Viaggio magico
Jason’s Adventurous Journey for the Golden Fleece
Summer Refectory
Strahovské nádvoří 1/132, Praha 1
Artists
Luise Catenhusen – recorder, cornetto
María Carrasco Gil – Baroque violin
Jakob Kuchenbuch – viola da gamba
Tobias Tietze – lute, Baroque guitar
Tilmann Albrecht – harpsichord
Jeroen Finke – percussion
Programme
Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643)
Chiome d’oro
Lorenzo Allegri (1567–1648)
Quinto Ballo detto lo Ninfe di Senna
Giovanni Giacomo Gastoldi (ca 1554–1609)
Questa dolce Sirena
Marco Uccellini (1603/1610–1680)
Aria XIII sopra Questa bella Sirena
Sonata prima detta La Poggia
Maurizio Cazzati (1616–1678)
Capriccio detto il Gozzadini
Ballo delle Dame & Ballo de Cavaglieri
Ciaccona
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (ca 1525–1594)
Amor, Fortuna
Giovanni Maria Trabaci (ca 1575–1647)
Partite artificiose sopra il Tenor de Zefiro
Lorenzo Allegri (1567–1648)
Primo Ballo della Notte d’Amore
Salomone Rossi el Hebreo (1570–1630)
Gagliarda quinta detta Amor perfetto
Andrea Falconieri (1585/6–1656)
La Diamantina a due violini
etc.
Annotation
With the German ensemble I Zefirelli, listeners will embark on a mythical journey, ascending from the Summer Refectory of Strahov Monastery directly onto the deck of the legendary ship Argo, aboard which the Argonauts set out in search of the Golden Fleece. The story of Jason and his adventurous journey is one of the most significant Greek myths and serves as a symbol of cooperation, perseverance, the human desire for knowledge, and the determination to push boundaries, as well as the moral ambiguity and fleeting nature of earthly fame and wealth…
The programme, drawn from the instrumental repertoire of early Italian Baroque – replete with powerfully expressed and diverse emotions, passions, and moods – will offer the irresistible song of the Sirens, the graceful dance of the nymphs, dramatic sea storms, and awe at the dazzling brilliance of the golden treasure. It will also evoke the various shades of the fateful story of Jason and Medea – from boundless love through betrayal to cruel revenge – and, ultimately, gold as a symbol of beauty and triumph, but also of transience and deceptive illusion.
Venue
Summer Refectory
Strahovské nádvoří 1/132, Praha 1
Partners of the concert
The concert is held with the financial support of the Deutsch-Tschechischer Zukunftsfonds and with the support of the Royal Canonry of Premonstratensians at Strahov.
Artists
I Zefirelli
Founded in Hamburg, the ensemble I Zefirelli brings a fresh breeze to the world of early music. Drawing on its experience in chamber and solo performance, as well as historically informed practice, I Zefirelli aims to create intuitive and electrifying interpretations of Baroque repertoire. The ensemble is named after Zephyr, the god of the West Wind, who is also known as the herald of spring.
I Zefirelli has performed at the musical festivals, such as the Internationale Händel-Festspiele Göttingen, the Musikfestspiele Potsdam Sanssouci, and the Innsbrucker Festwochen der Alten Musik, among others, in the concert hall Riga Early Music Centre, and on WDR 3 Alte Musik and BBC 3 Early Music.
In 2017, the six musicians received a prize from the Career Centre of the Hamburg University of Music and Theatre for Mr. Handel in the Pub, an innovative programme exploring the connection between Baroque and folk music that premiered in an English pub. The ensemble’s main musical focus is on London and its musical life around 1700.
At the Internationaler H. I. F. Biber Wettbewerb in 2019, I Zefirelli was awarded the Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) Prize, which was followed by a concert broadcast on WDR 3 Alte Musik. In 2021, the ensemble won the Bärenreiter Urtext-Preis at the international Göttingen Händel Competition. For the final performance, they arranged the Händel’s opera Berenice, regina di Egitto specifically for the six members of the ensemble, complementing the work with their own compositions. In 2022, I Zefirelli was chosen to participate in EEEMERGING+, a project for emerging ensembles in the field of early music, initiated by the European Union under its Creative Europe programme.
