Solemn renaissance: overwhelming performance of the Striggio fair!
Solemn renaissance: overwhelming performance of the Striggio fair!
Regensburg, Deutschland - The 40th Regensburg early music festival was completed with a brilliant performance by Alessandro Striggio’s "Missa Sopra Ecco Sì Beato Giorno". On June 15, 2025, numerous festival goers, some with suitcases, flocked to the St. Blasius Church, where long queues indicated the event. Under the direction of conductor Hervé Niquet, brass and singers entered the church, accompanied by a solemn plainchant introit, which gave the audience a first impression of the upcoming musical depth.
Striggio’s fair is a masterpiece of the Renaissance, created between 1565 and 1566, while the rule of Cosimo I. de 'Medici. The piece, which is considered the largest polyphonic composition of its time, comprises 40 separate vowels and instrumental lines that are divided into five choirs, and mainly consists of five main parts: Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus - Benedictus and Agnus dei. In this fair, the arts of polyphony and the counterpoint that were considered to be a central forms of expression in the Renaissance are impressive.
a festival of sounds
Niquet pointed out special emphasis on the interaction of the various choirs and made an impressive coloring, alternating speed and expressive gestures that the audience was heard. The choirs were characterized by different sound qualities: choir III, equipped with sackbuts and Renaissance trombones, offered a profound abundance of sound, while choir IV shone with harp and harpsichord and kidnapped the audience into another sound world. The purely vocal choirs I and vowed the fair with lyrical power.
Following the concept of the historically informed performance, the fair was enriched with contrasting materials in order to counteract the abundance of sound and avoid monotony. Instrumental interludes and polyphonic works by Francesco Corteccia and Orazio Benevoli were inserted. While Corteccia offered a transparent sound texture, Benevoli impressed with rhetorical width and anniversary size.a degree with joy
The symbiosis of historical sounds and the enthusiasm of the audience led to the fair as a crowning glory of the concert. The reaction of the audience after 70 minutes of music was overwhelming, and the loud applause echoed through the church. With Striggio’s "Ecce Beatam Lucem", another 40-voice work, the concert ended solemnly and harmoniously.
The festival organizers were generous and distributed chocolates filled as farewell gifts, which have recently found their way into a sweet tradition. The atmosphere reminded of old pilgrims, who were nourished spiritually after a feast and gently sent back into the world.
The "Missa Sopra Ecco Sì Beato Giorno", which had been lost for over 400 years and was only rediscovered in 2005, ensures a renaissance of interest in polyphonic music. Striggio, who once acted as a court composer of the Medici, not only shaped his time with this work, but also influenced generations of musicians and lovers. Due to the revival of such masterpieces, historical music becomes alive, and its deep roots in the Renaissance get a modern paint that inspires new listeners.
Further information on this remarkable performance can be found on the pages of Operawire , Wikipedia and Beethovenbeiunst .
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Ort | Regensburg, Deutschland |
| Quellen | |