In the Gothic jewel that is the Santa Àgata chapel, annexed to Plaça del Rei, most of the concerts that l'Auditori has organized for the third edition of its Llums d'Antiga festival will be held. The trend of using the city's historical spaces to better contextualize or allow a more intense experience of the musical phenomenon continues, as already happened in previous editions, in such emblematic enclaves as l'Església del Pi or the Basilica of Sant Just i Sant Pastor.
Of course, the ages of the buildings and the dates of the compositions do not always coincide, but it is no less true that, immersed as we are in the fashion of "immersive" experiences or exhibitions, it will be extremely gratifying to soak up ---among centuries-old walls, flying buttresses, stained glass windows and arches--- the music of Francesca Caccini, Isabella Leonarda, Claudia Sessa, Barbara Strozzi, Hildegard von Bingen or Élisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre. In addition to collaborating with the longed-for return to normality, the programming of this festival stages the relevance of female voices ---generally silenced, albeit for various reasons and in changing circumstances--- throughout history.
To the names mentioned above will be added that of some composers from the tradition, such as Jean-Baptiste Quentin or ---above all--- François Couperin, as well as masters from the Escolania de Montserrat, from Cererols to Ferrer. But the specific weight ---and this is undoubtedly one of the festival's strong points--- lies in the prominence of those female composers, who will reveal to the general public works of excellent craftsmanship and remarkable expressiveness. The first of the sessions, on May 12, featured the intervention of the Hathor Consort, soprano Hana Blažíková, and Romina Lischka on viola da gamba and musical direction. It offered a representative overview of 17th-century production, with works by women who were able to develop their creativity in a more or less privileged framework. Either by belonging to a family of musicians ---like Francesca Caccini or Barbara Strozzi--- or by having lived a good part of their lives in a religious institution ---the cases of Claudia Sessa and Isabella Leonarda--- where compositional work was accepted and even promoted.
One of the most notorious names of the Festival is that of Isabella Leonarda, whose 400th birth anniversary was celebrated last September and was reported by some media outlets. Author of a large number of compositions, including sonatas for various instruments or high-level choral music, such as her Magnificat, the event organizers explain, in this regard, that she is "one of the few female composers of the Italian Seicento from whom a production of magnitude, in quantity and quality, has reached us. Born into a noble and prestigious family ---where she could be solidly educated in humanism--- she spent much of her life within the walls of a convent, although quite liberated from other obligations to focus almost entirely on musical writing." Precisely in the third of the concerts, on May 19, motets and psalms for soprano by Isabella Leonarda have been programmed.
Starring the ensemble Quinta Essencia and soprano Roberta Invernizzi, the vocal cast will eventually be joined by historical harps, by Manuel Vilas, also responsible for the artistic direction. All of this in a truly spectacular setting, for its majestic sobriety: the Romanesque church of the Monestir de Sant Pau del Camp. An architectural work that is a must-visit.
Not a few Barcelonans, accustomed to walking through narrow streets reminiscent of the Gothic past or having the imprint of iconic modernism in their imagination, do not contemplate the fact that Romanesque remains are also preserved, and monumentally so in this marvelous construction, highly representative of the period. Erected in the 10th century, the church of that Benedictine monastery has been considered the oldest in Barcelona. But beyond its antiquity, and even its generous dimensions, it impresses with the atmosphere of contemplation enabled by the diffuse light, descending from the central vault and subtly passing through the semicircular arches.
Back at the Royal Chapel of Santa Àgata, three more events will take place, of great relevance given the works performed and the invited ensembles. Starting with the internationally renowned Ensemble Gilles Binchois, which will tackle a particularly opportune score for the occasion: "the Missa de Barcelona ---explain the organizers--- by an anonymous author and dated around the mid-14th century, is one of the first compositions of a complete mass to appear in European heritage. Written for three and four voices, we find the five usual parts of the mass: Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei." A work probably made by different hands, but which demonstrates powerful consistency, and which will be performed alongside another 14th-century mass, such as the Mass from the Apt codex.
The composer and harpsichordist Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre was nicknamed la petite merveille (the little wonder) for the astonishment she generated at the court of King Louis XIV.Finally, the last two days also offer undeniably interesting attractions. For example, the proposal of the Nevermind ensemble. A "young and promising ensemble ---they point out from L'Auditori--- dedicated above all to the exploration of all corners of chamber music written in the French Baroque, a fresh, vital music full of light and richness, with dance airs and sumptuous ornaments, but where a tender, sweet, and lyrical melancholy also sometimes hovers." In this sense, the programming of the composer and harpsichordistElisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre(1665-1729), nicknamedthe little wonderfor the astonishment it generated at the court of King Louis XIV. Two of his sonatas for various instruments will be performed in dialogue with works by the celebrated, and strictly contemporary, François Couperin (1668-1733).
The success of this tour through some of the most memorable—and not always known—musical and architectural corners of the city of Barcelona, which in this edition focuses on the production of Renaissance and Baroque women composers, is a fact that certifies the influx of the public, year after year, and the consequent sell-out of tickets. For the last of the concerts, starring the Cor Cererols under the direction of organist Marc Díaz, and also housed in the Chapel of Santa Ágata, all tickets have already been sold.