Il Festino

Love: a commonplace theme that has been exhausted by being written about, sung about and filmed so much? When Ovid’s Ars Amatoria appeared around AD 1, the subject was already an old one. Nonetheless, even in the 20th century the Beatles and Bergman, to name but two examples, produced masterpieces on the theme of love, and there are doubtless more to come! Everything depends upon the manner in which love is expressed, the manner in which it is given or received, delighted in or suffered.
As universal and timeless a subject as love is, when it is reciprocated it brings complete euphoria and happiness; but when the beloved remains indifferent to the sighs of the lover, or when betrayal and disdain are involved, charming Cupid can transform into a Fury pouring forth the most savage hatred and violence. Elation, pleasure, sweetness, disillusion, vengeance and even death rub shoulders in this territory, where the frontiers are as thin as a spider’s web that envelops us inexorably at some point or other of our lives. The Art of Love depicts the joy and suffering that the emotion can bring us.

The lights go out and we find ourselves at the beginning of the 17th century. A soprano and a tenor converse in verse and music, while wandering through the amorous Europe of a bygone age. They showcase the sublimity of four different languages, alternating songs and poetry by the greatest musicians of the period, including Monteverdi, Dowland, Purcell and Moulinié. Two instrumentalists playing period instruments (lutes, viols, guitars) provide an accompaniment that underlines the significance of the words

Boesset, Guédron, Sanz, Moulinié, Dowland, Purcell, Luzzaschi, Cavalli, Frescobaldi, Monteverdi

Dagmar Saskova soprano
Francisco Javier Manalich tenor
Ronald Martin Alonso viola
Manuel de Grange lute, guitar & direction