Le Consort & Adèle Charvet: Vivaldi

Le Consort

Théotime Langlois de Swarte with ‘his’ Ensemble Le Consort—in larger force for the occasion—present Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.

Hathor Consort / Dorothee Mields / Romina Lischka

What traces do wars leave on the music of the time? The Hathor Consort, a viol ensemble of to which harp, organ and cornett are added, joins forces with soprano Dorothee Mields to look for echoes of the Thirty Years’ War in the works of composers who witnessed this catastrophic period in European history. With his »Trostgedichten in Widerwertigkeit deß Kriegs«, the poet Martin Opitz wrote an influential treatise of edification in the midst of this fierce conflict that claimed the lives of around a third of the population. The composers of the age attempted to process the deep trauma of violence, hunger and utter defencelessness through their music. This programme brings together four musical witnesses of the time:Heinrich Schütz, Samuel Scheidt, Andreas Hammerschmidt and Heinrich Albert. The acclaimed Hathor Consort focuses mainly on Renaissance and Baroque music, but it regularly combines this with music from other cultures as well as with contemporary works. Dorothee Mields likewise focuses entirely on Early Music, and her clear and intimate soprano is regarded as one of today’s top voices in the field of historic performing practice.

Vivaldi Reloaded

Théotime Langlois de Swarte with ‘his’ Ensemble Le Consort—in larger force for the occasion—present Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, here in a family-oriented version after the first performance Thursday evening.

Vivaldi Reloaded

Through singing and instrumental practice, participants rediscover Vivaldi's Four Seasons, exploring the connections between nature and music.

Vivaldi: Die Vier Jahreszeiten

So much can be captured: what is known as early music (literally, »old music« in German) has long since no longer only been in the hands of the old guard, who did important pioneering work. More and more young artists, trained in specialised degree programmes, are flocking onto the stages of this world to revive the music of the past few centuries in fresh interpretations. One of the current stars on this scene is French baroque violinist Théotime Langlois de Swarte, who – following his performance in the Elbphilharmonie »Fast Lane« series – you can now experience with his own ensemble Le Consort. On the programme is one work that needs no introduction: Antonio Vivaldi’s »Four Seasons«. The collection of four violin concertos portraying the seasons is one of the earliest and most famous examples of programme music – and surely one of the most popular works of all in the history of music. De Swarte now skilfully combines it in his programme with other concertos and overtures by Vivaldi and his contemporaries – and so makes the seasons appear in a new guise.

Le Concert des Nations / Jordi Savall

No other musician combines works from bygone eras with a topical message to such powerful effect: Jordi Savall – viola da gamba player, conductor, musicologist and star of the early music scene. His new programme »War and Peace« is a diverse musical fresco that evokes an age of battles and ceasefires, starting with the outbreak of the Thirty Years’ War in 1618 and ending with the Peace Treaty of Aix-la-Chappelle in 1748. »The emotion of the music linked here to the historic events allows us, perhaps, to see everything in a new light,« says the Catalan conductor, who was named UNESCO »Artist of Peace« in 2009. Savall is travelling to Hamburg not only with a wealth of great music, but also with his early music instrumental ensembles Hespèrion XXI and Le Concert des Nations, and his ten-strong vocal ensemble La Capella Reial de Catalunya. On their search for the authentic sound of the age, they play music from the 17th and 18th centuries. The orchestras are complemented by four musicians from Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey, who enrich the music with oriental sounds. However, the concert comes to a close with Arvo Pärt’s prayer for peace »Da pacem Domine«, which he composed in 2004 in memory of the victims of the Madrid bombings.

Voces Suaves / Capricornus Consort Basel

With their warm and clear choral sound, Voces Suaves bring century-old works to life. And it is often cause for goosebumps from the very first tones. For their performance at the Hamburg International Music Festival, the singers devote their attention to a collection of choral works by Claudio Monteverdi. Specialising in solo performances in the repertoire ranging from the Renaissance to the Baroque, Voces Suaves have a reputation as one of the most outstanding early music ensembles for good reason. This time around they in Hamburg with a first-class group of instrumentalists in tow: Like Voces Suaves, the Capricornus Consort Basel was founded at the legendary Schola Cantorum Basiliensis. In keeping with the theme of the music festival, »War and Peace«, the two renowned ensembles perform Monteverdi‘s enchanting »Madrigali guerrieri et amorosi« (Madrigals of War and Love). The Italian composer stands on the cusp between the Renaissance and the Baroque with his expressive musical language. In this collection of non-ecclesiastical songs, he juxtaposes dramatic soundscapes of war with atmospheric songs about love and passion.

Le Jardin féérique

Twenty-five pieces by twenty-five women composers, performed by a whole ensemble of leading French women instrumentalists and singers. A bold venture brought to fruition by Elles Women Composers and the Philharmonie de Paris.

Bach Vivaldi

Bach Vivaldi