Long before streetlights and neon signs chased the stars from the sky, the night was a time of inspiration and atonement for many a poet. Astronomers waited for darkness to observe the stars and planets. Mystics sought signs of a divine presence. For others, darkness was the ultimate medicine – the night brings counsel, as an old proverb says. Romain Bockler and Bor Zuljan take you from dusk to dawn with this Renaissance nocturne where the darkness shimmers between hope and absence, sweet dreams of love and shivers down the spine, clear moonlight and sunrise. Orlandus Lassus, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina and other giants of polyphony lend depth to the exquisite shadows of this 16th-century nocturnal landscape, with Romain Bockler providing the diminutions that enrobe every melody in a cloak of astonishing musicianship.
Program
Chansons and madrigals by Anon., P. Verdelot, B. Tromboncino, F. Guerrero, J-P. Paladin, D. Pisador, G.P. da Palestrina, O. Lassus, C. Janequin, T. Crecquillon, J. Vásquez, J. des Prez & P. de Manchicourt
Performers
Romain Bockler, baritone | Bor Zuljan, lute