Programs
Renaissance Gateways (Creation underway)
Not only did 15th-century cities witness enormous social, political, and cultural upheavals; they were also places of concentrated power that utilized art as a means to project authority and influence. Princes across the realms sought to become patrons of the arts and exhibited their artistic preeminence in order to establish prestige. From Florence to Granada by way of Paris, London, and the Low Countries, this program brings the listener on a picturesque and vibrant voyage, a reflection of the many esthetics which shaped Europe as we know it today.
The great conflagration
In 1392, with France finally enjoying a brief period of peace in the midst of its years-long conflict with England, King Charles VI experienced an attack of psychosis, the first episode of a terrible mental illness that would dominate his adult life. Premiered on the 600th anniversary of Charles VI’s death, this program combines remarkable music with rare, captivating texts to immerse spectators in this unfamiliar moment in time, a period whose challenges and conundrums remain profoundly contemporary.
The perfect dancing
Has there ever been a culture that hasn't explored the ritual, social, sacred, or simply jubilant act of joining music and physical movement? Dancing has been a universal and timeless activity throughout the history of mankind, and Occidental dance's earliest steps are the focus of this programme. Into the Winds gleefully explores a great variety of spaces and aesthetics and reveal the timelessness of this art more than ever.
Gothic Breath
Fully immerse yourself in the sonic universe of Europe’s late Middle Ages and early Renaissance with this program featuring the fascinating timbres of historical winds and percussion. Copies of historical instruments, their brilliant colors and sounds, transport you through the centuries to visit a captivating musical world mixing intimacy with extravagance, tumult with serenity, and moments of celebration with periods of contemplation…