Love is love no matter if it’s in the 16th or the 21st century and no matter what language in which it’s professed.
That’s the message Nathalie Colas and Brandon Acker hope to convey when they perform “Sous Les Charmilles” March 27 at the Byron Colby Barn in Grayslake. Colas will sing to Acker’s accompaniment of several plucked string instruments of the late Renaissance and baroque era as the last concert in the Barn’s 2021-22 early music series.
“Sous les charmilles” means “under bowers of branches,” and the 16th and 17th century pieces they’ll perform are all about being out in nature, under the trees with the one you love or wishing you were with the one you love. Colas will sing in French, offering spoken translations of the words before performing, while Acker will perform on the lute, theorbo and baroque guitar.
They belong to Third Coast Baroque, a collection of musicians who play early music as soloists, in a small group or in a larger group, such as when they perform music written by Handel.
“Our mission is to showcase the aesthetic of baroque music and share it with audiences,” Colas said. “This music can reach people who are music lovers and seasoned baroque music lovers, as well as people who don’t think it’s for them,” she said. Third Coast Baroque concerts often include some education on the instruments being played and the music being performed.
Colas and Acker put together a group of French love songs for a spring tour. They’ll also be performing the program March 30 at Triton College in River Grove. They chose the name ‘Sous Les Charmilles,’ because, for one, Colas just loves the way the word charmilles sounds. “It’s such a charming word,” said Colas, who was born in France and studied music in college in the United States as well as in Belgium.
“Charmilles evokes a particular setting in late Renaissance music, about how the effects of the heart are reflected in the natural world,” she said. “It often talks about bird songs or a little river under the trees.”
“Brandon Acker is a wonderful plucked instrument specialist,” she said. “He educates people on all those types of instruments.”
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the lute came first, followed by theorbo, which Acker calls “a lute on steroids,” and then the baroque guitar, which has more percussiveness. In between songs, Acker will play solo pieces to showcase the instruments and their virtuosity. “We try to convey sounds of nature through these pieces,” Colas said. “We really want people to understand context, but also to experience it just as it is. “
The first pieces they’ll perform were written by famous 16th century French composers who used themes about shepherds, nature and trees. One song is about being in love in spring. Part of the song is translated to these words: “To enjoy love, to enjoy pleasures, to enjoy nature, employ the most beautiful days of your age.”
“It’s really good advice. The message moves me,” Colas said.
Colas particularly enjoys songs written by baroque French composer Étienne Moulinié.
“His songs are just so catchy. They’re like pop songs. I can think of many songs from the 20th century that are exactly the same,” she said.
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“I’m particularly excited to bring this program to some audiences that don’t get to hear this kind of music very often,” Colas said. “I really believe people who have never heard this music, if they do, they will be touched.”
She’s performed at the Colby Barn before and said, “It has wonderful acoustics. I love that it has a window open to the outside, especially since we’re singing about nature. It’s such a beautiful setting and a beautiful location. Another thing I really enjoy is how incredibly dedicated and attentive the audience is. I appreciate the level of focus and enthusiasm they give us.”
Cash or check only are accepted for tickets.
Early Music Series presents Third Coast Baroque
When: 4 p.m. March 27
Where: Byron Colby Barn, 1561 Jones Point Road, Grayslake
Tickets: $20
Information: byroncolbybarn.com/early-music-series/
When: 7 p.m. March 30
Where: Triton College, 2000 Fifth Ave., River Grove
Tickets: Free
Information: 708-456-0300; triton.edu and search music Third Coast Baroque
Sheryl DeVore is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.