Theologian and humanist Jacques Lefèvre dEstaples claimed at the beginning of the 16th century that the figure of Mary Magdalene was a fictitious amalgamation of three different women from the Gospel. This resulted in a fierce debate and even persecutions and executions, but also in splendid art. The Liège composer Nicolas Champion was inspired by the intense cult of Mary Magdalene for his Missa de Sancta Maria Magdalena, an exceedingly complex musical commentary on Lefèvres theory. In this mass no less than seven different plainchant antiphonies have been incorporated as cantus firmus.

Björn Schmelzer and his world-wide renowned ensemble graindelavoix, based in Antwerp, offer a headstrong interpretation of this composers music.

23 August, 2015 22:15 -- st-carolus-borromeuskerk

The end of the 15th century was a turning point for instrumental music. While before instrumentalists often improvised and also memorized music, composers now ventured into the instrumental genre, creating a playground for polyphonic composition techniques. This fashionable phenomenon eventually resulted in the emancipation of instrumental music. Composer Alexander Agricola excelled in the arrangement of famous chansons such as Fors seullement, De tous bien plaine … Singer Raitis Grigalis sings the famous chansons and the musicians of the internationally acclaimed Ensemble Leones, conducted by Marc Lewon, play the instrumental adaptations of Agricola and his contemporaries on viol, viola darco and lute.

24 August, 2015 13:00 -- amuz

Faithful to custom you can enjoy a well-assorted festival menu (entree + main course) before the evening concerts in AMUZ. Pop-up bistro t Hof van Petrus will serve regional delicacies from the Low Countries.

Festival menu

On Thursday 20, Friday 21, Monday 24, Wednesday 26 and Saturday 29 August at 18.00, before the evening concerts at AMUZ.

Place: AMUZ foyer, Kammenstraat 81, 2000 Antwerp

Choice of starters: Salad with baked goats cheese, apples and honey OR savoury pancake with chicken, cheese and mushroom filling

Choice of main courses: Half a chicken roasted on a spit with fresh salad, baked potatoes and a sauce of your choice (pepper cream or provencal) or apple OR grilled fillet of salmon on a bed of rocket and tomato with baked potatoes OR grilled vegetables of yesteryear and melted Trappist cheese in puff pastry with fresh salad.

Price: € 21 (starter + main course)

Advance reservation required. Desserts available on the evening for € 6.

Concert tickets are not included. Advance booking is required.

24 August, 2015 18:00 -- amuz

Join the fun-loving company on Monday 24, Tuesday 25 or Wednesday 26 August between 6:00 p.m. and 10:15 p.m. for a picnic in the garden of Peter Paul Rubens. You can order a basket with delicacies and wine for two persons:

Toasted farmhouse bread with monastery cheese

Belgian cheese and meat platter

Leek and bacon pie

Cream cheese with chives and radishes

Mixed salad

Fresh fruit

Pastry and dessert

Choice of rosé, red or white wine or Trappist beer

24 August, 2015 18:00 -- rubenshuis

The Occo codex is one of the few manuscripts that were not commissioned by the court, but by a private patron. Pompeius Occo, a wealthy and cultivated citizen of Amsterdam, was a merchant and represented the Fuggers bankers from Augsburg in the Low Countries. He knew Petrus Alamire personally and had commissioned him with this magnificently decorated manuscript, completely devoted to the veneration of the Blessed Sacrament. The first nine compositions, for instance, are based on plainchant for Sacraments Day. Andrew Kirkman and his singers of the Binchois Consort are steeped in this exceptional repertoire, which has been preserved in the Royal Library in Brussels.

24 August, 2015 20:00 -- amuz

After the unique nocturnes with Jan Decleir and Marco Beasley viol player Thomas Baeté will take over this year in the pleasant painters studio of Peter Paul Rubens. Together with keyboard player Guillermo Pérez he introduces us into the fascinating world of the simplest polyphony, that of the 2-voice bicinium. The poetic confluence of music, word and painting is inspired by Theun de Vries and his inexhaustible novel The motet for the cardinal. Actor Vic De Wachter evokes the world of the polyphonists, the travels of the singers from the court chapels and the experiences in the newly founded Sistine Chapel in Rome.

Dutch spoken

24 August, 2015 22:15 -- rubenshuis