Ton Koopman presents 15th Itinéraire Baroque festival in the Romanesque churches of the Dordogne’s leafy

Périgord Vert region

Launch concert: 14 May

Itinéraire Baroque Festival: 28 – 31 July www.itinerairebaroque.com

  Ton Koopman’s Itinéraire Baroque Festival in the Dordogne, set in the picturesque medieval villages and towns around Riberac and Brantôme, returns for its 15th edition from Thursday 28 July to Sunday 31 July 2016. The festival’s annual highlight is the Saturday pilgrimage circuit to small forgotten Romanesque churches for five “taster” concerts, following Koopman’s uplifting morning recital on the organ. This year’s line-up includes Koopman’s many friends and colleagues, performing Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Vivaldi and many of their contemporaries. The line-up includes the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and Choir, La Risonanza, l’Accademia Stumentale Italiana d’Alberto Rasi, La Cetra and more. Prior to the festival, there is a launch concert on Saturday 14 May with Tini Mathot, Bettina Pahn and the Dordogne youth choir directed by Ton Koopman. The 2016 Festival begins on 28 July at the Église de Champagne for a concert by the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and soprano Hana Blazikovà, directed by Ton Koopman. On 29 July is the Festival’s annual Baroque en Cercles day which consists of three concerts in the same church throughout the day whilst offering food and drink from Café Baroque. The first concert of the day is performed by Vivante, an Austrian group including tenors Erik Leidal and Tore Denys, théorbo and guitar player Christopher Dickie, harpsichordist/organist Anne-Marie Dragosits and violist/guitarist Daniel Pilz. Alberto Rasi and his ensemble - the Accademia Strumentale Italiana -perform a varied programme of music (Commedia delle arte and

 

music) by Vecchi, Landi, Janequin, Di Lasso, Des Prez, Locke, Merula and Monteverdi. For the final concert of the day, Fabio Bonizzoni and his ensemble La Risonanza join forces with soprano Yetzabel Arias Fernandez. The highlight of Itinéraire Baroque each year is their annual Itinéraire day which travels around five different Romanesque churches for small chamber recitals. This year’s Itinéraire travels to St-Martial-Viveyrol, Bourg des Maisons, Château de Beauregard, Cherval and Coutures. Camerata Trajectina will perform their Dowland in Holland programme at the Château de Beauregrad with soprano Hieke Meppelink and tenor Nico van der Meel. La Cetra Barockorchester perform F.H Ehrenfried’s 1793 arrangement of La Flûte Enchantée (The Magic flute) at Cherval. At Bourg-des-Maisons harpist and soprano Hana Blažíková performs a range of Medieval music. Le Vertigo perform a mixture of English and French repertoire of the 17th century at Saint-Martial-Viveyrols featuring soprano Caroline Dangin-Bardot. The final concert of Itinéraire is mezzo soprano Anna Zander and harpsichordist Mayumi Kamata performing extracts and influences from Haydn’s Ariadne auf Naxos at Coutures. To close the festival at the Église de Saint Astier, Ton Koopman directs the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and Choir for a performance of Haydn’s Nelson Mass and Mozart’s Coronation Mass. The soloists for the evening will be soprano Yetzabel Arias Fernandez, alto Bogna Bartosz, tenor Tilman Lichdi and bass Klaus Mertens. In this beautiful unspoiled region with its quiet stone-built villages, Ton Koopman has created a festival that celebrates baroque music and the graceful medieval architectural heritage of the area. Started as an “itinéraire”, a one-day festival of five concerts on the pilgrimage circuit to five small parish churches, the festival has gradually expanded into an extended weekend over 4 days, which attracts new audiences to the Périgord Vert. Each year some 3,000 visitors attend the dozen concerts in the festival - many have returned to settle in the area, restoring the farmhouses and chateaux and enjoying the gardens and gastronomic local produce. Koopman bought a family home in the area 15 years ago and shortly after Bach’s epic 250th anniversary in 2000, he founded the Itinéraire Baroque with Robert-Nicolas Huet in 2001. The aim was to bring music to the stunning locations, from Brantôme to Saint-Astier via the rural roads of the Mareuillais, the Verteillacois and Ribérac and to involve the local community by forming a children’s choir. With Koopman, the Youth Choir of the Dordogne (Jeune Chœur de Dordogne) has performed a wide range of works including Purcell’s King Arthur to Telemann’s Orpheus and the St Matthew Passion, with which they toured France last year. Another highlight of each year is when Koopman provides the music for the Sunday morning mass at his local church in Verteillac playing the organ and often accompanied with one of the festival’s singers. As Ton Koopman explains: “This rural area of Perigord Vert is perhaps lesser known than the more famous Dordogne valley with its majestic castles and strategic crusader fortresses. These smaller villages on rivers dotted across the countryside, many inhabited since prehistoric times, have a quieter, intimate charm. It seemed a shame to see so many of these historic churches closed for much of the year, so

 

we started the festival to open up their doors and fill them with music. 15 years on, I am delighted that the festival has grown and become a regular fixture in the summer calendar, attracting visitors from far and wide.” About the Dordogne Named after the great Dordogne river, this region of Aquitaine is one of the most picturesque areas in Europe, famous for its prehistoric caves and gastronomic delicacies – foie gras, walnuts and truffles ideally complemented by wines from St Emillion. It is rich in magnificent castles, historical museums and its luscious green valleys. The Dordogne is also well-known under the former name Périgord, which dates back to when it was occupied by the Gauls. It was divided into four separate parts, according to the four tribes: Périgord Noir (Black for the darkness of the stone), the Périgord Blanc (White for limestone quarries), the Périgord Vert (Green for forest) and the Périgord Pourpre (Purple for wine). The charming city of Brantôme is located in the Périgord Vert, in an island on the River Dronne next to a cluster of prehistoric limestone caves, open to the public behind the Abbey. The Celts and their mystic Druid priests gave Brantôme its name – a combination of the Celtic words for water and rocks. After the Celts, the town was inhabited by Romans, then early Christians whose community of monks developed the early monastery into the splendid abbey on the banks of the river. The Dordogne is renowned for its gastronomy – local cuisine includes duck and goose dishes, truffles, apple cider and walnuts. There is also the delicious dessert wine of Montbazillac and Bordeaux’ fine wines an hour away. There are also plenty of activities for visitors to the Dordogne, as the area boasts lush green golf courses, canoe trips along the river and beautiful walks and bike rides across the undulating landscape 2016 Festival Spring concerts Saturday 14 May 2016 Venue: Collégiale de Ribérac: 6pm: Cécile & Adonis (free concert) Marieke Koopman mime Jonas Furrer mime Isabelle Demerson narrator Ton Koopman organ 8:30pm: German lieder and Mozart’s nocturnes Tini Mathot, piano forte Bettina Pahn soprano Jeune Chœur de Dordogne Ton Koopman direction Summer concerts Sunday 17 July 2016 Venue: Eglise de la Cité, Périgueux 4.40pm: Organ recital Ton Koopman organ Couperin Messe pour les couvents Bach Fantasia BWV 572 Daquin Quand Jésus naquit à Noël

Thursday 28 July 2016 Venue: Église de Champagne 8:30pm: Opening concert Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra Hana Blazíkovà soprano Ton Koopman direction J.S. Bach Suite n° 1 Cantate BWV 51 Sinfonia de BWV 42 Cantate BWV 202 Friday 29 July 2016 Baroque en Cercles Venue: Église Abbatiale de Cercles 12pm: Vivante ensemble Erik Leidal tenor Tore Denys tenor Christopher Dickie théorbo & guitar Anne-Marie Dragosits harpsichord & organ Daniel Pilz viol & guitar Monteverdi’s duets for tenors

 

3pm: Café Baroque Talk:“Is improvisation in Baroque music the same as in Jazz?” 4:30pm: Commedia! Commedia! ACCADEMIA STRUMENTALE ITALIANA Lorenzo Bassotto comedian Elena Bertuzzi soprano Luigi Lupo recorder Davide Monti violin Claudia Pasetto viol Béatrice Pornon lute and guitar Sbibu percussion Alberto Rasi viol & direction Music by Vecchi, Landi, Janequin, Di Lasso, Des Prez, Locke, Merula, Monteverdi. 8:30pm: Piano e Tempeste D’amore La Risonanza Fabio Bonizzoni harpsichord and conductor Carlo Lazzaroni violin Claudia Combs violin Caterina Dell’Agnello cello Yetzabel Arias Fernandez soprano Arias by Scarlatti, Bononcini, Corelli and Handel Saturday 30 July 2016 L’Itinéraire 9:45am: organ recital Venue: Église de Cercles Ton Koopman organ 1 Camerata Trajectina Venue: Château de Beauregard Hieke Meppelink soprano Nico van der Meel tenor Saskia Coolen recorder & viol Erik Beijer viol Michiel Niessen lute & vihuela Songs by Dowland 2 La Cetra Barockorchester

Venue: Église de Cherval Claire Genewein flûte traversière Eva Borhi violin Péter Barczi viola Melanie Beck cello F.H Ehrenfried La flûte enchantée (arr. 1793) 3 Le Vertigo Venue: Église de Saint-Martial Viveyrols Mathilde Vialle viol Céline Destruhaut recorder Jean-Miguel Aristizabal harpsichord Caroline Dangin-Bardot soprano English and French songs of the 17th century 4 Anna Zander and Mayumi Kamata Venue: Église de Coutures Anna Zander mezzo soprano Mayumi Kamata harpsichord Extracts and influences of Haydn’s Ariadne auf Naxos 5 Hana Blažíková Venue: Église de Bourg-des-Maisons Hana Blažíková soprano & harp Medieval music Sunday 31 July 2016 Closing concert Venue: Église de Saint Astier Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra Amsterdam Baroque Choir Yetzabel Arias Fernandez soprano Bogna Bartosz alto Tilman Lichdi tenor Klaus Mertens bass Ton Koopman direction Haydn Nelson Mass Mozart Coronation Mass

Ton Koopman

Hailing from Zwolle in the Netherlands, Ton Koopman is an acclaimed organist, harpsichordist and conductor, as well as the Artistic Director of Itinéraire Baroque.

 

From the beginning of his musical studies in Amsterdam, he was fascinated by authentic instruments and a performance style based on sound scholarship and in 1969, at the age of 25, he created his first Baroque orchestra. In 1979 he founded the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra followed by the Amsterdam Baroque Choir in 1992. Koopman's extensive activities as a soloist, accompanist and conductor have been recorded on a large number of LPs and CDs for labels such as Erato, Teldec, Sony, Philips and DG, along with his own record label, Antoine Marchand, distributed by Challenge Records. Over the course of his 45-year career Ton Koopman has appeared in some the most important concert halls and festivals in the world, including the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Théatre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, the Philharmonie in Munich, the Alte Oper in Frankfurt, the Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall in New York. He has been Principal Conductor of the Netherland Radio Chamber Orchestra and has collaborated with leading international orchestras such as the Royal Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Chicago Symphony, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome and Wiener Symphoniker. Between 1994 and 2004, Ton Koopman was engaged in a unique project, conducting and recording all the existing Cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach, a massive undertaking for which he has been awarded the Deutsche Schallplattenpreis ‘Echo Klassik’, the BBC Music Magazine Choral Award in 2008, the Prix Hector Berlioz and has been nominated for a Grammy Award in America and Gramophone Award in the UK. In 2000 Ton Koopman received an Honorary Degree from the Utrecht University for his academic work on the Bach Cantatas and Passions and has been awarded both the prestigious Silver Phonograph Prize and the VSCD Classical Music Award. In 2006 he has received the ‘Bach-Medaille’ from the City of Leipzig. Ton Koopman publishes regularly and for a number of years he has been engaged in editing the complete Händel Organ Concertos for Breitkopf & Härtel. He has published Händel’s Messiah and Buxtehude‘s Das Jüngeste Gericht for Carus. Koopman leads the class of harpsichord at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, is Professor at the University of Leiden and is an Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Music in London.

Perigord Vert

 

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