Ars-Antiqua Chinoiserie in Chappaqua: Mark Kramer’s Ars-Antiqua period instrument ensemble looks to the east for works that were inspired by the chinoiserie aesthetic that flourished in the palaces and house of 17th and 18th century Europe. The program features Joseph-Marie Amiot’s, Les Divertissments chinois; François Couperin’s, Les chinois; and similarly themed works from Teodorico Pedrini, and Jean-Philippe Rameau. (The Church of St. Mary the Virgin, 191 S. Greeley Avenue, Chappaqua; www.ars-antiqua.org)

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More about Chinoiserie

The decorative style called chinoiserie is an exotic aesthetic that flourished in the palaces and houses of 17th and 18th-century Europe. It was a fantasy that idealized the Orient and quickly captured the imagination of painters, furniture makers, architects and composers. The style spread like wildfire as traveler’s tales and artifacts from the East conjured images of delicate bridges over rushing rivers, intricately carved red dragons, ivory pagodas, green parrots and monkeys dressed as Chinamen. The taste for these designs created an extraordinary demand for exotic lacquered cabinets, ceramics of Delft and Minton, garden structures and harpsichord cases; all of which presided in Europe’s most sublime residences. A handful of missionaries and itinerant musicians who found their way to China, not only learned to perform Chinese songs on viols and harpsichords, but also performed western music for the emperor and his court in Beijing.