Musical Parnassus

Musical Inspirations in Virtuoso Suites à la française

Become a patron
Prev concert
Next concert
Thursday 27. 07. 2023 | 17.00 Strahov Monastery
Summer Refectory
Strahovské nádvoří 1/132, Praha 1
17.00–21.00
With intermission

Artists

Programme

J. C. F. Fischer (1656–1746)
Suite in A minor “Melpomene”
Suite in D minor “Urania”
 
Marin Marais (1656–1728)
Le Badinage
Le Labyrinthe
Les Folies d’Espagne
 
Silvius Leopold Weiss (1687–1750)
Capriccio in D major
Menuet I, Menuet II
 
Conrad Höffler (1647–1696)
Suite No. 5 in D minor
 
Johann Schenk (1660 – ca 1712)
Sonate in A minor, op. 9, No. 2

Annotation

Harpsichordist Christine Schornsheim, gambist Hille Perl and theorbist Michael Freimuth – a trio of renowned German artists – will take their interpretive mastery to the mythical seat of the gods – Parnassus. This was the home of the nine daughters of Zeus – the beautiful Muses, who inspired artists with ideas and creative energy. They will surely be holding a protective hand over the concert in the inspiring surroundings of Strahov Monastery’s Summer Refectory!
 
The dramaturgy of the evening will present, inter alia, the Muse Melpomene (“The Singing”), who is the protector of all kinds of song, or the Muse Urania (“Heavenly”), who is the Muse of Astronomy and Arithmetic. Perhaps Johann Caspar Ferdinand Fischer also wanted to curry favour with them: the suites dedicated to the Muses come from his cycle Musikalischer Parnassus, which reflects French influence adopted into the tradition of German keyboard literature. The musical experience will be enhanced by virtuoso compositions for viola da gamba and theorbo, which will bring out the richness of the timbres of both instruments to the delight of every listener.

Venue

Strahov Monastery

Summer Refectory
Strahovské nádvoří 1/132, Praha 1

Show on map

Partners of the concert

The concert is held with the financial support of the Deutsch-Tschechischer Zukunftsfonds and with the kind support of the Royal Canonry of Premonstratensians at Strahov.

Artists

Hille Perl

Hille Perl

viola da gamba

Hille Perl, born in Bremen (Germany), is considered to be one of the world’s finest viola da gamba players. She decided to play the viola da gamba after hearing a Wieland Kuijken concert when she was five! For the multi-award-winning viol player, music is the primary medium of interpersonal communication. More precise, clearer and more intense than language, of greater emotional significance than other experiences, with the exception of love.   Her long-time performing partner is Lee Santana and they have co-founded several ensembles, including Sirius Viols and Los Otros, with many CDs to their credit. She also appeared in Michael Haneke’s 2017 movie Happy End, playing viola da gamba.   In addition to an original 17th-century gamba made by Matthias Alban in Tyrol in 1687, she plays a seven-string Tielke replica made by Ingo Muthesius and a six-string Italian gamba made by Claus Derenbach.
Christine Schornsheim

Christine Schornsheim

harpsichord

Harpsichordist and fortepianist Christine Schornsheim has been fascinating enthusiastic audiences for many years with the almost endless variety of sound and musical fantasy she produces on various historical keyboard instruments.   She has been a guest of various concert series and festivals; among her regular musical partners are harpsichordist Andreas Staier, gamba player Hille Perl, cellist Kristin von der Goltz and traverso player Michael Schmidt-Casdorff.   Among her numerous recordings for CD and radio is the complete Well-Tempered Clavier by Johann Sebastian Bach, played on one of the few preserved and fully playable harpsichords of the Antwerp master Anton Ruckers (1624), the highly acclaimed recording of Joseph Haydn’s complete keyboard solo works, Johann Sebastian Bach’s Goldberg Variations, rarely played Bach works for harpsichord, and the first recording of Beethoven’s works for flute and piano (with Christoph Huntgeburth).
Michael Freimuth

Michael Freimuth

theorbo

Michael Freimuth studied guitar and lute in Essen, Vienna and Cologne with Karl Scheit, Konrad Ragossnig and Konrad Junghänel. He focuses on lute and guitar music of the 16th–19th centuries.   Michael Freimuth has travelled as a soloist and continuo player with leading Baroque orchestras under renowned conductors in Europe, the USA, Japan and South Korea. As a theorbist, he has been part of many opera productions.   He owns an original lute from 1740 and a harp guitar from 1847. Following a recording of lute works by Silvius Leopold Weiss, another CD of previously unknown compositions was released in 2017, featuring sonatas by Michele Platano.   A recent highlight was a performance of the complete cycle of Biber’s Rosary Sonatas with violinist Mayumi Hirasaki and the harpsichordist Christine Schornsheim at the Musikfest Erzgebirge 2019, also recorded by Deutschlandfunk.