Graindelavoix

When Cipriano de Rore published his first book of madrigals in 1542, he caused a musical earthquake. His work was inspired more by Dante’s poetry than the pastoral lyricism of Petrarch and Bembo, and idyllic beauty made way to ruinous landscapes and devastating pain. Musically, de Rore emphasises the texts with intensive use of chromaticism, leading to an expressivity and pathos that had never been heard before. The incomparable Graindelavoix performs these searing madrigals and reveals de Rore’s profound influence on the following generations, from Luzzasco Luzzaschi and Luca Marenzio to Carlo Gesualdo and Scipione Lacorcia, who represented the culmination of the style in early 17th century Naples.  

As part of Bellezza e Bruttezza, Bozar, together with three leading ensembles, explores the fascinating tension between beauty and ugliness in 16th- and 17th-century music. Graindelavoix investigates the concept of “ugliness” through the work of Cipriano de Rore, the innovative composer who, according to artistic director Björn Schmelzer, introduced a new, raw force into music through his bold chromaticism. For can ugliness not itself be a source of beauty Schmelzer wonders. The Italian ensemble La Fonte Musica focuses on Anchor che col partire, one of the most influential madrigals of the Renaissance and a timeless symbol of beauty. Conductor Michele Pasotti weaves De Rore’s masterpiece together with adaptations by contemporaries into a continuous suite in which beauty takes on ever richer forms. With Fieri Consort, artistic director Hannah Ely brings a female perspective to the theme of beauty. Her programme unites works by, among others, Maddalena Casulana, Raphaella Aleotti and Francesca Caccini – three exceptional composers who made their voices heard in a musical world still largely dominated by men.