Polyhymnia

Spiritual Madrigals and Concerts
in Venice and beyond the Alp

Tuesday 18. 07. 2023 | 20.00 The Church of Our Lady and Slavic Saints
Vyšehradská 49/320, Praha 1 – Nové Město, 128 00
20.00–21.15
Without intermission

Artists

Magdalene Harer – soprano
Joowon Chung – soprano
Alexander Schneider – countertenor, artistic director
Johannes Gaubitz – tenor
Christopher Renz – tenor
Matthias Lutze – bass
Juliane Laake – violon
Klaus Eichhorn – organ

Programme

Heinrich Schütz (1585–1672)
Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes
Ich bin ein rechter Weinstock
Unser Wandel ist im Himmel
 
Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643)
Nisi Dominus
 
Carl Wolfgang Briegel (1626–1712)
Ach Herr, lehre doch mich
Der Gerechte, ob er gleich zu zeitlich stirbt
Ich habe dich ein klein Augenblick verlassen
 
Andreas Hammerschmidt (1611–1675)
Ach Herr wie ist meiner Feinde so viel
Ich lieg und schlafe
 
Giovanni Antonio Rigatti (ca 1613–1648)
Tota pulchra es
O suavissimum verbum
 
Michael Praetorius (1571–1621)
Nun bitten wir den Heiligen Geist
 
Christoph Bernhard (1628–1692)
Wie der Hirsch schreiet
 
and others

Annotation

The German Ensemble Polyharmonique, performing in Prague for the very first time, will be “kissed” by the Muse of Hymn Singing and Choral Lyrics, Polyhymnia, under the vaults of the Church of the Virgin Mary and the Slavic Saints (the Emmaus Monastery). The other muse of the evening will undoubtedly be Italian music, which, in several waves, inspired the musical culture of the 17th century in the rest of Europe. The spiritual atmosphere of the Emmaus Monastery will draw the audience into the programme with its attractive dramaturgy and direct confrontation of Italian models with their echoes in Protestant Germany.

Heinrich Schütz, the most important pre-Bachian German composer, studied in Venice with Giovanni Gabrieli and Claudio Monteverdi, who influenced him greatly. Although his Transalpine colleagues and followers never visited Italy, they completely adopted its musical styles. The captivating beauty of their spiritual concertos, motets and madrigals will grace the ceremonial opening of the 24th edition of the Summer Festivities of Early Music.

We offer a ticket to the concert for 100 CZK for students! For more information click here.

Venue

The Church of Our Lady and Slavic Saints

Vyšehradská 49/320, Praha 1 – Nové Město, 128 00

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Partners of the concert

The concert is held with the financial support of the Deutsch-Tschechischer Zukunftsfonds.

Artists

Ensemble Polyharmonique

Ensemble Polyharmonique

The Ensemble Polyharmonique is a collective of singers from the versatile early music scene of Europe. The music of the Renaissance and the Baroque era form the core repertoire of the ensemble. Taking historical performance practice into account, Polyharmonique combines ideas from German and Franco-Flemish vocal culture to create lively poetic interpretations. In addition to the well-known repertoire of early music, the ensemble is dedicated to discovering unknown works of the 17th and 18th centuries.   Invitations to festivals all over Europe indicate the international appreciation of the ensemble – these include the Oude Muziek Utrecht, the Bachfest Leipzig, Meer Stemmig Gent, Musica Divina in Mechelen, Les Nuits de Septembre in Liège, the Trigonale in Klagenfurt, the Thüringer Bachwochen, the Händel-Festspiele in Halle, Tage Alter Musik Regensburg, the Heinrich Schütz Musikfest, the Köthener Bachfesttage etc.   For the repertoire with instrumental accompaniment, such as the oratorios, masses and cantatas by Bach, Buxtehude, Monteverdi or Handel, renowned Baroque orchestras have been gained as partners, among them the Orkiestra Historyczna, the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, the Wrocławska Orkiestra Barokowa, L’Arpa Festante, Arte dei Suonatori and La Folia Barockorchester.