Jordi Savall, along with Hespèrion XXI and La Capella Reial de Catalunya, will embark on a tour through Canada and the United States with the program “The Tears and the Fire of the Muses,” dedicated to Claudio Monteverdi.
For the second time this year, Jordi Savall returns to North America, presenting a rich exploration of Monteverdi’s work.
The performances will feature a vocal quintet from La Capella Reial de Catalunya and a viola da gamba quintet from Hespèrion XXI, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. All concerts will be under the direction of Jordi Savall.
The tour will begin on October 6th at the Palais Montcalm in Quebec City, followed by a concert on October 7th at the Maison Symphonique in Montreal. It will continue in the United States with three more concerts: October 8th at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, October 10th at the Town Hall in Seattle, and concluding on October 12th at Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley, California.
The Tears and the Fire of the Muses
CLAUDIO MONTEVERDI REVOLUTION
Arianna awakens to find that Teseo has abandoned her on the island of Naxos, and in her despair, she cries out, “Lasciatemi morire, lasciatemi morire!” (Let me die, let me die!). The opening of Il Lamento d’Arianna is constructed from melodic tensions that draw the audience wards, like falling tears and full of sorrow, and upwards, like an ascension to the heavens – reflecting an inner and solitary turmoil. This dramatic intensity, challenging to perform yet deeply palpable, captivated audiences from its premiere in Mantua in 1608, and its popularity swiftly spread throughout Europe.
This collection of four madrigals is the only surviving fragment of the opera Arianna, composed by Claudio Monteverdi with a libretto by Ottavio Rinuccini, based on the mythological tale of the Cretan princess. Arianna is Monteverdi’s second opera, a work that not only marked a significant turning point in his career but also profoundly influenced the creative landscape of the late 16th century. Arianna became a symbol of the betrayed heroine and the archetype of the wounded lover: despite rescuing Teseo from the Minotaur’s labyrinth, he left her to her fate, and she remained in love with him until her death.
Though the musical form known as the madrigal first appeared around 1510, Monteverdi refined and evolved it, ultimately publishing nine books (this concert features works from the sixth and seventh). His legacy profoundly impacted Europe, particularly in the north; he placed music at the service of the text, captivating listeners with a poignant poetic force, and was particularly innovative in expressing human suffering and pain. Monteverdi did not aim to create beautiful melodies or pleasing harmonies but to convey a message, to communicate through emotional expression, and to leave no one unmoved.
In this program, Jordi Savall demonstrates Monteverdi’s influence on composers from England and Germany. We will hear works by Samuel Scheidt, one of the most fascinating Lutheran composers of the early 17th century, who embraced the expressive techniques of the Italian madrigal. Additionally, we will explore the music of Anthony Holborne and John Dowland, who often employed melancholy and lament in their efforts to forge a closer union between text and music, emphasizing the words through specifically musical means. Thus, this concert presents the tears – the lament, the sorrow – and the fire – the anger, the helplessness – of the muses.
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