Programs

Marian Songs from Rome

Instrumentation: 13 musicians
Voice: SSSSAATTBB
Instruments: violoncello, theorbo, organ
Duration: approx. 65 minutes

Domenico Scarlatti’s Stabat Mater is a unique, virtuoso work for 10 solo voices and basso continuo, which the composer wrote as maestro di cappella at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. In this program, Voces Suaves combines Scarlatti’s touching masterpiece of polyphony with sensitively set prayers to Our Lady by Alessandro Melani, a Roman composer who is largely unknown today. The entire selection of these wonderful Baroque pieces from Rome revolves around the complex figure of the Virgin Mary.

Jephte

Sacred music from 17th-century Rome

This programme takes the audience to Baroque Rome, where Giacomo Carissimi revolutionised the genre of the oratorio. The central piece is Carissimi’s heartbreaking 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, including the unique Domenico Mazzocchi and his astoundingly chromatic description of the Virgin searching for her child.

Distribution
Version a: 9 musicians (6 singers, theorbo, viol, organ)
Version b: 11 musicians (adding 2 violins)

Monteverdi and the Great Poets

A concert cycle

Following years of performing the wonderful madrigals of Claudio Monteverdi, Voces Suaves embarks on a three-year journey exploring the relationship between the composer and the great poets whose works he set to music. The opening installation of the cycle Is dedicated to Petrarch, the first great humanist poet, whom Monteverdi and his contemporaries greatly admired. Further programmes in the cycle focus on Torquato Tasso, Giovanni Battista Guarini, Ottavio Rinuccini and Giambattista Marino, each of whom evoked in Monteverdi a unique musical response.

The cycle is conceived as a collaboration with an actor, who will recite the poetry in the language spoken in the concert venue, bringing listeners close to Monteverdi’s poetic source
of inspiration.

Distribution
Varies from programme to programme – between 6 and 12 musicians

Versi d’Amore

Madrigals and canzonette by Giaches de Wert

For this programme, Voces Suaves delves into the extraordinary yet little-known 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 Italian, French and Spanish canzonette. This programme was recorded for Arcana and was enthusiastically received, winning the Diapason D’Or, as well as further distinctions.

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

Bach's Roots

Early Influences on the Young Master

The fantastic Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin joins forces with Voces Suaves to present music which greatly influenced Johann Sebastian Bach. Much of this music is found in the
“Altbachisches Archiv”, a collection made up primarily of works by older members of the Bach family. The music of late 17th-century Germany still captivates listeners today with its
emotional power and shows us the impressive soundscape which shaped the music of Johann Sebastian Bach.

Collaboration with Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin

Distribution
18 or 22 musicians (8 or 12 singers, orchestra of 10 instrumentalists)

Israelsbrünnlein

The famous motet collection by Johann Hermann Schein

« 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
the musical heritages of both Northern and Southern Europe. The programme was conceived around the 400th anniversary of this publication in 2023. To celebrate this occasion, Voces Suaves dives into Schein’s musical fountain and presents a multi-faceted selection from this unique collection, which is both virtuosic and highly emotive.

Distribution
9 musicians (6 singers, theorbo, viol, organ)

Monteverdi: Marienvesper

Instrumentation
In collaboration with the ensemble Concerto Scirocco
23 musicians (10 voices, 13 instruments)

To celebrate its 10th anniversary, the ensemble Voces Suaves is taking on the task of performing Claudio Monteverdi’s magnificent Vespro della Beata Vergine. The work is one of the milestones in the history of music: the old and new musical languages of the time intermingle, virtuoso solo and large polyphonic pieces are juxtaposed. In addition, the work requires a lavish orchestration of voices and instruments. There is no better partner for the performance of this masterpiece than the ensemble Concerto Scirocco, with whom Voces Suaves has already recorded two critically acclaimed CDs. The Marian Vespers will be conducted by the charismatic Italian conductor Marco Mencoboni.

Love and War

Madrigals by Claudio Monteverdi

Claudio Monteverdi’s madrigals show the incredible transformation of music around 1600, a shift in which the composer was a main protagonist. Stretching the genre of the madrigal in both form and content, Monteverdi brought about a new musical period which we now call the «Baroque». The programme follows this historic musical metamorphosis by presenting some of the most beautiful madrigals in Monteverdi’s œuvre, culminating with works from his eighth book (1638), “Madrigali guerrieri et amorosi”, in which the composer calls upon an instrumental ensemble and intertwines solo passages with powerful tutti sections.

Collaboration with Capricornus Consort Basel

Distribution
12 musicians (7 singers, 2 violins, theorbo, viol, organ)

From England with Love

Music by Byrd, Dowland, Weelkes and their contemporaries

This intimate programme focuses on three great English composers: Thomas Weelkes. William Byrd and John Dowland, on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of their deaths. 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 works—Byrd’s delightful consort songs and Weelkes’ chromatic madrigals, alongside the delighful music of the greatest singer songwriter of Elizabethan England: John Dowland.

Distribution
6 musicians (5 singers, 1 lute)

Membra Jesu Nostri

Music by Dietrich Buxtehude

The cantata cycle Membra Jesu Nostri by Dietrich Buxtehude is one of the most unique sacred works of the Baroque. It defies a clear definition: rather than narrating the story of
the crucifixion as the passions do, it reflects on this heartbreaking scene, combining biblical texts with medieval poetry. Buxtehude’s music beautifully depicts devotion and love in alternating sinfonias, polyphonic vocal sections and solos for each of the five singers. This programme marks the first collaboration between Voces Suaves and the acclaimed
instrumental ensemble Gli Incogniti, led by violinist Amandine Beyer, who will also play two of Buxtehude’s innovative trio sonatas. Together, the two ensembles offer an intimate and expressive reading of this unique masterpiece.

Collaboration with Ensemble Gli incogniti

Distribution
12 musicians (5 singers, 7 instrumentalists)

Arian | nairA – Looking for Caterina

A musical-theatrical adaptation of the life story of Caterina Martinelli, singer and muse of Claudio Monteverdi.

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