line-up
paul van nevel > musical direction
eric sleichim > artistic direction of BL!NDMAN [sax]
BL!NDMAN [sax]
koen maas > soprano and baritone saxophone
roeland vanhoorne > alto and baitone saxophone
piet rebel > tenor saxophone
raf minten > baritone saxophone
Huelgasensemble
michaëla riener, sabine lutzenberger > cantus
kaspar kröner > altus
achim schulz, george pooley, tom phillips, matthew vine > tenor
tim scott whiteley, erik van nevel > baritone
martin backhaus > basse
Contrapunte alla mente is coproduced by Concertgebouw Brugge and Bozar/Flagey – Brussels
BL!NDMAN is supported by the Arts Administration of the Ministry of the Flemish Community and the Flemish Community Commission of the Brussels-Capital Region. BL!NDMAN [sax] play Selmer Paris Saxophones.
CONTRAPUNTE - Huelgas
Contrapunte alla mente: res facta and polyphonic improvisation
Huelgasensemble en BL!NDMAN [sax] present a program based on improvised counterpoint. |
In the Renaissance, musicians were profoundly trained at the courts and churches where they worked. An important aspect of their study was counterpoint, the art of combining several melody lines and bringing them into perfect harmony. Often this ingenious principle was practised by enhancing an existing song with notes of longer duration (a ‘cantus firmus’) with melodious second voices. Experienced musicians could even enhance a cantus firmus ‘alla prima vista’. This improvised counterpoint (or ‘contrapunto alla mente’) is at the basis of countless compositions on paper. The Huelgas Ensemble and BL!NDMAN [sax] explore 15th and 16th century music in which secular and religious ‘standards’ prop up a creative polyphony of whimsical twists and hallucinatory repetitions.
programme
pieter maessens > Tota pulchra es
johannes ghiselin > O florens rosa
orlando di lasso > Epitaphium divi Bernardi
BL!NDMAN goes solo
antoine brumel > Agnus dei Et ecce Terrae Motus
pieter maessens > Per signus crucis
cipriano de rore > Calami sonum ferentes
Huelgas goes solo
josquin desprez > Praeter Rerum Seriem
orlando di lasso > Omnia tempus habent
première > 10 February 2010, Eglise des Minimes – Brussels
review
‘What a surprisingly strong combination! […] What a balance!’ – Ludwig Van Mechelen, Klassiek Centraal 17.05.2010
CONTRAPUNTE - Huelgas played among others on the following locations:
- 2010
- BRUSSEL / BRUXELLES - Miniemenkerk / Eglise Des Minimes
- BRUGGE / BRUGES - Concertgebouw
- MECHELEN - Sint-Romboutskathedraal