Artists

Charles Daniels, tenor

Julie Rivest, violin
Étienne Asselin, cornetto
Maximilien Brisson, trombone
Margaret Little, viola da gamba
Christophe Gauthier, organ/harpsichord

Programme

In the midst of the Thirty Years’ War, Lutheran composers from Saxony created music that was both spare and deeply expressive. This program presents these works born of adversity, stretched between pain and hope. This programme explores the rich musical heritage of Magdeburg, Leipzig and Dresden, three cultural beacons of Lutheran Germany.

A central figure of this musical landscape, Heinrich Schütz is often called the “father” of German music. Following studies in Venice with Giovanni Gabrieli and Claudio Monteverdi, he introduced the Lutheran space to the Italian concertato style. This new language, built upon basso continuo and the expressive dialogue between solo voices and instruments, profoundly marks an entire generation of Saxon composers, among whom Johann Hermann Schein, Andreas Hammerschmidt and Samuel Michael, all influenced by this fusion of Italian lyricism and Lutheran rigor.

Lack of musicians, instruments or financial resources; the war brings great hardship to musical practice at the time. But far from limiting the creativity of these composers, these difficulties push them to use extraordinary ingenuity. With reduced musical forces and modest means, they write music of great emotional power, and of remarkably expressive sobriety, where each and every note counts.

For this concert, the Consort laurentien has the pleasure of welcoming two legendary artists: tenor Charles Daniels and violist Margaret Little.