Early music can be played anywhere, but it sounds the best in a location that exudes the same atmosphere as the music.
Let’s be honest: you can use early instruments (or copies thereof), and you can delve deep into the performance practices of the past, but your performance will never be truly ‘authentic.’ We experience music in 2023 differently than in 1823, 1723 or 1623. But we can get very close. For example, by making not only the instruments but also the location authentic.
That was the idea behind the mini-festival ‘Old music in old locations,’ held in Twente in 2008. Twente has many beautiful, historic places. In this broadcast, we will hear two concerts. In part 1, we go to the Old Church of Borne, where the requiem of Tomás Luis de Victoria is played. We don’t know if this music was performed there 400 years ago, but in Catholic Twente, this requiem finds resonance.
After that, we go to Twickel Castle near Delden. Connoisseurs already know: Unico Wilhelm van Wassenaer, one of the greatest Dutch composers ever, lived there! Didn’t you know? Musicology only discovered him about forty years ago as well. In daily life, he was a diplomat, and he kept his compositions to himself. The Concerti armonici became world-famous, but not under his name – after much insistence, he had them printed anonymously. It wasn’t until 1979 that it became clear that this modest nobleman was behind them – and that the Netherlands had gained a great composer. In this concert, we will also hear music by Locatelli – an Italian violinist who spent many years in Amsterdam – and by Quirinus van Blankenburg, Van Wassenaer’s teacher.
Requiem De Victoria
- Dies irae
- Introitus
- Te decet hymnus (psalmus)
- Kyrie
- Juan Ginez Perez – Domine deus (motetus)
- Graduale
- Offertorium
- Philippe Rogier – Caligaverunt
- Sanctus
- Agnus Dei
- Communio
- Versa est in luctum (motectum)
- Responsorium
- Lectio
Dutch music at Twickel 15. Pietro Locatelli – Introduzzione teatrale no. 4 in G
- Unico Wilhelm van Wassenaer – Concerto armonico no. 4 in G
- Quirinus van Blankenburg – Fuga obligata in c
- Pietro Locatelli – Flute sonata
- Carolus Hacquaert – Sonata a quattro no. 8 in e
- Unico Wilhelm van Wassenaer – Concerto armonico no. 5 in f
Bonus track 21. Jan Pietersz. Sweelinck – Under a green linden tree.
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