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© Sophie van Boven

Camerata Trajectina

Italian madrigals to Dutch lyrics
Utrecht Early Music Festival presents
Sat 3 Feb ’24 20:15 uur
Sat 3 Feb ’24
20:15 uur

50 years of Camerata Trajectina! That means 50 years of bringing history to life. The ensemble calls itself "the musical memory of the Netherlands''. They bring back to life music from the 16th and 17th centuries and the inherent beauty of the Dutch language. Playful and theatrical presentations mirror the culture and society of the past to our recognizable present. The ensemble gave hundreds of concerts in the Netherlands, Flanders and elsewhere in Europe, in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Indonesia and Ghana. Camerata Trajectina recorded over 30 CDs of Dutch music.

Sometimes it is happenings, other times persons that Camerata Trajectina presents. Today it is Johannes Stalpaert van der Wiele's turn; there is a statue of him in the Begijnhof in Delft. A 17th-century priest who was also a writer: hymns to saints and poems against Reformed doctrine. He also set new (Dutch) lyrics to existing melodies. Like he did with Luca Marenzio's 5- and 6-part madrigals. This composer was employed by aristocratic Italian families such as the Gonzagas, the d'Estes and the Medici. He wrote some 500 madrigals, cheerful and light, but also serious. His influence reached as far away as England, where he was included in the collection Musica Transalpina that sparked the 16th-century madrigal hype.

Part of

Festival Oude Muziek presenteert