Euouae

The media buzz generated in anticipation of the first public appearance by Euouae, the latest addition to the Bay Area’s vibrant early music scene, had some critics wondering if the group’s choice of repertoire (the landmark 14th century Messe de Tournai) and oddly unpronounceable name were anything more than a publicity stunt. Of that performance, Lisa Hirsch of San Francisco Classical Voice writes “a superb debut such as EUOUAEs is rare” and demands “more, please!” After a year’s hiatus spent copying even more medieval manuscripts by hand with his trusty fountain pen, music director Steven “Sven” Olbash is ready once again to emerge from those dusty tomes and return to the stage along with his ensemble of virtuoso singers to tackle yet another hidden gem of Western music. Long before Busby Berkeley dazzled Hollywood audiences with his movie musicals, Jacob Obrecht may have created the original “production number” with his Missa Sub tuum praesidium, which begins with three solo voices and then adds an additional singer for each of the subsequent movements. The program will be rounded out with a smattering of Gregorian chant in lively new interpretations that aim to recreate the ecstatic spontaneity of the earliest performing traditions. Whether you say yoo-oh-eh, eh-whoa-weh, or “that group with all the vowels,” this is sure to be a performance you will talk about long after it is over. www.euouae.com