
J. C. Bach-Mozart: Concerto in G major
Handel: A scene from Semele
J. C. Bach: Flute Quartet in C
Thomas Linley: Tune Philomel
Handel: Oh Sleep why doest thou leave me
Haydn-Solomon: Symphony 98 in B flat
Elizabeth Ann Linley: An English Nightingale
The Performers
Pascale Beaudin, soprano
Charles Brink, flute
Olivier Brault & Aniela Eddy, violin
Kristen Linfante, viola
Loretta O’Sullivan, cello
Scott Pauley, lute
Andrew Appel, harpsichord
Program
J. C. Bach-Mozart: Concerto in G major
Handel: A scene from Semele
J. C. Bach: Flute Quartet in C
Thomas Linley: Tune Philomel
Handel: Oh Sleep why doest thou leave me
Haydn-Solomon: Symphony 98 in B flat
Paris: Salon to Scaffold
The Performers
Pascale Beaudin, soprano
Charles Brink, flute
Oliver Brault, violin
Loretta O’Sullivan, cello
Scott Pauley, lute
Andrew Appel, harpsichord
The Program
Couperin:
Quatrieme Concert
Pieces de clavecin
Clérambault: Medée: Cantata for voice & instruments
Devienne: Trio for flute, violin & cello
Venice: Virtues & Vices
The Performers
Pascale Beaudin, soprano
Oliver Brault & Chloe Fedor, violin
Nicole Divall, viola
Loretta O’Sullivan, cello
Andrew Appel, harpsichord
The Program
Vivaldi: Sonatas & Motet
Strozzi & Monteverdi: Love songs
Legrenzi: Sonata
Galuppi: Concerto a quatro
London: Kings & Shepherds
The Performers
Pascale Beaudin, soprano
Daniel Moody, alto
Robert Getchell, tenor
Douglas Williams, bass
Oliver Brault & Chloe Fedor, violin
Kristen Linfante, viola
Loretta O’Sullivan, cello
Scott Pauley, lute
Andrew Appel, harpsichord
The Program
Byrd: Mass of 4 parts: Kyrie & Agnus Dei
Purcell: Scenes, suites, & arias
Handel: Arias
From the Salon the the Scaffold
The Artists
Pascale Beaudin, soprano
Charles Brink, flute
Oliver Brault, violin
Scott Pauley, lute
Andrew Appel, harpsichord
The Program
J. M. Leclair
Deuxieme Recréation, Opus 8
Nightingales in love
Jean-Phillippe Rameau
Viens Hymen
Jean-Baptiste Bousset
Pourquoy doux Rossignol
Francois Couperin
Le Rossignol en amour
J. Ph. Rameau
Rossignols amoureux
J. Ph. Rameau
Pieces de Clavecin in E
Jean-Paul-Égide Martini
Plaisirs d’Amour
Songs of Revolution
Francois Devienne
Trio in G minor, Opus 66 #2
The School of Naples
No center of art and thought is so undervalued as Naples. Yet, for musicians, it is the engine of brilliant composition, singing, and instrumental performance with its conservatories and public institutions of music. This program will change your mind about this vibrant, disturbing, thrilling city.
The Performers
Pascale Beaudin, soprano
Steven Marquardt, trumpet
Olivier Brault & Evan Few, violin
Nicole Divall, viola
Loretta O’Sullivan, cello
Anne Trout, violone
Scott Pauley, lute
Andrew Appel, harpsichord
The Program
Handel, Eternal Source of Light Divine
A. Scarlatti, Sinfonia Il Giardino d"Amore
Porpora, Concerto V a 3 in E minor, Opus 2
Fiorenza, Concerto for cello in F major
A. Scarlatti, Su le sponde del Tebro
The Culture of the Parisian Salon, Proust and La Fontaine
Debussy, Ravel, Proust, and Renoir were besotted with the legacy of Rameau, Couperin, Watteau and Fragonard. With our inspiring guests Mark Steinberg and Anton Nel and the exquisite tenor Aaron Sheehan, we create mirror images from the Salons of the early 18th and the late 19th century with harpsichord and piano works of Debussy and Rameau, songs of Rinaldo Hahn and Henri Duparc, and the passionate Sonata for violin and piano of Cesar Franck.
The Performers
Aaron Sheehan, tenor
Mark Steinberg, violin
Anton Nel, piano
Andrew Appel, harpsichord
The Program
Songs of Hahn, Duparc, Debussy & Lambert
Keyboard evocations of Debussy, Ravel, Couperin & Rameau
Franck, Sonata for violin & piano
The Schooling of Bach
The School of Bach
A concert on Bach's Birthday
Sonatas, Suites, Arias
The Performers
Pascale Beaudin, soprano
Charles Brink, flute
Olivier Brault, violin
Loretta O’Sullivan, cello
Andrew Appel, harpsichord
The Program
Prelude and Fugue in G major WTC Book 2
Aria BWV 57 #7 Ich ende behende
Sonata for flute and harpsichord in B minor
Suite for cello
J. S. Bach BWV 249 # 5 Seele, deine Spezereien
Sonata for violin and harpsichord in G major
The School of Corelli
New Year's Day 1700, and Corelli publishes his opus 5 sonatas, possibly the most influential collection of sonatas in music history. Every composer in every country followed his lead and used his trios and solos as models for their own work. The program explores the large reach and varied responses to the Italian sonata as charted by Corelli.
The Performers
Pascale Beaudin, soprano
Olivier Brault & Chloe Fedor, violin
Loretta O’Sullivan, cello
Scott Pauley, lute
Andrew Appel, harpsichord
The Program
Corelli, Sonata da camera for violin
Geminiani, sonata for cello
Couperin, Apothéose de Corelli
Handel, Sonata for violin in D major
Caldara, Cantata and Ciaconna
Locatelli, Trio sonata Opus 8
PARIS & MADRID
Tales of Two Cities: Paris and Madrid
There is nothing more sparkling than two harpsichords, and Four Nations is thrilled to invite the brilliant harpsichordist Frederick Haas to join director Andrew Appel in a program that runs the exquisite to the savage, from the tender gavotte to the screaming joy of the Fandango.
Concert and reception: $100
Won Dharma Center
Claverack, NY
Frederick Haas, harpsichord
Andrew Appel, harpsichord
François Couperin
Jean-Philippe Rameau
Pieces for two harpsichords
Sonatas, Musettes & Chaconnes
Domenico Scarlatti
Sonatas
Luigi Boccherini
Fandango for two harpsichords
Spain has been a tempest of inspiration and horrors for French artists over the centuries. Manet, Debussy, and Bizet all flourished with Spanish sights and sounds, yet the greatest 18th-century Spanish composers (Scarlatti and Boccherini) were expatriates from Italy. The Spanish kings were insane, and their courts and societies reflected their extreme behaviors and delusions. These same abnormalities created thrilling music.
Frederick Haas, one of my most revered colleagues, will fly to our fields and farms from France and join me in a program of music for two keyboards. He is a most elegant player of French music, and we will play the works for two instruments by Couperin and Rameau. In my mind, his Scarlatti is unsurpassed, and in Spanish mode, he will delight you with solo sonatas. Together we end the program with Boccherini’s fiery Fandango.
The season's final concert will take place at the Won Dharma meditation hall, with perfect sound and views over the Catskills and 400 acres of conserved fields and forests.
PARIS & LONDON
The Concert, by Gerard van Honthorst (1590-1656)
Tales of Two Cities: Paris and London
In this program, Ensemble members Pascale Beaudin, Loretta O'Sullivan, and Andrew Appel are joined by viola da gambist Beiliang Zhu, lute player Scott Pauley, and flautist David Ross for a program of songs and suites from the worlds of Shakespeare, Sheridan, Racine, and Voltaire!
Concert & Reception: $100
19th Century Apple Barn
Lindsay & Brian Shea, hosts
Germantown, NY
Pascale Beaudin, soprano
David Ross, flute
Beiliang Zhu, viola da gamba
Loretta O'Sullivan, cello
Scott Pauley, lute
Andrew Appel, harpsichord
Shakespeare the theater
Lute songs of Morley, Campion, Arne
William Byrd & John Dowland
Lute and Virginal pieces
Lambert & Rameau
Airs de cours
François Couperin
Pieçes de viols--Second Suite
Morel
Chaconne for flute & violin
The English so enjoyed cobbling insults that always included FRENCH this or that! Yet, Elizabeth I, not an easy conquest, almost gave her heart to the prince known as Monsieur from Paris. Later on, the restoration of the monarchy after Cromwell was a French styled transformation. Yet, the theater of Shakespeare is sprawling, tumbling genius contrasting with the tragedy of Racine which is carved marble perfection. The Parisian air de cour is precious and tender while the London lute songs of Dowland and Morley are bawdy and overly emotional. This program is a real Tale of Two Cities.
PARIS & LEIPZIG
Tales of Cities: Paris and Leipzig
Pascale Beaudin, Charles Brink, Krista Feeney, Chloe Fedor, Nicole Divall, Patricia Halverson, Loretta O'Sullivan, and Andrew Appel complete the ensemble with Bach's B minor Ouverture for flute and strings, Brandenburg V, a sonata of J. M. Leclair, and arias by J. Ph. Rameau for an afternoon of German brilliance and French sensuality by the best of Paris and Leipzig.
Concert & Reception: $100
Silda Wall Spitzer and Erik Stangvik, hosts
Germantown, NY
Pascale Beaudin, soprano
Charles Brink, flute
Krista Bennion Feeney & Chloe Fedor, violin
Nicole Divall, viola
Loretta O'Sullivan, cello
Patricia Halverson, violone
Andrew Appel, harpsichord
J. S. Bach
Suite in B minor for flute & strings
Brandenburg V for flute, violin, harpsichord & strings
Jean-Marie Leclair
Sonata VIII in C major, Opus 9 for violin & continuo
Jean-Philippe Rameau
Arias
Temple Sacré
Vien Hymen
Frederick the Great collected paintings of Watteau and hired artists to imitate the Fete Galante. Voltaire was an honored guest at Sanssouci. German princes and paupers idolized and copied the French.
Bach adored French dances and learned their moves and forms as a young man in North Germany. His solo suites were inspired by 17th century Parisian harpsichordists whose works he copied and served as models for his allemandes, gavottes, etc. The flute suite in B minor is a masterwork of French-German art as our greatest German composer puts on courtly attire. The Brandenburg Concertos remind us that Italian music, also available to him, offered an equally powerful model. The limpid beauty of Rameau seduces us today yet Bach was not a fan. Did he find it frivolous? Was the music not sufficiently based in traditional counterpoint? Bach did not know Leclair’s powerful chaconne from the sonata on our program, a worthy companion to his own chaconne for solo violin.
Les Grands
Music by Couperin Le Grand and his colleagues Leclair, Barriere, Blavet, & Clérambault
Handel's players throw a birthday party
Sonatas by Handel's orchestra and arias from his London operas Castrucci, Heym, Bononcini & Handel
Five Parts and Foreign Influences
Music for strings by Muffat, J. C. F. Fischer, Brescianello & J. Chr. Bach
La Douceur de Vivre
Program
Sonata for violin & continuo, J. J. C. de Mondonville
Pieces de Clavecin, F. Couperin
L'Isle de Délos , L. N. Clérambault
TALENTED KIDS: the Bach Sons
Program
Sonata for two harpsichords in G major, J. C. Bach
Four Pieces for two harpsichords, C. P. E Bach
Concerto for two harpsichords in F major, W. F. Bach
Préludes and sonatas for violin & cello, J. S. Bach
LAST WORDS: Schubert & L. Couperin
Program
Pieces de Clavecin in F major, Louis Couperin
Quintet in C major, Franz Schubert
L’âme du clavecin/The soul of the harpsichord
Program
J. H. d'Anglebert (1629-91)
Pieces de Clavecin in D minor & Major
François Couperin (1668-1733)
Prelude 7 & Sixieme Ordre in B flat
London’s Public Gardens: Vauxhall
Program
Handel, J. C. Bach, Haydn, Chilcott, Battishill