12 September, 7 pm
Šv. Kotrynos bažnyčioje, Vilniaus g. 30, Vilniuje
Tenebrae Responsoria
Carlo Gesualdo’s Responsories for Good Friday and Holy Saturday
Graindelavoix (Belgium), director Björn Schmelzer
Florencia Menconi, Teodora Tommasi, Razek-François Bitar, Albert Riera, Andrés Miravete, Marius Peterson, Adrian Sirbu, Arnout Malfliet.The Passion-Responsories, written by Carlo Gesualdo (1566–1613) towards the end of his life, are believed to be an expression of the composer’s feeling of crushing guilt towards the grave sins of his past (murder) – and at the same time, his feeling of victimisation, expressed through his own identification with the excruciating suffering of Christ himself. Regardless of the context, Gesualdo will always remain in the collective memory as a unique personality, perpetually surrounded by darkness. His music explores soundscapes that are unusual, and very often uncomfortable to the ears of those used to the serenity with which some would want to connect the music of the Renaissance.
In their long musical activity, Björn Schmelzer and his ensemble Graindelavoix have seriously shaken the audience’s image of how Mediaeval and Renaissance vocal music should sound, and have set an important milestone in our understanding of this musical universe. Their interpretation of Gesualdo’s Tenebrae embraces the darkness surrounding this composer, and fascinates through its consistency and value without compromise.
* Here you can download the concert programme.
