Aventure - Ensemble for Medieval Music

Christopher Kale – tenor

Marco Magalhães, Fumitaka Saito, Ita Hijmans – recorders

“Cranc, Onzeker, Broos”

A Song cycle from the Gruuthuse Manuscript (c. 1400) and instrumental arrangements

“Fragile is our existence, void and uncertain.“

This holds true for all times and certainly ours, where climate crisis, fragile ecosystems and war show our human futility and uncertain future.

In the heart of the Gruuthuse Manuscript (c.1400) two laments are framed by three Marian songs. Hope, grief, comfort, acceptance and resignation resound in the language of the late Middle Ages. Mary, a rose full of heavenly dew, is the key. The laments sing of the mournful death of a beloved one and the fragility of our existence in a touching, personal manner. It is precisely that personal quality which evokes a timeless power: the Marian songs transcend the medieval rose garden. “Music” is the magic word, a universal force that gives us the courage to live our fragile lives. Virtuoso 15th-century instrumental arrangements form the medieval framework around the topicality of this timeless song cycle.

 Program:

Song cycle from the Gruuthuse Manuscript (c. 1400) and instrumental music from o.a. Manuscript Van Hulthem (1405-08); Rechterlijk Archief Helmond (c.1416); Locham Songbook (1452-60); Buxheim Organbook (c.1460) and arrangements.

TICKETS: €21 / €10 (< 30; CJP; Stadspas)

For more information and tickets: Aventure