Building a lira da braccio
The adventure of the Atelier de Musique Ancienne de Gruyères continues, with a focus for summer 2013 (August 18-25) on the Italian Renaissance, the era of the great Leonardo da Vinci.
Not only was Leonardo able to hear the music featured on this year's program, but he most likely accompanied it himself on that leading instrument of the 1450-1500s: the "lira da braccio", a hybrid ancestor of the violin and the viola, which he played to accompany the poems and songs of the time.
Two concerts will bring Italian Renaissance music back to life: on Saturday 24th, the French ensemble Il Ballo, led by Leonardo Loredo de Sà, will present a program of music from the court of Mantua. The Sunday 25th concert will feature a young ensemble from Basel, Au joly boys, led by Ziv Braha.
Set up as it is every year at the Château de Gruyères, this year's lutherie workshop will see the birth of a "lira da braccio", under the direction of guest luthier Christian Rault (France).
Finally, in a nod to Atelier 2012, a retrospective exhibition on the viol top built last year at the Château will be on display at the Calvaire de Gruyères for the duration of the event.
More info: www.anselmus.ch
