Oude Muziek Festival Utrecht 2023

“Revival (rethink, renaissance, recycle, replay, restoration, rejoice)” was the theme of this year’s Early Music Festival in Utrecht. It could refer to newly discovered but also to newly composed music, music played in a different way, in a different context, and much more. I was happy to play four concerts with very different concepts:

26th of August - “Il Mantovano Ebreo” with Profeti della Quinta (Elam Rotem)
An adaptation of the CD programme we recorded back in 2012, with Hebrew polyphonic music, Italian madrigals and instrumental pieces by Salomone Rossi (ca.1570-1630), a jewish composer at the court of Mantova.

29th of August - “Rappresentazione Di Giuseppe E I Suoi Fratelli” with Profeti della Quinta (Elam Rotem) This composition by Elam Rotem himself, beautifully narrating the story of Joseph from the Old Testament, has been performed by the Profeti many times since its premiere in 2013, and never fails to impress and move the audience.

30th of August - “Vioolvisioenen en improvisaties”, an improv recital in collaboration with Vera Schnider (harp) and Dirk Börner (harpsichord)
A new improvisation programme based on the Austrian late 17th century violin repertoire. Please read the separate blog article about this programme.

31st of August - “Hommage aan Anna Magdalena Bach” with Ensemble Odyssee and Channa Malkin (Soprano) Anna Magdalena Bach was not only Johann Sebastian Bach’s wife, occasional copyist and harpsichord student, filling her “Notenbüchlein” with fragments of compositions for several (and partly unknown) purposes, but also a very talented and successful soprano. We combined these elements into a programme with arrangements, fragments and original pieces for soprano, flute, oboe, strings and continuo, also including some movements from a suite by Johann Bernhard Bach (a cousin of Johann Sebastian) with a violin solo part. The concert was recorded and can be watched on Early Music Television.