Ensemble Irini
VOCAL ENSEMBLE
O Sidera
The Song of the Sibyls
This program in mixt quintet (mezzo, contralto, ténor, deux basses) conserves the two musical poles of Ensemble Irini that are: Catholic Western- Orthodox Eastern. Those two poles are put in resonance here around the topic of Christian Mysticism. O Sidera explores the mysteries and limits of human conception of the divine, and how those strange frontiers are transcripted in Music. The Western part of the program is embodied by Orlando di Lasso's mystical Prophetiae Sibyllarum, composed circa 1553-55, while History loses the track of the great composer for two years. The style of this unique opus is absolutely breathtaking by its modernity, with its chromatisms wovenning the language of the intangible. The texts are those of the Antic Sibyls (Delphes, Perse, Libye..), reshaped by christian scholars to announce the arrival of the Messiah. The Byzantine part presents liturgical songs of Constantinopolis such as the virtuoso Cheruvikon, the Agni Parthene, the Polyeleos or the Acathiste to the Theotokon, all touching to the mystery of the divine, singing of the humble place of Mankind regarding the "Great beyond" as poet Rabindranath Tagore writes.
Cast
Irini Ensemble
Lila Hajosi, conductor
Eulalia Fantova, mezzo
Julie Azoulay, contralto
Benoît-Joseph Meier, tenor
Guglielmo Buonsanti, bass
Alessandro Ravasio, bass
Press
Erros meus, má fortuna, amor ardente, juillet 2024
Reconhecido internacionalmente pelos seus elevados padrões e pelas propostas únicas, extraordinárias e ousadas, o ensemble fez incidir o programa em excertos das “Profecias das Sibilas (Prophetiae Sybillarum)”, pondo em perspectiva a música de Roland de Lassus (1532 – 1594) com algumas das mais significativas peças do repertório bizantino (…) momentos de forte e intensa espiritualidade, marcados de forma singular pela beleza e harmonia das vozes do ensemble e pela energia apaixonada de Lila Hajosi, a sua directora musical.
Frédéric Norac, Musicologie.org, Juillet 2022
On admire la qualité de l’ensemble, son homogénéité, son hyper-précision tonale dans les pièces latines, mais c’est surtout dans la partie byzantine que la magie opère pleinement (…) l’originalité du répertoire, la beauté mystérieuse de la liturgie orientale, créent une véritable fascination.
(…) La plupart des pièces ont été arrangées par la cheffe de l’ensemble, Lila Hajosi, dans un esprit qui paraît d’une parfaite authenticité. Elle dirige avec précision et souplesse, s’aidant pour les deux dernières pièces d’un encensoir dont on pourrait aisément imaginer voir sortir la fumée purificatrice et nous gratifie d’un bis qui reprend l’introduction de la pièce contemporaine de Zad Moultaka (commande conjointe de l’ensemble et du Centre culturel de l’Abbaye de Noirlac) qui ouvrait cet étonnant programme dont elle mêle d’une certaine façon la multiplicité des styles.
Discography
O Sidera
Paraty, 2021
Concerts
Photos
Photo Yulika Sève
Photo Yulika Sève
Videos
O Sidera
O Sidera - The Song of the Sibyls
O Sidera : Sibylla Agrippa - Prophetiae Sibyllarum - Roland de Lassus
O Sidera - Interview with Lila hajosi
Folders
