Plague, Peace and Party
Postmodern Baroque music from the 17th century
Trad. (Finland/Norway/Quebec) – Verdier – Buxtehude – Pettersen – Charpentier – Lully – Praetorius – Corelli
Myriam Leblanc and Meeri Pulakka, soprano
Ensemble Caprice
Barokkanerne
Finnish Baroque Orchestra
The 21st century comes with many challenges for people all across the world. Can early music make a contribution to finding answers to questions that transcend music?
Three period orchestras from three different countries have joined forces to overcome the geographic boundaries of countries and continents. During this concert, each ensemble will present its own musical colours before merging jointly in a musical melting pot where the combined forces create a new sound, each set with its own national stylistic twist.
Plague, Peace and Party presents music from the 17th century that tackles questions of our modern society:
Just as scores travelled between countries in the 17th century, so did the plague. It is no surprise that two infinitely sad pieces like Verdier’s Lamento and Buxtehude’s cantata Was mich auf dieser Welt betrübt found their way up North, illustrating the emotional devastation with which one can be confronted. While 17th-century performances of these pieces in Finland are documented, the truly Finnish colours are represented by an excerpt from a psalm book that features sacred Finnish music from that time.
The Hardanger fiddle is a typical Norwegian instrument that will have a special place in our programme, and not only in the “peaceful” second segment. Agnes Ida Pettersen’s new composition “Peace” is written for a delicately balanced ensemble of Hardanger fiddle, strings, lute and harpsichord.
After the plague has been driven away, and peace has been restored, it is time to party! The energy and melodic flavours of Praetorius’ invigorating dances provide a platform that has the capacity to unite people, transcending time and space in the process. After all, isn’t an early music festival proof that music from the past is a real force also today?
Duration: 1 h 30 min (incl. intermission)