Photographer Lieve Blancquaert travels all over the world, capturing life and death in soulstirring images. The perseverance of humankind in the most beautiful and the most atrocious situations alike is a leitmotif in this story, leading you to Rwanda, Congo, Afghanistan and Cambodia. The Victoria Consort takes care of a perfect accompaniment with polyphonic music. 

For the third time already AMUZ and the Antwerp Peace Centre present a peace concert on Armistice Day. Through music, word and image this event dwells on the horrors of war: a resounding plea for tolerance, solidarity and peace.

I.s.m. Het Vredescentrum van de Provincie en de Stad Antwerpen

11 November, 2012 14:00 -- AMUZ

Slumbering thoughts, nocturnal wandering, secret fantasies, lonely sadness and a soothing motherly voice generate the poetical inspiration of baroque composers such as Johann Hieronymus Kapsberger, John Dowland, François Couperin and Johann Sebastian Bach. As the night descends on the city, Zefiro Torna carries you away into rapture with a selection of lute songs that exude a quaint atmosphere.

Pow’rful Morpheus, let thy charms
Wrap the world in slumber’s arms,
With thy sweet composed numbers,
Rock each mortal in slumbers.
So no ear or eye shall know
Where we are or what we do. (William Webb,17thC)

The programme Slumber was commissioned by AMUZ for the 24 Hours of the Stage in January 2012. The peace and the beauty of that first concert inspired Jurgen De bruyn to more, and this will not in the least be regretted by the audience. Let your heartbeat slow down and allow yourself to sink back in your chair while you quench your thirst with these evening sounds.

Performers
Els Van Laethem, soprano | Jurgen De bruyn, lute & theorbo | Liam Fennelly, lirone, viola da gamba

 

16 November, 2012 20:00 -- AMUZ

The third Sunday of November is Fine Arts Day for Children. Museums, theatres, cultural centres and libraries choose from their offerings something that kids like, making sure it will taste well. At AMUZ kids, together with their family and friends, can discover Italian music from three hundred years ago. Actress Sarah Vangeel will clothe the fairy-like song texts in a modern outfit.

You hear the story of Orfeo who loses his wife and descends into the underworld to get her back. Les Muffatti take care of a perfect accompaniment with Neapolitan baroque music.
Dutch spoken.

I.c.w. Kunstendag voor Kinderen

Performers
Sarah Vangeel, narrator | Joris Van den Brande, narrator | Hasnaa Bennani, soprano | Peter Van Heyghen, artistic direction

18 November, 2012 10:00 -- AMUZ

Around 1730 Naples was the most important music centre of Italy. The city owed that status to its important musical ‘conservatori’. Founded as orphanages cum vocational schools, these institutes turned out many excellent musicians. Les Muffatti gives pride of place to some pupils and teachers from those conservatories. The most famous among them: Giovanni Battista Pergolesi.

The Neapolitan cantata is pre-eminently a piece of bravura in a theatrical style. The concertos, for their part, are outstanding examples of stylistic diversity. In Naples there was no concerto culture properly speaking, in contrast to the situation up North. This goes a certain way towards explaining why the often brilliant Neapolitan concertos from this period have remained relatively unknown for the wider audience. Again Peter Van Heyghen will manage to charm you with unknown pearls fished up from oblivion.

Performers
Peter Van Heyghen, artistic direction | Hasnaa Bennani, soprano | Marian Minnen, cello

Programme
Francesco Durante: Concerto a quattro nr. 5 in A | Nicola Porpora: Celloconcerto in G |
Giovanni Battista Pergolesi: Orfeo, cantate voor sopraan | Emanuele Barbella: Concerto a quattro fugato sul stile di chiesa in d | Niccolò Jommelli: Didone abbandonata, cantate voor sopraan, strijkers en basso continuo

18 November, 2012 14:00 -- AMUZ

To become a mother is one of the most far-reaching events in the life of a woman. Motherhood and all intense feelings connected to it have therefore inspired many artists. Capriola Di Gioia brings a wonderful selection of baroque music written about, but also by mothers.

In spite of their youth these musicians already shared the stage with established ensembles such as Il Gardellino, Collegium Vocale Ghent and the Nederlandse Bachvereniging. In this concert programme, including music of Claudio Monteverdi and Barbara Strozzi, they give musical expression to a wide gamut of emotions, ranging from tenderness, joy and intense happiness to vulnerability, rage and fear of failure. Or how a mother’s heart can carry on.

I.c.w. Rubenshuis

Performers
Amaryllis Dieltiens, soprano | Jurgen De bruyn, theorbo | Romina Lischka, viol | Bart Naessens, organ & harpsichord

Programme
Work by Claudio Monteverdi, Barbara Strozzi, Giovanni Felice Sances e.a.

22 November, 2012 18:00 -- Rubenshuis

As a new rising star the Croat Bojan Cicic was given an invaluable period violin on loan by the Dutch Jumpstart Jr. Foundation. Moreover he was challenged to bring about his dream project: a concert programme with lesser known, but exciting music from Rognoni to Vivaldi, also including his almost unkown compatriot Vinko Jelic.

Cicic analyses the musical connection between Venice and Vienna, offering you some key musicians who ran the show there from early to late baroque. Other young stars belonging to the same family of mind, among them harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani (Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellow), accompany him on stage.

I.c.w. Jumpstart Jr. Foundation, Organisatie Oude Muziek, Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ Amsterdam, Concertgebouw
Brugge & BOZAR

Performers
Bojan Cicic, violin & artistic direction | Hannah Tibell, violin & viola | Emily White, violin & trombone | Tim Cronin, viola | Nika Zlataric, violoncello & viol | Richard Sweeney, archlute | Mahan Esfahani, organ & harpsichord 

25 November, 2012 14:00 -- AMUZ