Intimate baroque in Gruyères
The 2014 edition of the Atelier de Musique Ancienne de Gruyères, to be held from August 24 to 31, will be entirely devoted to intimate Baroque, that of melody accompanied by theorbo, viola da gamba and harp, in English and Italian repertoire from the early 17th century.
The 12th Atelier de Musique Ancienne de Gruyères will take you back to 1600, on a journey to the heart of intimate Baroque melody accompanied by theorbo, viola da gamba and harp, in 17th-century English and Italian repertoire. Often preferred to the harpsichord for its mellow sound and deep resonance, the theorbo is a large accompanying lute to which numerous long bass strings have been added: it appeared with the birth of opera, and marks the birth of a declamatory style turned towards the exacerbated expression of feelings and states of mind.
The first concert of the festival will feature Italian music from the time of Monteverdi, with the Ensemble La Gioannina (France), on Friday August 29: the voice of singer Françoise Masset will be accompanied by a large theorbo, often called a chitarrone in Italy at the time, which will find its place in the great hall of the Château de Gruyères, where this concert will take place. Incipient Baroque, but also a world coming to an end, that of the Renaissance, on the program of the last two concerts: music from England, starting with the emblematic melodies of Henry Lawes, the poet-musician, which tenor Jeffrey Thompson and the Ensemble La Rêveuse (France) will perform on Saturday August 30; to close this 2014 edition, the great viol family, complete with bass, tenor, taille, dessous du dessus and dessus, and even with a few cousins, lute, cistre, bandora, ottavino... will present Anthony Holborne's intimate repertoire performed by the Ensemble L'Achéron (Luxembourg), on Sunday August 31 at the church of Gruyères, a concert broadcast live by Espace 2.
Violin-making workshop for the Venetian theorbo
The traditional lutherie workshop - the soul of the festival - will see the creation of a theorbo, nothing less than a replica of a great Venetian model from 1650, under the guidance of English luthier David van Edwards. A fine challenge for the trainees, as always under the eyes of the public.
Finally, in a nod to Atelier 2013, a retrospective exhibition on the lira da braccio built last year at the Château will be on show at the Calvaire de Gruyères for the duration of the event.
More info: www.anselmus.ch
