Cycle Passions baroques

Reprenant le titre d’une comédie créée en 1693 au Theatre Royal, ce programme vous plongera dans l’univers théâtral du plus grand compositeur baroque britannique.

Avec ou sans paroles, il n’y a que Purcell pour nous faire traverser, en l’espace d’un air, autant d’états différents et pour rendre avec une telle profondeur la complexité des émotions dont un être humain est capable.

Qu’il mette en scène une femme amoureuse, Marie, mère de Jésus, ou une sirène tout droit sortie de la mythologie, Henry Purcell dépeint une image ô combien vivante des personnages féminins, qui aujourd’hui encore nous parlent de l’essentiel.

Au fil de ce concert, vous entendrez des airs et duos extraits de Pausanias, The Fairy Queen, King Arthur, The Maid’s Last Prayer, ainsi qu’une scène poignante tirée de Harmonia Sacra, intitulée The Blessed Virgin’s Expostulation. De plus, des pièces pour clavecin et une suite en sol mineur viendront agrémenter ce programme.

Enfin, des extraits de Dioclesian, semi-opéra tragi-comique, complèteront cette immersion au cœur des passions baroques.

Un voyage musical à la rencontre de l’âme humaine, sublimée par Purcell.

Baroque Passions cycle

 Borrowing its title from a comedy first performed in 1693 at the Theatre Royal, this program plunges you into the theatrical world of Britain’s greatest Baroque composer. 

 With or without lyrics, Purcell alone can make us experience so many different emotions in the span of a single aria, rendering with such depth the complexity of human feeling. 

 Whether portraying a woman in love, Mary, the mother of Jesus, or a siren from mythology, Master Purcell paints vivid portraits of female characters that speak to us of the essential. 

 Throughout this concert, you will hear arias and duets from Pausanias, The Fairy Queen, King Arthur, The Maid’s Last Prayer, as well as a poignant scene from Harmonia Sacra titled The Blessed Virgin’s Expostulation. Additionally, harpsichord pieces and a suite in G minor will enrich the program. 

 Finally, excerpts from Dioclesian, a tragicomic semi-opera, will complete this immersion into the heart of Baroque passions. 

A musical journey into the human soul, sublimated by Purcell.

About cantoLX:

cantoLX is a professional ensemble based in Luxembourg, specializing mainly in Baroque music. Since its creation, the ensemble has been invited to perform at prestigious international festivals such as the MAfestival in Bruges and the Festival Oude Muziek in Utrecht, as well as at the Philharmonie Luxembourg under the baton of Emmanuel Krivine. In addition to its international career—with performances in Belgrade, Athens, and Japan, among others—the ensemble remains active in Luxembourg, where it launched the “Passions” festival ten years ago. This small festival aims to (re)discover musical treasures, whether specifically written for the Passion season or not.

Made up of musicians passionate about early music, cantoLX seeks to build bridges between past and present, between historical expertise and deep artistic experience in the present moment. With a strong foundation in musicology, its members share their musical knowledge while constantly exploring new connections and reviving forgotten works. This dedication is reflected in the five CDs released since its founding in 2010: Songs of Irrelevance and Passion (2013, IMA nomination), Meta(M)Orpheus (2015), Oratorio Per la Settimana Santa by Luigi Rossi (2017), Flemish Requiem (2019), and Antwerp Requiem (2022), which received international acclaim, including an Editor’s Choice award from Gramophone magazine.