Antwerp in the year 1580: metropolis of Europe, at the peak of its economic glory, on the eve of decay. One of the many ships hoists the sails and heads for Venice. On board there are merchants, goods, passengers … and a company of musicians who will cheer up the long voyage with songs, ayres, cancioes, cançoes, canzones and arias from the first Venetian operas.

Inspired by a fictitious travel account the young baroque trio Bel Ayre evokes the experiences of some Flemings who sail to the lagoon of ‘La Serenissima’, passing by France, Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar, Sardinia, Naples and the Adriatic Sea. Bel Ayre excels in ancient songs which they perform with caring love, know-how and respect for tradition, but also with a very personal and contemporary approach. For – so their philosophy goes – wether one was born in the 1600s or today, what speaks to our hearts is what matters ultimately.

Performers
Lieselot De Wilde, soprano | Pieter Theuns, lute & theorbo | Romina Lischka, viol | Lambert Colson, cornett & recorder | Liam Byrne, viol | Sofie Vanden Eynde, lute & theorbo

Programme
Music by Episcopus, Van Turnhout, Rogier, de La Hèle, Willaert, De Rore, Monteverdi e.a.

22 March, 2015 14:00 -- AMUZ

Antwerp in the year 1580: metropolis of Europe, at the peak of its economic glory, on the eve of decay. One of the many ships hoists the sails and heads for Venice. On board there are merchants, goods, passengers … and a company of musicians who will cheer up the long voyage with songs, ayres, cancioes, cançoes, canzones and arias from the first Venetian operas.

Inspired by a fictitious travel account the young baroque trio Bel Ayre evokes the experiences of some Flemings who sail to the lagoon of La Serenissima, passing by France, Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar, Sardinia, Naples and the Adriatic Sea. Bel Ayre excels in ancient songs which they perform with caring love, know-how and respect for tradition, but also with a very personal and contemporary approach. For so their philosophy goes wether one was born in the 1600s or today, what speaks to our hearts is what matters ultimately

22 March, 2015 15:00 -- amuz

In the Renaissance era countless madrigals were composed ‘ad imitatione de Cipriano’. Orlandus Lassus also showed his admiration for Cipriano de Rore (1515-1565), who hailed from Ronse. And no less than Claudio Monteverdi wrote in his letters that De Rore was his example with respect to ‘imitar le parole.’ In this anniversary year Huelgas Ensemble will give the pride of place he deserves to this composer, celebrated already so much during his lifetime.

Serving at the courts of Modena, Parma and as choir master at San Marco in Venice, de Rore was highly appreciated because of his unparallelled musical translations of texts by for instance Francesco Petrarca. For this purpose De Rore developed a new, emotional composition technique which transposed literary images into a plastic musical style. The principal component of this concert is the Mass Praeter rerum seriem for seven parts, an ultimate epitome of musical Renaissance architecture.

Performers
Dorothea Jacob, superius | Axelle Bernage, superius | Michaela Riener, superius | Witte Weber, superius | Terry Wey, tenor | Bernd Oliver Fröhlich, tenor | Stefan Berghammer, tenor | Tom Phillips, tenor | Matthew Vine, tenor | Olivier Coiffet, tenor | Tim Scott Whiteley, bassus | Guillaume Olry, bassus | Frederik Sjollema, bassus | Tiago Mota, bassus | Paul Van Nevel, artistic direction

27 March, 2015 20:00 -- AMUZ

In the Renaissance era countless madrigals were composed ad imitatione de Cipriano. Orlandus Lassus also showed his admiration for Cipriano de Rore (1515-1565), who hailed from Ronse. And no less than Claudio Monteverdi wrote in his letters that De Rore was his example with respect to imitar le parole. In this anniversary year Huelgas Ensemble will give the pride of place he deserves to this composer, celebrated already so much during his lifetime.

Serving at the courts of Modena, Parma and as choir master at San Marco in Venice, de Rore was highly appreciated because of his unparallelled musical translations of texts by for instance Francesco Petrarca. For this purpose De Rore developed a new, emotional composition technique which transposed literary images into a plastic musical style. The principal component of this concert is the Mass Praeter rerum seriem for seven parts, an ultimate epitome of musical Renaissance architecture.

27 March, 2015 21:00 -- amuz

Familiarize yourself with the creativity of the young ensembles selected internationally by Musica. In keeping with our renowned IYAP two international top coaches will steer a special edition with music from Petrus Alamires manuscripts, to be performed in all possible combinations of instruments and vocalists.

19 August, 2015 10:00 -- museum-vleeshuis

Beautifully illuminated music manuscripts from Petrus Alamire’s workshop will steep you in the culture of Flanders and Europe around the year 1500. Meet the rulers, composers and musicians of the time and discover their outlook on the world and their perspectives on art. Admire the choirbooks and chansonniers held in the Royal Library of Belgium collection and Mechelen City Archive in all their glory. Most of them were intended for polyphonic singing in a church choir; they are richly decorated with margins full of flowers, animals and decorative calligraphic initials.

The choirbooks will be brought to life in images and sound at a remarkable exhibition in the imposing Gothic setting of Antwerp Cathedral. Besides admiring the craftsmanship with which they were made, you will be able to access the entire manuscript with digital images of the most beautiful pages and most exquisite details. In partnership with the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp, we illustrate more of the story behind the manuscripts with works of art dating from that period.

Put on your headphones and step into the world of late mediaeval polyphony which, when sung, opens up a universe of sound that touches the hearts of many. These compositions, composed in the Low Countries, conquered the whole of Europe in their day and were held in particularly high regard. Take a walk through artist Rudi Knoops’ sound and video installation and experience the polyphonic fabric of the music as a whole or as a multitude of individual musical lines, and see the musicians at work

19 August, 2015 10:00 -- o-l-v-kathedraal