In the years 1575-77, Venice was struck by a plague of unusual violence, killing a third of the population in just two years. To stave off the plague which the Venetians felt was caused by the wrath of God, they began already in 1575 with the construction of the beautiful Chiesa del Redentore. At the consecration of this church and at later ceremonies, music by the best composers linked to St Mark’s, such as Andrea and Giovanni Gabrieli, was performed. Some of these works can be heard on the present recording. Furthermore, the American composer Robert Kyr was commissioned to contribute a new work intended to create a musical and emotional link between the plague in the 16th as well as the pandemic in the 21st centuries: Vigil: Darkness into light, is a bridge from our days to the music of the Renaissance.

This evocative music is presented by the outstanding singers and instrumentalists of the ensemble Concerto Palatino, including Hana Blažíková, Alex Potter and Veronika Skuplik, under the direction of Bruce Dickey.

Booklet: EN, FR, DE

Lyrics: LAT/EN/IT, EN

From the budding blossoms of first love and the heat of passion, to when feelings subside and fade away, “the seasons of love” are the overarching theme of this programme of madrigali concertati by three notable members of the Venetian school: Biagio Marini, Giovanni Rovetta and Giovanni Valentini. The madrigals on this recording exemplify the new musical aesthetic of affetti and the seasons of nature are mirrored by the stages of love experienced by the lyrical hero. The ever-changing vocal and instrumental forces of up to six singers and seven instrumentalists lend colourful variety to the recording as it progresses from primavera, estate, autunno and inverno through the seasons of love.

As a prelude to the “seasons of love”, ensemble member and soprano Hana Blažíková sings Marini’s doleful lament Le Lagrime d’Erminia.

Since its inaugural concert of continuo anthems by Purcell in 2013, under artistic director Fritz Krämer the professional ensemble BERNVOCAL has become a fixture in the Swiss early music scene and beyond thanks to its performances of Renaissance and Baroque vocal repertoire.

Booklet: EN, FR, DE

Lyrics: IT, EN

During the height of its popularity, from the mid-16th century into the 18th, the cornetto was frequently depicted in art as an instrument of angels. Paintings, sculptures, and engravings abound in which the cornetto takes a prominent place among choirs of angelic musicians, usually paired with at least one voice and with other instruments such as the organ, viol, lute, harp, violin and trombone.

For this project Bruce Dickey and Hana Blažíková take the image of angel musicians as a point of departure for an aural journey ranging from 1600 to the present day. From sacred monodies and motets of the early 1600s to opera arias from the end of the century, via a brief diversion to Erik Satie, we arrive at two specially commissioned contemporary works, all the while focussing on the angelic and radiant pairing of the cornetto with the human voice.

Booklet: EN, FR, DE

Lyrics: EN/LAT/IT/FR, EN

Concerto Palatino proposes a program centered on the ideas of Johannes Kepler and the music of his lifetime. Taking Tui sunt coeli by Orlando di Lasso as a point of departure the group explores other polyphonic and polychoral music of Lasso and his contemporaries (Andrea Gabrieli, Lambert de Sayve, Hans Leo Hassler, etc.). In addition, they commissioned a new work for the project by the renowned composer Calliope Tsoupaki. Her new piece is called ASTRON (to the stars) and is based on a Delphic Hymn.

For this project, Concerto Palatino was joined by a truly “star-studded” lineup of singers: Hana Blažíková and Barbora Kabátková, sopranos; Alex Potter, countertenor; Benedict Hymans and Jan van Elsacker, tenor; Tomáš Kral, baritone; and Jaromir Nosek, bass.

Booklet: EN, FR, DE

Lyrics: LAT, EN

Lyrics: EN