Harpsichord

“His greatest strength is that every song does sound like a performance with a touch of spontaneity.”
– Early Music Review

The English Suites for harpsichord are among the early works Bach wrote for the instrument. There is much speculation as to their exact date, but Bach composed them in his Weimar period (1708-1717), probably around 1713-1714. As with the French Suites, they were given their title posthumously. There are few characteristics of the English style to be found in the suites, however. In fact the English Suites display a striking number of French elements, although they are more ambitious in structure and contain more counterpoint than the French Suites. According to Bach’s first biographer, Forkel, the suites were written for an English nobleman.

Programme
Engelse suite nr. 1 in A, BWV 806
Engelse suite nr. 2 in a, BWV 807
Engelse suite nr. 3 in g, BWV 808
Engelse suite nr. 4 in F, BWV 809
Engelse suite nr. 5 in e, BWV 810
Engelse suite nr. 6 in d, BWV 811

When
Thursday 11.03.2022 – 20.00 AMUZ

Festival
BACHSUITESinPRIMETIME

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart versus Luigi Boccherini

Luigi Boccherini was the man who made the string quintet popular in Europe in the second half of the 18th century. It is not so much the addition of an extra instrument that makes this genre so interesting, but rather the texture that shifts from chamber music to more of an orchestral richness, and Boccherini achieved this with resounding success. Mozart’s String Quintet in D major, KV 593, has an exceptional polyphonic tension that heralds his final period of extreme creativity. Among the six string quintets Mozart wrote, the String Quintet KV 515 is an absolute masterpiece. You will hear intense contrasts in sound colour that are sure to leave a lasting impression.

Programme
W.A. Mozart: String quintet in C major for two violins, two violas and cello, KV 515 | String quintet for two violins, two violas and cello KV 593 | L. Boccherini: String quintet in B flat major for two violins, viola, cello and double bass, G 337

Performers
Amandine Beyer, Rafael Becerra, violin | Anna Puig Torné, Agnès Mauri Galik, viola | Jonathan Pesek, cello | Shuko Sugama, double bass

When
Sunday 13.03.2022 – 15.00 AMUZ

Story of a lifetime

“The brilliant Vlaams Radiokoor” – in the words of Bachtrack – creates a soundtrack for the life story of two lovers in this programme, with both contemporary music and arrangements of pop music and chansons. You will hear works including The Passing of the Year by Jonathan Dove, as a metaphor for life’s passing. The soprano Kelly Poukens portrays the female protagonist looking back on the life she has led with her love. Between the works, Stef Van Alsenoy’s surround soundscapes provide fragments and memories that aurally support the story.

Programme
J. Dove: The Passing of the Year and music by J. Cage, J. Brel, B. Mehldau, L. Ferré, L. Andriessen and others

Performers
Kelly Poukens, soprano | Koenraad Sterckx, piano | Maarten Vandenbemden, guitar | Stef Van Alsenoy, soundscape & mix | Vlaams Radiokoor | Marcus Creed, conductor

When
Thursday 17.03.2022
20.00 AMUZ

Adriaen Willaert

The tenor Tore Tom Denys aims to call attention to the vocal polyphony of the Renaissance with his new, six-member vocal ensemble, Dionysos Now! For their debut, Tore Tom Denys has returned to his roots in Roeselare, paying tribute to one of the greatest composers in history, Adriaen Willaert, who was born in his hometown. As a famous composer and renowned teacher, Willaert surrounded himself with a large circle of Italian, Flemish and Dutch students and friends. As such he can be considered the “founder of the Venetian school”, an epithet that is entirely justified. Willaert’s oeuvre is astonishingly large: 150 motets, vespers, hymns and psalms, eight masses, chansons and madrigals. You will hear works including Missa Mittit ad virginem, a mass that has never yet been performed. As a fellow citizen of Roeselare, Tore Tom Denys intends to help preserve Willaert’s legacy. In 2022, 460 years after Adriaen Willaert’s death, Dionysos Now! aims to create a contemporary record of his most striking signature works.

Performers
Terry Wey, altus | Bernd Fröhlich, Jan Petryka, Julian Podger, tenor | Tim Scott Whiteley, bariton | Joachim Höchbauer, bass | Tore Tom Denys, tenor & artistic direction

Thursday 24.03.2022 – 20.00 AMUZ

Heinrich Schütz: Musikalische Exequien

Heinrich Schütz was the most important composer in the German-speaking world before Johann Sebastian Bach. We will be commemorating the 350th anniversary of his death on 6 November 2022. Schütz’ work is part of Ensemble Polyharmonique’s core repertoire. With many concerts and its acclaimed recording of Geistliche Chor-Music (1648), the ensemble has demonstrated that the combination of rhetorical singing and a poetic, sensual sonority makes Heinrich Schütz’ music powerfully evocative even today. The Musikalische Exequien form the crux of this concert programme. Schütz composed this masterpiece in 1635/36 to mark the death of his duke, Henry the Posthumous of Reuss. The programme offers us a glimpse of a state of mind upheld by Renaissance humanism that continues to fascinate us today: the awareness of one’s own transience and the belief that people go to another world after death. The German Ensemble Polyharmonique presents the music of the early Baroque at the most prestigious concert halls and can be heard at AMUZ for the very first time.

Programme
T. Michael: Selig sind die Toten | J.H. Schein: Threnus – Ich will schweigen | J. Vierdanck: Meine Harfe ist zur Klage geworden | H. Schütz: Musikalische Exequien SWV 279-281 | Ch. Bernhard: Wie der Hirsch schreiet | M. Praetorius: Nun bitten wir den heiligen Geist | H.L. Hassler: Herzlich lieb hab ich dich, o Herr

Performers
Magdalene Harer, Joowon Chung, soprano | Piotr Olech, altus | Johannes Gaubitz, Christopher Renz, tenor | Matthias Lutze, Cornelius Uhle, bass | Juliane Laake, violone | Klaus Eichhorn, organ | Alexander Schneider, altus & artistic leader

When
Friday 25.03.2022 – 20.00 AMUZ

Four-handed dances with Brahms and Schubert

Piano duo Jan Vermeulen & Veerle Peeters present a cheerful programme of the best dance music by Brahms and Schubert. The piano duet played by four hands on one instrument is among the most delicate genres of chamber music. It requires absolute unity in terms of touch, timing, emotion and interpretation. Vermeulen and Peeters have spent years travelling a fascinating road together, with countless CD recordings along the way. “This sparkling and vigorous performance makes the players’ vision clear, but also leaves space for the listener’s imagination”, wrote Luister magazine. Expect swinging duets!

Programme
F. Schubert: 6 Polonaisen, D 824 | 4 Ländler, D 814 | J. Brahms: 16 Waltzes, opus 39 | 8 Hungarian dances

Performers
Jan Vermeulen & Veerle Peeters, fortepiano (Tröndlin, 1825) & piano (Bösendorfer, 1850)

When
Sunday 27.03.2022 – 15.00 AMUZ