The EEWB, based in Paris and directed by the Australian musicologist Graham O'Reilly, specializes in music (particularly but not exclusively sacred works) of the 17th century — not only France, England and Italy, but also Spain (and its New World colonies), Portugal and even Poland. The group's discography includes, among other titles, three of Handel's "Chandos Anthems," Charpentier's Extremum Dei judicium ("The Final Judgment of God"), Palestrina's complete Canticum Canticorum (motets on texts from the Song of Solomon), and Domenico Scarlatti's Stabat Mater for 10 voices.

Tonight's concert in the historic Mexican city of San Luis Potos‹ features music by Marc-Antoine Charpentier, the pre-eminent composer of 17th-century France, and his contemporaries Henry DuMont and Etienne Moulini_.

Tomorrow and Sunday (November 4-5), the ensemble continues to California for performances in San Diego and Los Angeles. The program on offer pairs Charpentier with his English colleague Henry Purcell, with seven English anthems by the latter, a Latin motet by the former and one miniature religious drama by each composer: Purcell's Saul and the Witch of Endor and Charpentier's Le reniement de St.-Pierre ("The Denial of St. Peter").

Next weekend brings the EEWB to the East Coast for two concerts. On Saturday, November 11, the ensemble joins the Yale Schola Cantorum and Yale Collegium Players for grands and petits motets by DuMont and Charpentier. On the following afternoon (November 12), New York's Music Before 1800 presents the EEWB in the program of DuMont, Moulini_ and Charpentier, which includes Le reniement de St.-Pierre, at Corpus Christi Church. Details are available at www.mb1800.org.