Old Post Road 'Delving Deeper' musicians come to Salisbury Mansion

WORCESTER — Salisbury Mansion, 40 Highland St., is very much in the picture when the Boston area Musicians of the Old Post Road pay a visit as part of its latest "Delving Deeper" online series airing at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 4.

Worcester’s only historic house museum, built in 1772, opens its doors for the musicians who perform a rediscovered quartet by the 18th century French composer Joseph Bologne Chevalier de Saint-Georges. 

Musicians of the Old Post Road specialize in performances of music from the Baroque, Classical and early Romantic eras on period instruments at historic venues and have researched and come across many fine works from the past that got overlooked by time, giving them their first modern day era performances.

The "Delving Deeper" online series provides explorations of intriguing historical and musical topics. In Episode 5 on Feb. 4, "Behind the Curtain: Mining, Polishing and Showcasing Lost Musical Gems," the ensemble's co-artistic directors Suzanne Stumpf and Daniel Ryan respond to what they say is one of their most frequently asked questions, "How does the ensemble find and revive overlooked musical treasures?" The episode offers a behind-the-scenes tour of the research, reconstruction, and editing processes and includes discussions about the ensemble's legacy of championing unknown composers, how research has changed over the years, and an introduction to Joseph Bologne Chevalier de Saint-Georges, the first known Classical composer of African descent.

The episode then features a performance of the rediscovered quartet in Salisbury Mansion. Salisbury Mansion is owned and operated by the Worcester Historical Museum. The Feb. 4 episode also includes a video tour of the mansion.

"It was wonderful to return to the Salisbury Mansion to perform Joseph Bologne‘s quartet as the culmination of this project! It felt ideal and inspiring for us to be in that historical setting, surrounded by artifacts that so perfectly align with the time that the quartet was composed. Because we frequently performed at the Mansion during the first decade of our concert series, it felt like a very comfortable return 'home,' " Stumpf and Ryan said.

"We also very much enjoyed the tour of the mansion that was given to us by Bob Stacy, the Mansion Site Manager. It is wonderful to see how the Mansion has evolved into such a terrific house museum over the past couple decades. We think the viewers will really enjoy the insider’s look that Bob’s tour contributes to the film," Stumpf and Ryan said.

The project was supported, in part, by a grant from The Fletcher Foundation.

A live Zoom reception and Q & A session with the musicians will follow the premiere of the episode. Single tickets are $10 students; $35 individual; $70 family. The premiere event and all previous "Delving Deeper" episodes are free to both in-person and online Musicians of the Old Post Road subscribers. For single ticket holders, the link will be live for 72 hours after the Feb. 4 premiere. For tickets and more information, visit www.oldpostroad.org