La Fonte Musica

Ancor che col partire by Cipriano De Rore may be one of the most influential madrigals of all time. The work has been copied, ornamented and parodied, and formed the inspiration for countless other compositions, from masses and madrigals to instrumental settings. Great names such as Lassus, Gabrieli, Vecchi, Cabezon and Rognoni all set this text about loving and losing to music. The renowned La Fonte Musica takes on the challenge of voicing the hypnotic power of this madrigal. The programme is designed as one long, ongoing suite, in which De Rore’s piece and other instrumental and vocal versions merge into one another. A radical quest in which beauty brings forth new beauty and the enchantment never ends.  

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.