17 Sept. 19:00 hr
Franciscan Church of St. John the Baptist
Xavier Diaz-Latorre (Theorb) & Furio Zanasi, (Baritone) : Caccini, La Nuove Musiche
Franciscan Church of St. John the Baptist Map
Giulio Caccini’s “Le Nuove Musiche” is not just a collection of vocal pieces; it is a bold declaration of a new musical era. Composed in 1602, these works represent the heart of the early Baroque, where music begins to dance with the emotions of the human soul in ways never before imagined. Each piece in this collection is a bridge between the polyphonic past of the Renaissance and the rich, expressive future of monody – a single voice rising above the accompaniment, weaving a tapestry of emotion.
Caccini, a visionary of his time, sought to give music the power of speech. He believed that melody should reflect the inflections of the human voice, allowing it to express the deepest feelings of the heart. In “Le Nuove Musiche”, you will hear the sweet whispers of love, the laments of pain, and the tender sighs of longing – all conveyed with a simplicity that conceals profound artistry beneath.
As you listen, let yourself be carried into a world where music is poetry, where each note is a word, and each phrase a story. Feel the weight of every emotion as it resonates within you, just as Caccini intended. In this concert, we invite you to experience the dawn of a new musical language – one that speaks directly to the soul, timeless in its beauty and power. Let “Le Nuove Musiche” move your heart, as it has done for more than four centuries.
Repertoire: Giulio Caccini, Romano (1551–1618):
CANTO PRIMO
Sfogava con le stelle
Kapsberger Capona
Vaga su spina ascosa
Tu ch’hai le penne
CANTO SECONDO
Movetevi a pietà
Kapsberger Canario
Alme luci beate
Amor ch’attendi
CANTO TERZO
Dovrò dunque
Kapsberger Toccata Arpeggiata
Vedrò il mio sol
Aura amorosa
CANTO QVARTO
Ch’io non t’ami, cor mio
Kapsberger Sferraina
Tutto il dì piango
Non ha il ciel
CANTO QVINTO
Torna deh torna
Kapsberger Collascione
Dalla porta d’oriente
THE MASTERCLASS conducted by the distinguished musician Xavier Diaz-Latorre focuses on the virtuosity of performance on early plucked string instruments, such as the Renaissance or Baroque lute, vihuela, Baroque guitar, and theorbo. Recognized for his virtuosity and interpretative versatility as well as his expertise in early music, Xavier Díaz-Latorre has gained an international reputation due to his outstanding performances and his contributions to the development of the performance environment. His evolution in early music has been marked by a ceaseless pursuit of excellence and a profound commitment to musical interpretation. As a soloist, director, and member of prestigious ensembles, including his own vocal and instrumental ensemble (Laberintos Ingeniosos), Diaz-Latorre brings rich experience and musical knowledge to his masterclasses.
With a repertoire spanning multiple continents and collaborations with top orchestras and chamber ensembles, his expertise is unparalleled in the field of early music. In this masterclass, participants will have the privilege of interacting with his profound understanding of historically documented performance practices, interpretation styles, and improvisation techniques. Through a blend of instructive guidance and introspective dialogue, he will illuminate the complexity of early music, allowing participants to deepen their understanding and appreciation of this rich musical heritage.
THE MASTERCLASS
On historical dance. Dance has long been a hallmark of sophisticated society. Renaissance dance theorists revered it as the pinnacle of individual artistic expression, a means to reflect inner beauty and the harmony of celestial order. In this era, strict social norms dictated formal dance occasions, allowing for personal connection and bodily expression. However, reconstructing dance forms from before the 15th century remains challenging, relying only on rare descriptions, images, and preserved musical forms. In the 1950s and 1980s, researchers began to delve deeply into European dance traditions, especially court dances, which were meticulously documented. Examining surviving treatises, dances were divided into six groups, starting from the 15th century. These manuals detail steps, posture, and behavior, shedding light on the complex relationship between music and movement. The richest sources of Renaissance dance come from Italy, followed by the French Renaissance, English country dances, Spanish court dances, and the French Baroque. Each group presents distinct movement codes, shaped by steps, musical forms, social norms, and costumes. Today, reviving these courtly dances involves more than just steps; it entails cultivating musicality, body control, and refined interpersonal connections. Through dance, we penetrate the cultural tapestry that shaped our ancestors’ lives, enriching our understanding of European history.
Brașov Philharmonic Map
Video invitation by the artist
The concert program is one of stories and oriental encounters as sources of inspiration for Western composers from the 17th and 18th centuries. The program contains works written under the influence of the cultures encountered, reflecting admiration for their uniqueness, traditions, and mythology. It is difficult to find the sounds of the East here, as if the composers were not seeking ways to reflect the sonorities of the Orient, but rather took the opportunity to draw listeners’ attention to the stories coming from the East – to the fabulous Orient.
The ensemble “{oh!} Orkiestra” was founded in 2012 in Silesia, a region in southwestern Poland. The ensemble brings together specialists in historically informed performance and is led by violinist Martyna Pastuszka. Over the past decade, the ensemble has established itself as one of the most important orchestras in Europe, exploring a vast repertoire from Baroque music to early 20th-century works.
Repertoire:
Henry Purcell (ca 1659–1695) – Suite „ Distress’d Innocence or „The Princess of Persia”:
Ouverture – Air – Slow Air – Air – Hornpipe – Rondeau – Air –Minuet
François Couperin Le Grand (1668-1733) – Sonata „La Sultanne”
Michel Corrette (1707-1795) – Concert „Phoenix” pour quatre parties de basse:
Allegro – Adagio – Allegro
Andreas Anton Schmelzer (1653-1701) – Sonata „Die Türkenschlacht bei Wien 1683”
Michel Corrette / Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764) – Concerto Comique no 25 „Les Sauvages et la Furstemberg”
Les Sauvages – Andante – La Furstemberg
Performed by:
Martyna Pastuszka and “{oh!} Orkiestra” (Poland)
Martyna Pastuszka – violin, musical direction
Dominika Małecka – violin
Dymitr Olszewski – violin
Krzysztof Firlus – viola da gamba
Jan Prievoznik – cello
Erazem Izidor Grafenauer – lute
Anna Firlus – harpsichord
Jarosław Kopeć – percussion
Evangelical Church of St. Bartholomew Map
Video invitation by the artist
In 1707, Joseph Marchand published the seven “Suites de pièces” mixed with sonatas for violin and basso continuo. Completely forgotten today, Marchand was one of the royal musicians during the reign of Louis XIV, playing the viola da gamba in the prestigious “Chapelle Royale,” in the “orchestra of the 24 violins” (conducted by Jean Baptiste Lully), and in “Les Petits Violons du Roi.”
The {oh!} trio was formed in 2017 at the initiative of musicians from the {oh!} Orchestra—violinist Martyna Pastuszka, viol player Krzysztof Firlus, and harpsichordist Anna Firlus. The group’s main artistic inspiration is French Baroque music, which is reflected in their phonographic achievements so far.
Repertoire: Joseph Marchand, Jean -Philippe Rameau, Marin Marais
Joseph Marchand (1673-1747): Fantasia from the book of Suites de pièces mêlée de sonates I Suite in A:
Lentement -Vite- Rondeau-Vite- Air grave-Gavotte -Air gay
Marin Marais (1656-1728): La Rêveuse from the 4th book of Pièces de viole
Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764): V Concert from Pièces de clavecin en concerts:
La Forqueray – La Cupis – La Marais
M. Marais: Les Voix humaines
Joseph Marchand: VII Suite in G minor:
[Lentement]- Vite- Air tendre- Rondeau – Gayment- Allemande – Air grave – Rondeau – Air tendre – Chacconne
Performed by:
{oh!} trio (Poland):
Martyna Pastuszka: Baroque violin
Krzysztof Firlus: Viola da gamba
Anna Firlus: Harpsichord
Vulcan’s Cultural Center Map
„𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚̂𝐧𝐢𝐚. 𝟏𝟎𝟎 𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐭𝐞” recreates the sonic atmosphere of the late 19th century and early 20th century, around the time of the Great Union. The project offers the audience a sound journey through Romania from 100 years ago, spanning the entire unified Romania, from the Nistru River to near the Tisza River and from Maramureș to the Danube.
The group „Trei Parale” is unique within the Romanian musical landscape. Through their ethnomusicological approach, which is as serious as possible, they revive music that has largely been forgotten or transformed into something entirely different over the centuries. The group manages to position itself in a space that attracts a varied audience, from professionals to curious listeners with a taste for exotic sounds.
The music is accompanied by explanations and stories from Florin Iordan, a researcher at the National Museum of the Romanian Peasant, performer, and coordinator of the „Trei Parale” group.
Concert Program:
Până când nu te iubeam
Miorița
Vară, vară primăvară
Ce cați mândro pe Muscel
Cântec și Sârbă de la Mavrodin
Horă caval Chiser
Zalină
Leliță cârciumăreasă
Dorul meu pe unde zboară
Brâu bănățean
Dodă, dodă
Ardeleană și Pe picior
Zicala după cimpoi
Hațegane de la Jina
Țarina de la Găina
Tu mireasă, miresucă și De-nvârtit
Zâcală din tilincă
Bărbătesc și De-nvârtit
Doina și Bătrâneasca de la Gura Putnei
Când eram în vremea mea
Hora boierească a lui Nemțeanu
Două hore de la Săveni
Ciobănaș cu oile
Hai bărbate la băut și Colacul
De mireasă vrâncenește
Edes Gergelem
Burduiul lui Darie
Cântec turcesc de nuntă
Geamparaua de la Dăeni
Sârba lui Pompieru
Hora Șapte scări
Performed by „Trei Parale” :
Florin Iordan: ductless flute, twin flute, caval, bagpipes, zither, cobza, braci
Daniel Pop: vocals, flute, tilincă, daire, drum with cymbal
Mihai Balabaș: violin
Beatrice Iordan: cobza, double bass
Mariana Hurjui-Său: vocals
Hartă Centrul Multicultural al Universității Transilvania
Jean Philippe Rameau (1683-1764) is one of the composers whose transitions from one stage of life to another have had a significant, symmetrical, and natural influence on him. In his youth, his concerns were related to sound—the “primordial element” of music—but in the later years of his life, Rameau devoted himself entirely to the most complex musical genre (alongside the later Classical-Romantic symphony)—opera.
The repertoire presented in the concert “Rameau. Le musicien des Rois” reflects these specific aspects of Rameau’s musical creation. It includes works initially dedicated to the harpsichord, through which Rameau made the transition to orchestral ensemble. It also contains works intended for opera performances and chamber works that he revisited, transforming them into pieces for the harpsichord as a solo instrument. Beyond theoretical aspects or interpretive stylistics, the repertoire is attractive through the beauty of its melodic lines, which, as in the case of another “opera enthusiast”—G. F. Handel—demonstrates the complexity and diversity of Jean Philippe Rameau’s remarkable musical personality.
Concert Program: Jean Philippe Rameau (1683 – 1764)
From the collection Nouvelles Suites de Pièces de Clavecin 1728:
From Suite en la: Allemande – Courante – Sarabande – La Triomphante
From Suite en sol: Les Tricotets – L`Indifferente – Menuet I – Menuet II – Menuet I – Les Sauvages
From the collections Pièces de Clavecin en Concerts / Cinq Pièces 1741:
1er Concert: La Coulicam – La Livri. Rondeau Gracieux – La Vézinet
From the collections Les Indes Galantes – Ballet reduit à quatre grands concerts:
From 1er Concert: Entrée des quatre nations dans la Cour d’Hébé – Musette en rondeau – 1er Menuet – 2e Menuet – 1er Menuet
From the collections Pièces de Clavecin en Concerts 1741 / Cinq Pièces 1741:
4e Concert: La Pantomime – L`Indiscrète. Rondeau – La Rameau
La Dauphine 1747
Raluca Enea is the artistic director of the Bucharest Early Music Festival and coordinates the educational and training projects in the field of early music supported by the Antiqua Cultural Association in Romania.
The Weavers’ Bastion Map
The concert proposed by the ensemble “Codex” reflects the multiculturalism and the extremely diverse range of musical genres present in the cultural life of 17th-century Transylvania. This year marks 395 years since his birth, an excellent reason for the Brașov Early Music Festival to schedule a musical tribute dedicated to this multifaceted figure.
The “Codex” ensemble often performs music from the Codex Cajoni, one of the main sources for the group’s programs, and strives to rediscover the meaning and spirit of these pieces, attributing them musical essence and presenting them to the public in an attractive form.
Concert Program:
Dances originating from Western Europe:
- Allemande
- Balleta
- Curranta polonica
- Currenta
- Currenta
- Balletha
- Balletha Italica
- Sarabanda Gesneri
- Schmidt Curranta Currenta AGV
- Gaillarda AGV
Dances from Transylvania:
- Chorea
- Tancz. Mikes Kelemen
- Valtozo Tancz
- Lapoczkas Tancz
- Zsuka
- Apor Lazar Tancza
- Ötödik tancz hatodon et variationes
- Paikos Tancz
German Origin Dances:
- Ein Adeliches Baddelein
- Meines Hertzen Trost
Renaissance Polyphonic Music:
- Orazio Tarditi (1602-1677): La Romana
- Anonymus: Canzon a 5
Baroque Music:
- Jacobus Gallus Handl (1550-1591): Isti sunt triumphatores
- Anonymus: Ecce panis angelorum
- Anonymus: O quales habet floret Paradysus
- Andreas Hammerschmidt (1611-1675): Balletha
- Marco Uccelini (1603?-1680): Aria sopra la Bergamasca “á la Transilvania” (Venice, 1642)
Gypsy Songs:
- Dádé Zingaricum
- Tikha vgordnaczka
Christmas Carol:
Performed by “Codex” ensemble:
Ignác Filip – flaute, director artistic
László Kovács – fidulă, vioară barocă
Éva Kovács – rebec, vioară barocă
Zsombor Lázár – fidulă bas, violoncel baroc
Éva Szabó – flaute, percuție
Árpád Szőgyör – contrabas, percuție, voce
Csaba Adorján – fidulă alto, violă, braci
Zsombor Filip – lăută, arciliuto
The Brașov Synagogue Map
The Sephardica concert invites you on a captivating journey through time and space. Most of the songs have medieval origins; however, some have undergone continuous transformations due to their oral tradition, absorbing influences from the regions where Sephardic Jews settled: North Africa, the Balkans, Greece, Turkey, and more. The music preserved by the Sephardic tradition represents a round trip, with departures and returns. Thanks to the efforts of researchers, historians, musicologists, and musicians who, through adventurous fieldwork, have compiled testimonies, songs, and recordings from the last Sephardic women, we can now listen to and enjoy these pieces in our concert halls and spaces. The spirit of this music continually evokes the old home (“Sepharad”), a name with biblical origins given by 2nd-century Jews to the Iberian Peninsula.
This concert features a curated selection of the most beautiful preserved music, performed as it was in the past and with historical instruments: adufes, rebecs, lutes, and psalteries. The program includes love songs, romances, and lullabies that have been passed down from grandparents to grandchildren for hundreds of years and are still sung today.
Repertoire:
Tres hermanicas eran, Sephardic trans.
Fátima, Andalusian anon.
La Cantiga de fuego, Sephardic trans.
Zuqaq, Emilio Villalba
La rosa enflorece, Sephardic trans.
Paseábase el rey moro, old romance
Al malaquiya, Emilio Villalba
Los guisados de la berenjena, Sephardic trans.
Hija mía mi querida, Sephardic trans.
Por qué lloras blanca niña, Sephardic trans.
No me mordas más habibi, Andalusian anon.
Performed by:
Emilio Villalba: musical direction, lute, viola, Moorish guitar, nickel harp
Sara Marina: adufe, bendir, darbouka
Irene Arévalo: voice
Patry Cruz: voice
St. Nicholas Church in Șchei Map
Even the name “Șchei” given to the Romanians from Brașov has a single historical explanation, related to the psaltic chanting in Church Slavonic (which was the language of worship for Romanians until the 16th and 17th centuries). Moreover, from the 16th century onwards, there are testimonies that at least in Brașov, psaltic chanting was performed in Romanian. It is likely that this was also true for other locations of Transylvanian Orthodoxy, but the Church of St. Nicholas in Șcheii Brașovului can take pride in preserving the oldest known liturgical manuscript in Romanian, an Octoechos (the book of the eight tones of psaltic music).
The repertoire chosen to sonically illustrate these statements about Transylvanian psaltic music at the concert following the lecture (given by monk Filotheu Bălan) on the evening of September 26 at the Church of St. Nicholas in Șcheii Brașovului will attempt to bring heaven back to earth as the psaltes of the Orthodox Church in Transylvania have done throughout the centuries.
Concert Repertoire:
- “O, preaslăvită minune…”, Tone I, wide mode, by Venerable Filothei of Aga Jipei (ms. Romanian Psalter, 1713), in medio-Byzantine notation, explained in the New Method by monk Filotheu Bălan.
- “Rugăciunile noastre…”, Tone I superior, the first sticheron from the Anastasimatar of Chryssaf, translated by Venerable Filothei of Aga Jipei in medio-Byzantine notation, explained in the New Method by monk Filotheu Bălan. 3 and 4. “Lăudăm, Hristoase…” and “Cela ce iadul ai prădat…”, Tone I superior, two stichera at the Laudes of the Resurrection from the Anastasimatar of Chryssaf, translated by Venerable Filothei of Aga Jipei in late medio-Byzantine notation, explained in the New Method by monk Filotheu Bălan.
- “Cu noi este Dumnezeu…”, plagal Tone II, by Anton Pann.
- “Cuvine-se cu adevărat…”, plagal Tone IV, by Nicolae Poponea, Protopsalt of Sibiu (in ms. copied by G. Ucenescu in Brașov)
- “Maică te-ai cunoscut…”, dogmaticos Tone VII, varis tone, by Chryssaf the New in medio-Byzantine notation, explained in the New Method by Grigorie Protopsaltul and adapted into Romanian by Venerable Macarie the Hieromonk
- “Cuvine-se cu adevărat…”, Plagal Tone IV, by Nicolae Poponea, Protopsalt of Sibiu (in manuscript copied by G. Ucenescu in Brașov)
- “Maică te-ai cunoscut…”, Dogmaticos Tone VII, varis tone, by Chryssaf the New in medio-Byzantine notation, explained in the New Method by Grigorie Protopsaltul and adapted into Romanian by Venerable Macarie the Hieromonk.
Lecturer: Monk Filotheu Bălan
Performs: The Academic Choir “Byzantion” (conductor: Lecturer Dr. Adrian Sîrbu)
St. Nicholas Church in Șchei Map
In the heart of the Orthodox liturgical tradition lies a service remarkable for its depth, duration, and spiritual significance: the all-night vigil. This service, known as “agrypnia” (in Greek) and “vsenoshchnoe bdenie” (in Church Slavonic), represents one of the most complex and transformative liturgical experiences in Eastern Christianity.
The vigil is an extended service that, as the name suggests, can last all night, although in common practice it usually lasts between 3 and 8 hours. It is performed on the eve of major Christian feasts, Sundays, and the commemoration of important saints. This service is not just a succession of rituals but a profound spiritual journey. Specifically, the transition from darkness to light symbolizes the coming of the Kingdom of God, and the duration and intensity of the service are meant to produce an inner transformation.
The Paisian Vigil, inspired by the teachings of Saint Paisius Velichkovsky, appears as a fascinating synthesis between Byzantine heritage and the Hesychast movement, proposing an intensified contemplative approach to the nocturnal experience. The vigil is made possible also thanks to the participation of two of the most valuable contemporary Byzantine choirs: The Academic Choir “Byzantion” (Iași, conductor: Adrian Sîrbu) and The Choir “St. M. M. Chiriachi” (Huși, conductor: Archdeacon Vlăduț Mironescu).
The Byzantine music ensemble “Byzantion” currently operates in Iași, Romania, with the blessing of His Eminence Teofan, Metropolitan of Moldavia and Bukovina, and under the aegis of the “George Enescu” University of Arts, Iași.
Currently, twenty-five members are part of the “St. M. Mc. Chiriachi” Choir of the Episcopal Cathedral in Huși and are conducted by Archdeacon Cosmin-Vlăduț Mironescu.
Evangelical Church of St. Bartholomew Map
Antonio Vivaldi’s instrumental and vocal-instrumental creations represented a crucial moment in the evolution of the Italian school of composition. Moreover, his methods of construction and musical expression, especially in instrumental concertos, were enthusiastically adopted across Europe, particularly in France. Since the component parts of his concertos allowed for a wide range of formal approaches, Vivaldi can be considered the most significant precursor to Sammartini or the sons of Johann Sebastian Bach in the development of the Classical symphony. At the same time, Vivaldi fully anticipated the characteristics of Romanticism, particularly through his emphasis on musical expression, perhaps at the expense of attention to detail. For this concert, the SEMPRE ensemble chose a reduced orchestral format, more akin to a somewhat more substantial chamber ensemble. It involves eight instrumentalists and one soprano, with each “instrumental part” performed by a single musician. This type of distribution was also common in the period, often dictated by practical reasons related to a limited number of musicians or adapting to a smaller concert space. The baroque music ensemble SEMPRE was founded in 2020 by harpsichordist Raluca Enea and brings together musicians specializing in early music performance. The repertoire primarily focuses on 18th-century Baroque music, but concert programs also include pieces from the 17th century or works from the period leading up to the Classical era.
Program: Antonio Vivaldi (1678 – 1741)
Overture L’Olimpiade (RV 725):
Allegro
Concerto “L’Inverno” (Le Quattro stagioni, RV 297), for violin and string orchestra:
Allegro non molto – Largo – Allegro
Concerto Grosso (RV 157), for string orchestra:
Allegro – Largo – Allegro
Triosonata “La Follia” (RV 63) for two violins and basso continuo
Concerto VIII from “L’Estro Armonico” (RV 522), for two violins and string orchestra:
Allegro – Larghetto e spiritoso – Allegro
Motet “In furore iustissimae irae” (RV 626) for soprano and string orchestra:
Aria – Recitativo – Aria – Alleluia
Performers: Baroque ensemble SEMPRE (Bucharest):
Melinda Béres, Rafael Butaru, Mircea Grigore Lazăr (baroque violins)
Tamara Dica (baroque viola)
Zsombor Lázár (baroque cello)
István Csata (viola da gamba, violone)
Filip Zsombor (archlute, baroque guitar)
Cristina Vasilache (soprano)
Raluca Enea (harpsichord)