AlbaGorka

» Programme Overview

» Soloists

» Amandine Beyer (Violin)

» Lucile Boulanger (Viola da Gamba)

1) ABel-BAch

Carl Friedrich ABEL (1723-1787)

Solos in D major: Vivace (WK 190) [Adagio] – (WK 187) Tempo di Minuet (WK 200) – Fuga

(WK 196)

Johann Sebastian BACH (1685-1750)

Präludium for the lute (BWV 999) – Bourée Anglaise for the flute (BWV 1013)

Carl Friedrich ABEL

Solos in d minor: [Arpeggio] (WK 205) – Andante (WK 206)

Johann Sebastian BACH

Grave for the violin or the harpsichord (BWV 1003/964) – Allegro for the violin (BWV 1003)

Johann Sebastian BACH

Suite in D major: Preludio for the keyboard (BWV 846/846a) – Allemande for the cello (BWV 1012) – Courante for the cello (BWV 1009) – Sarabande for the cello (BWV 1012) – Gavottes for the cello (BWV 1012)

Carl Friedrich ABEL:

Solos in d minor: Adagio (WK 209) – [Moderato] (WK 208)

2) Forqueray L’Italien

With Pierre Gallon, harpsichord/ Claire Gautrot, basse de viole / Romain Falik, theorbo

Michele Mascitti: Libro primo, Sonata II

Antoine Forqueray: La Leclair (IIe Suite)

Jean-Marie Leclair: Quatrième Livre, oeuvre IX, Sonata 2

Robert de Visée: La Muzette, “de Mr Fourcroy mise par Mr de Visée” (théorbe seul)

Arcangelo Corelli: Sonate III, opus V

Antoine Forqueray: IVe Suite

Jean-Baptiste Antoine Forqueray, le Fils: Chaconne La Morangis ou la Plissay (IIIe Suite)

3) Back to the future

Suite d-Moll:

Sieur Dubuisson: Prélude aus dem « Krakauer Manuskript »

Nicolas Hotman or Hauttemant: Ballet – Courante et ses variations – Sarabande et sa variation – Gigue et ses variations

Marin Marais: « Pièces de Viole IVe livre » 1717L’Arabesque

Suite g-Moll:

Sieur Demachy: « Pièces de Violle* »: Prélude

Marin Marais: « Premier livre de Pièces de Viole » : Sarabande – Gigue

Philippe Hersant (*1948) : « L’ombre d’un doute » 2008

Sieur de Sainte Colombe: Suite d-Moll aus dem « Manuskript von Tournus »

Marin Marais: « Pièces de Viole IVe livre » : Marche Tartare, La Tartarine et son double

Philippe Hersant: « Le chemin de Jérusalem » 2003

Marin Marais: « Premier livre de Pièces de Viole » : Suite D-Dur

4) The Golden Hour

with Simon Pierre, baroque violin, and Olivier Fortin, harpsichord

Joseph Bodin de Boismortier: Sonate VI op.50 (1734)

Louis-Antoine Dornel: Sonate op.3 n3 (1713)

François Francoeur: Sonate XII, livre II (1733)

Jean-Féry Rebel: Sonate 4 livre II (1713)

Jean-Marie Leclair: Sonate I, opus 4 (1732)

Antoine Forqueray: Pièces de viole (1747) – Le Carillon de Passy, La Leclair

Jean-Philippe Rameau: Troisième concert, Pièces de clavecin en Concerts (1741): La Lapoplinière, La Timide, Tambourin

5) Trilogue

With Francois Lazarevitch, flute and Justin Taylor, harpsichord

Works by Leclair, Couperin, Rameau, Philippe Hersant (1948), Vincent Bouchot (1966) and Gérard Pesson (1958)

» Pierre Hantaï (Harpsichord)

» Leila Schayegh (Violin)

Solo / duo:

Wege zu Bach – Works for solo violin

J.P. Westhoff: Partita VI D-Dur
H.I.F. Biber: Passacaglia
J.G. Pisendel: Sonata für Violine allein a-moll
J.S. Bach: Partita für Violine allein d-moll BWV 1004

Bach – Biber

with Jörg Halubek or Sebastian Wienand, harpsichord

H.I.F. Biber: Rosenkranzsonate no II
J.S. Bach: Sonate BWV 1015 A-Dur
H.I.F. Biber: Rosenkranzsonate no VI
J.S. Bach: Sonate BWV 1018 f-moll
H.I.F. Biber: Rosenkranzsonate no X
J.S. Bach: Sonate BWV 1016 E-Dur
H.I.F. Biber: Rosenkranzsonate no XII
J.S. Bach: Sonate BWV 1019 G-Dur

Bach and sons

with Jörg-Andreas Böttcher, harpsichord

Johann Sebastian Bach: Sonate in c-Moll für Cembalo und Violine, BWV 1017
Wilhelm Friedemann Bach: Polonaise 8 in e-Moll Andante F 12/8
Wilhelm Friedemann Bach: Sonata per Violino e Cembalo in H-Dur (BR-WFB B-Inc. 19)
Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach: Solfeggio in D-Dur 30’’
Johann Ernst Bach: Sonata für das Clavier und eine Violine,
Wilhelm Friedemann Bach: Polonaise 2 in c-Moll Andante Fk 12/2
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach: Sonate c-Moll für Cembalo und Violine in c-Moll Wq 78

With La Centifolia

Apothéose

A. Corelli: Sonata op 1 no XII (Amsterdam 1713)
L. Couperin: L’Apothéose de Corelli (Paris, 1726)
J.-F Rebel: Tombeau de Monsr. de Lully, Sonate en trio no 7 (Paris, 1695)
L. Couperin: L’Apothéose de Lulli (Paris, 1725)
L. Couperin: La Paix du Parnasse – Sonade en Trio

2 violins, viola da gamba, lute/theorbo, harpsichord

Farina

Steffan Nau: Fantasia Steffan Nau (Violine solo)
Carlo Farina: Sonata La Farina
Michelangelo Rossi: Toccata VII (Cembalo solo) aus Toccate e corenti d’intavolatura d’organo e ecimbalo (1657)
Carlo Farina: Sonata La Marina
Anonymus: Viel trawer in mein hertzen (Gambe solo)
Carlo Farina: Sonata La Desperata
Pietro Paolo Melli: Capriccio Cromatico (Laute solo)
Carlo Farina: Sonata La fiama
Michelangelo Rossi: Toccata IV (Cembalo solo)
Carlo Farina: Sonata La Bolognesa
Frantz ( ?): Fantasia Frantz (Violine solo)
Carlo Farina: Sonata la Franzosina

Leila Schayegh, violin
Jonathan Pesek, Basse de violon
Daniele Caminiti, archilute
Jörg Halubek, harpsichord and organ

» Ensembles

» Gli Incogniti (Ensemble)

» Helsinki Baroque Orchestra (Ensemble)

1) Paradise Lost
Buxtehude – Reincken – Monteverdi – Marini
Ana Vieira Leite, soprano
Helsinki Baroque Orchestra
8 performers

Music from North and South, an opulent programme reflecting vanity, guilt, humankind’s past and future. Music was the only art supported by Lutheranism to express the kind of religious fervour found in the Roman Catholic Church. Darkness and light alternate in a magically Nordic manner.

April 2025

2) Cartellieri: Rübezahl (1801, Königsberg)
Elisabeth Breuer, Patrick Grahl, Johannes Weisser
Budapest Purcell Choir
Helsinki Baroque Orchestra
dir. Aapo Häkkinen
75 performers
Cartellieri was more successful than his contemporary Beethoven, however he died young and was quickly forgotten. Rübezahl – the magical subject of German, Polish and Czech folklore – represents the first time Cartellieri’s operas are heard since his time.

touring October 2025

3) Bach
Brandenburg Concerto V in D major, BWV 1050
Violin Concerto in D minor, BWV 1052R
Harpsichord Concerto in D major, BWV 1054
Orchestral Suite in B minor, BWV 1067
Helsinki Baroque Orchestra
Aapo Häkkinen, harpsichord
dir. Leila Schayegh, violin

touring November 2025

4) Bach: Brandenburg Concertos (complete)
Helsinki Baroque Orchestra
dir. Shunske Sato, violin
23 performers

touring February 2026

5) Queen Christina’s World
Kateryna Kasper, soprano
dir. Cecilia Bernardini, violin
Helsinki Baroque Orchestra
15 performers
Queen Christina, a fascinating, controversial and very ‘modern’ figure, played an important role in the history of Finland. Her story will be presented from the point of view of 19th-century Finnish author Zachris Topelius, whose novel ‘Stjärnornas kungabarn’ (The Royal Children of the Stars) deals with Christina, and more generally, with pacifism and women’s education. Excerpts of the original novel will be presented in the language of the audience.
Ukrainian-German soprano Kateryna Kasper will join forces with Cecilia Bernardini, associate artistic director of the Freiburger Barockorchester.

touring September 2026

6) Koželuch: Giuditta (1792, Wien)
Arnold Schoenberg Chor
Helsinki Baroque Orchestra
dir. Aapo Häkkinen
80 performers
Modern premiere of Koželuch’s dazzling dramma sacro in three acts, still described as ‘lost’ in his list of works!

touring December 2026

7) Bach: Harpsichord Concertos
Pierre Hantaï & Aapo Häkkinen, harpsichord
Helsinki Baroque Orchestra
7 performers
Kleine Besetzung, maximaler Groove: Die fünf Streicher vom Helsinki Baroque Orchestra, dessen Cembalo spielender Leiter Aapo Häkkinen und der französische Meistercembalist Pierre Hantaï brachten eine überschäumende Energie in die Aula der Göttinger Universität. Mit Präzision, enormer Spielfreude, aber auch ausgefeilter Delikatesse musizierte die aufeinander eingeschworene Gemeinschaft. Und optisch prägnant waren die jungen Finnen überdies: Ein elfenhaftes Wesen umschmeichelte das Cello, während ein mit Piratentuch und Lederhose aufgemachter Bratschist grimmig dreinblickte.
–Georg Pepl, Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung
The recording of complete concertos for two harpsichords by J.S. Bach (BWV 1060–1062) received a Diapason d’or de l’année in 2018. They can be combined with other works such as the concertos for three and four harpsichords – already crowned with another Diapason d’or – or with chamber music by Bach’s predecessors such as Kirchoff and Reincken.
Pierre Hantaï & Aapo Häkkinen

touring 2025–26

8) Monteverdi – Third Practice
Núria Rial, Topi Lehtipuu
Tero Saarinen Company
Helsinki Baroque Orchestra
14 performers (singers, instrumentalists, dancers)

touring 2025–26

» Kitgut Quartet (String quartet)

» La Centifolia (Ensemble)

Händel sakral und profan

Georg Friedrich Händel (1685-1759)
Ouverture zu Rodelinda (London 1724)

Aus Tamerlano (London 1724):
Arie Forte e lieto
Concerto Grosso HWV 315, F-Dur, I. Ouverture
Arie Figlia mia
Concerto Grosso HWV 315, II. Andante – III. Allegro

Aus Rodelinda:
Arie Pastorello d’un povero armento
Concerto Grosso HWV 315, IV. Minuet I&II
Arie Tuo drudo è mio rivale

*******************

Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767):

Concerto in e-moll für Violine, 2 Oboen, Streicher und bc TWV53e:2

Georg Friedlich Händel Aus dem Oratorium Samson (London 1743):
Arie Total Eclipse
Arie Thus when the sun

Aus dem Oratorium Jephtha (London, 1752):
Ouverture
Rezitativ Deeper, and deeper still
Arie Hide thou thy hated beams
Rezitativ A father
Arie Waft her angels, though the skies

Christoph Prégardien, tenor*
La Centifolia, violin and direction: Leila Schayegh
*in cooperation with Karsten Witt Musikmanagement

With Leila Schayegh, violin and concertmaster

Apothéose

Leila Schayegh, Eva Saladin, violins
Rebeka Rusó, Viola da Gamba
Juan Sebastian Lima, lute / theorbe
Johannes Keller, harpsichord

Farina

Leila Schayegh, violins
Jonathan Pesek, Basse de violon
Daniele Caminiti, archilute
Jörg Halubek, harpsichord and organ

» L’Orfeo Barockorchester (Ensemble)

« Schubertiade »
F. Schubert: Sinfonie Nr. 8 C-Dur D 944 „Große C-Dur“
Sinfonie Nr. 7 h-Moll D 759 „Unvollendete“
36 musicians

« Natur und Schöpfung »
J.-F. Rebel: Les Élémens, Symphonie de danse
A.Vivaldi : Konzert für Sopranino, Streicher und B.c. op. 10 Nr. 3 in D-dur RV 428 »Il Gardellino«
J.-P. Rameau : Suite aus Zaïs, ballet heroïque
22 musicians

« Aufbruch und Ausblick »
J. P. Rameau: Suiten aus den Bühnenwerken:
Zoroastre (Erstfassung, Paris, Académie royale de musique 1749)
Les Indes galantes (Paris, Académie Royale de Musique et Danse 1735)
C.P.E. Bach: Sinfonie D-Dur Wq 183,1 / H 663
26 musicians

« Bach und Piazzolla » – period in autumn 2024
with The Wave – Bogdan Bacanu and Christoph Sietzen, marimbas
J.S. Bach: Konzert f-Moll für Cembalo, Streicher und B.c. BWV 1056, bearb. für 2 Marimbas und Orchester
Konzert d-Moll für 2 Violinen, Streicher und B.c. BWV 1043 (Leipzig, um 1730/31?)
A. Piazzolla : aus: Tango Suite für 2 Gitarren (1984) bearbeitet für 2 Marimbas, I. Allegro, libero – Lento, molto cantabile – Tempo I
C.P.E. Bach: Sinfonie C-Dur Wq 182,3 / H 659
A. Piazzolla aus: Tango Suite, II. Andante rubato, melancolico – Adagio, molto rubato
J.S. Bach: Konzert d-Moll für Cembalo, Streicher und B.c. BWV 1052, bearb.für 2 Marimbas und Orchester
26 musicians

Programmes with Dorothee Mields, Soprano

« Le Retour de la Paix »
G.P.Telemann: Sinfonie (Sonata) e-moll für 2 Oboen, 2 Violinen, 2 Violen und B.c. TWV 50:4
M. Pignolet de Montéclair: „Le Retour de la Paix“ aus: Cantates à voix seule – Premier Livre für Sopran, Streicher und B.c.
A. Vivaldi: Concerto c-Moll RV 441 für Flauto dolce, Streicher und B.c.
A. Scarlatti: Cantata pastorale per la natività di Nostro Signore „O di Betlemme altera“ für Sopran, Streicher und B.c.
15 musicians

« Himmlische Vergnügsamkeit » – Bach Cantatas
J.S. Bach: 1.Orchestersuite in C-Dur
„Ich habe genug “ BWV 82a in der Fassung für Sopran und Traversflöte
Konzert A-Dur für Oboe d’amore, Streicher und B.c. BWV 1055
„Ich bin in mir vergnügt “ BWV 204
15 musicians

« Règne, Amour »
With Dorothee Mields or Anders Dahlin, Haute-contre
J.-P. Rameau : Suiten u. Arien aus Dardanus, tragédie lyrique (1739) und Pigmalion, acte de ballet (1748)
Ca. 24 musicians

Bach Cantatas with Peter Kooij (bass) and Margot Oitzinger (contralto)
J.S. Bach : „Ich habe genug“ BWV 82 (bass solo )
„Gott soll allein mein Herze haben“ BWV 169 or „Widerstehe doch der Sünde“ BWV 54(both conralto solo)
Instrumental: Konzert (violine, harpsichord, oboe d’amore….) tbd.
„Der Friede sei mit dir “ BWV 158 (bass solo)
17 musicians

J.S. Bach Christmas Oratorio (and childrens concert) – Availability 13th – 23th December 2024 with Dorothee Mields (soprano), Peter Kooij (bass), Margot Oitzinger (contralto) and Collegium Vocale Salzburg, tenor t.b.d.
Ca. 50 musicians

» The Curious Bards (Ensemble)

„NORDIC SOUNDS“
Alte Musik aus Skandinavien

Polonesse n°74

Spelaren

Polonesse

Bruredansen/ Paalsdans/ Paalsdans

Huldra å ‚en Elland

Vals

Konung Eric och Spåkvinnan

Springedans

Pollonoise n°9

Frieras a Ongkar’n te Gjente

Västanmadspolskan

Madame Trifes Liri e Dans

Necken

Polsdans

Suite of 3 norwegian tunes:
Englis n°2 / Riil / Riil

Signe Lita

Polsdans

Polska

Grannas Lasse! Klang på lyran

„By Moonlight on the Green“

Mit Ilektra Platiopoulou, Mezzosopran

Set of 3 irish airs:
Robbin Powers Fancy
Miss Douglas Brigton’s Jigg
Cosey’s Jigg

Katerine Oggie

Set of 3 scottish airs:
The Honorable Miss Rollo’s Reel
Drunken Friday
Kelo House

Tears of Scotland

Set of 3 scottish airs:
Miss Clementina Sarah Drummond of Perth
The Marquis of Huntley’s Farewell
Mr Moore’s Strathspey

Jackie Latin

Fanny Dillon

Set of 3 irish airs:
Morepeth Rant
The Cruskeen Lawn
N°2

By moonlight on the green

Miss Noble – Turlough O’Carolan

One bottle more

Set of 3 irish airs:
Huntingtone Castle
I have a Wife o‘ my ain
Hey me Nancy

Mable Kelly

Set of 4 scottish airs:
Miss Rose of Tarlogie’s Reel
Colonel Mc Beans Reel
Mr Reid’s Reel
Anonyme

Old Towler

„The Bard’s pocket companion“

Set of 3 irish airs
Robbin Powers Fancy (1804)
Miss Douglas Brigton’s Jigg (1789)
Cosey’s Jigg (1790)

Set of 4 scottish airs
Scots lament (1747)
Miss Preston Ferntons Reel (1789)
Miss Johnstons Reel (1788)
The Countis of London’s Reel (1789)

Set of 2 irish airs
A bottle of Clarrett (1782)
The Humours of Kilkenny (1781)

Fy Gar (1732)

Set of 2 scottish airs
The Highlander’s farewell (1786)
Jackie Latin (1773)

John Hays Bonny Lassie (1730)

Set of 3 scottish airs
The Honorable Miss Rollo’s Reel (1789)
Drunken Friday (1796)
Kelo House (1792)

Miss Noble – Turlough O’Carolan (1780)

Set of 3 scottish airs
Miss Clementina Sarah Drummond of Perth (1789)
The Marquis of Huntley’s Farewell (1795)
Mr Moore’s Strathspey (1794)

Set of 3 scottish airs
Mr Robinson’s jig (1794)
The Humour of Ballinamult (1804)
Hopetoun House (1790)

Set of 3 irish airs
Huntingtone Castle (1789)
I have a Wife o‘ my ain (1790)
Hey me Nancy (1795)

Set of 2 irish airs
Helvic head (1804)
The Irish Washerwoman (1805)

Set of 3 scottish airs
Mr Hogert’s Hornpipe (1799)
The Captain sha’nna‘ get thee (1743)
Glenurchy Reel (1743)

Set of 3 scottish airs
The Pertshire Hunt (1797)
Mrs James Erskine of Kirkwall’s Reel (1794)
Mrs Gillespies Reel (1785)

Set of 2 scottish airs
Mari nighean Deorfa [Mary the daughter of George] (1775)
Bonny Lad lay your Pipes down (1747)

Set of 4 scottish airs
Colonel Wenys Reel (1786)
Mr Robert Adamson junior Reel (1795)
Miss Hay’s Reel (1796)
The Isla Reel (1786)

Set of 3 irish airs
Morepeth Rant (1796)
The Cruskeen Lawn (1805)
N°2 (1799)

Set of 3 scottish airs
Miss Rose of Tarlogie’s Reel (1790)
Colonel Mc Beans Reel (1780)
Mr Reid’s Reel (1790)

Anonyme (Scottish airs Manuscript, William Young, 1741)

» Voces Suaves (Vocal ensemble)

SECULAR MUSIC

Monteverdi’s Muse

The programme is dedicated to the musical relationship between the great Claudio Monteverdi and the singer Caterina Martinelli, who was his protégée and muse until her untimely death. It follows Caterina’s extraordinary and tragic life, and includes two of Monteverdi’s most moving madrigal cycles, both strongly connected with her: “Lamento d’Arianna” and “La Sestina”, the latter composed in her memory.

Distribution
10 musicians (7 singers, theorbo, viol, harp)

Migrating Madrigals

Do you think of the madrigal as an exclusively Italian genre? Think again! In this programme, ensemble Voces Suaves explores the migration of the madrigal genre across the Alps. It presents some of the most beautiful and entertaining madrigals from Renaissance Germany and England, alongside their Italian sources of influence, by composers such as Luca Marenzio, John Dowland, Heinrich Schütz and Thomas Morley.

Distribution
8 musicians (7 singers, 1 theorbo)

The Revolutionary Monteverdi

The madrigals of Claudio Monteverdi show the incredible transformation of music around 1600, of which Monteverdi was the main protagonist. Like Beethoven 200 years later, Monteverdi stretched both the form and the content of musical genres and brought about a new musical period, that we now call the Baroque. The programme follows this historic shift in musical practice by presenting some of the most beautiful madrigals of Monteverdi, from his second book of madrigals (1590) to his eighth (1638), in which Monteverdi calls upon an instrumental ensemble and intertwines long solo passages with powerful tutti sections.
With this selection of madrigals, spanning virtually the entire career of Monteverdi, Voces Suaves presents a musical monograph of a true revolutionary.

Collaboration with Capricornus Consort Basel

Distribution
11 musicians (6 singers, 2 violins, theorbo, viol, organ)

Versi d’Amore

For this programme, Voces Suaves delves into the extraordinary yet unknown oeuvre of Giaches de Wert (1535 – 1596), who perfected the genre of the Italian madrigal and was Monteverdi’s colleague and role model. The programme concentrates on Wert’s late madrigals, especially on his highly expressive settings of sonnets from Petrarch’s “Il Canzoniere” and combines them with his playful canzonettas, including some in French and Spanish. This programme was recorded for the Arcana label, and was enthusiastically received, winning the Diapason D’Or as well as further distinctions.

Distribution
9 musicians (7 singers, theorbo, baroque guitar)

From England with Love

This intimate programme focuses on two great English composers: Thomas Weelkes and William Byrd, who both died in 1623. The expressive and varied music of Weelkes is very rarely performed today, while Byrd is mostly known for his instrumental and sacred music. Ensemble Voces Suaves explores the rich heritage of their secular music: Byrd’s delightful consort songs and Weelkes’ chromatic madrigals, alongside music by two of their finest contemporaries from the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras: John Wilbye and John Dowland.

Distribution
6 musicians (5 singers, 1 lute)

La Divina Commedia

Ensemble Voces Suaves invites the audience to a a musical and spiritual journey in the three realms of the afterlife described in Dante Aligheri’s Divina Commedia. The programme, originally conceived for the 700th anniversary of Dante’s death, combines secular and sacred works. It includes rarely performed Renaissance settings of Dante’s verses alongside 20th-century works by contemporary composer Joanne Metcalf and sacred works by Gesualdo and Monteverdi, which capture the fleeting nature of human existence.

Distribution
8 musicians (7 singers, organ)

SACRED MUSIC

Jephte and other Sacred Stories

This programme takes the audience to Baroque Rome, where Giacomo Carissimi revolutionized the genre of the oratorio. The central piece is Carissimi’s heart-breaking Oratorio “Jephte”, which tells the biblical story of Jephtha’s daughter, sacrificed by her father. This condensed masterpiece is complemented by other highly expressive works by Carissimi and his Roman contemporaries, such as the unique Domenico Mazzocchi and his astoundingly chromatic description of the Virgin Mary searching for her child.

Distribution
Version 1: 9 musicians (6 singers, theorbo, viol, organ)
Version 2: 11 musicians (2 additional violins)

Musikalische Exequien

Heinrich Schütz composed the Exequien for the funeral ceremonies of Heinrich II Posthumus Reuß zu Gera, who had personally chosen the verses to be included in the work. It is, in fact, the first German Requiem”, a true and sincere expression of devotion. This masterpiece is complemented by other compositions commissioned for funerals, by composers such as Johann Hermann Schein and Johann Rosenmüller.

A highly acclaimed recording of this programme was released on the label Arcana (2021). The programme was performed internationally, including in the church in Gera where the funeral of Heinrich II took place.

Distribution
15 musicians (12 singers, theorbo, viol, organ)

Israelsbrünnlein

“Israelsbrünnlein” (The fountain of Israel) by Johann Hermann Schein is a groundbreaking collection of biblical motets written in the expressive style of the madrigal, bringing together the best of both Italian and German musical heritages. The programme was conceived around the 400th anniversary of this publication in 2023. To celebrate this occasion, Voces Suaves dives into Schein’s fountain and presents a multi-faceted selection from this unique collection, which is both virtuosic and highly emotive.

Distribution
8 musicians (5 singers, theorbo, viol, organ)

Es ist ein Ros’ entsprungen

In this programme, ensemble Voces Suaves weaves a musical garland for Christmas, with works by Italian and German composers of the 16th and 17th centuries. The programme includes festive double choir music by Venetian masters such as Baldassare Donato and Giovanni Gabrieli, alongside music by their more famous German contemporaries Michael Praetorius and Heinrich Schütz. Intertwined between them are simple sacred songs with beautiful Renaissance harmonizations, which evoke the special atmosphere of the holiday: both grand and intimate.

Distribution
13 musicians (8 singers, 5 instrumentalists)

Stabat Mater Dolorosa

Domenico Scarlatti’s “Stabat Mater” is a unique setting of the famous sequence, describing the agony of Mary upon the death of her son. Featuring a rare distribution of ten solo voices and basso continuo, it was composed while Scarlatti was maestro di cappella at St Peter’s in Rome. In this programme, Voces Suaves combines Scarlatti’s moving masterpiece with other sacred works from Rome, including the famous Miserere by Gregorio Allegri and Antonio Lotti’s Crucifixus.

Distribution
13 musicians (10 singers, organ, theorbo, viol)

Hymns to Mary: Melani and Steffani

Voces Suaves and the award-winning harpsichordist and conductor Francesco Corti invite the public to discover the Marian hymns by Alessandro Melani, an important Roman composer who is virtually unknown today. These wonderful Baroque hymns are all centered around the many-faceted figure of the Virgin Mary, in her agony and glory. The programme also includes rarely performed settings of Marian hymns by Melani’s more famous contemporaries: the Stabat Mater for 6 voices by Agostino Steffani and a Magnificat by Alessandro Scarlatti.

Distribution
18 musicians (10 singers, 8 instrumentalists)

A Nun’s Vespro

Voces Suaves presents a rarely performed Vespro della Beata Vergine by Margarita Chiara Cozzolani. The composer, singer and abbess Cozzolani was active in Milan in the 17th century, and was greatly admired for her musical abilities. The intensive musical activity in her abbey was highly appreciated by the listeners but also strongly criticized by conservative clergy men.
Cozzolani’s 1650 publication, Salmi a otto voci, includes vivid and virtuosic 8-voices settings of all the Vespres Psalms, as well as intimate motets for smaller distributions. Together they open a window on the colourful, lively and expressive music which women composed and performed in baroque Italy.

Distribution
16 musicians (8 singers, 8 instrumentalists)