Ensemble Diatessaron

Elena Martínez de Murguía (viola da gamba)
Rafael Bonavita (theorbo, baroque guitar)

Musika Loreak – Musical Flowers

The Basque messenger: An encounter between cultures in the Europe of kings

The program includes works by the great masters and virtuosos of the baroque guitar, theorbo and viola da gamba. The music flourished in the courts of kings, who had musicians working in their courts and had music playing at every occasion. The musicians travelled to and fro, carrying with them rhythms and melodies inspired by the inexhaustible source of the popular music, thereby making music a vehicle of communication and beauty.

Artist message

We have taken the title Musical Flowers from a collection by Martin y Coll, which reflects many types of songs that were fashionable and that shaped the Europe of the time. We like it because it displayed a way to make music: melodies were borrowed, rhythms were copied, enriching and changing the music according to the time and place. It is very nice to see that the same song was known and used in different countries. Variations appeared, the so-called "floreaba", which means free ornamentation. Since we identify with this creative spirit, we travel and wish to show that we are more alike than different, driven by the same energy and that we enrich each other.

About the project

The borders of the vast Habsburg empire separated not only politically but also and especially culturally. With splendour in the arts, the ruling monarch could present his influence and power in all areas of life - from politics to music. The Habsburg emperors as major sponsors of artists and composers greatly enriched the European culture.

The Concilium Musicum Wien, special ensemble on period instruments, and the soprano Heidi Manser invite to the Habsburg court and bring the splendour of past centuries to our times. Besides the “Styrian Bach” Johann Joseph Fux and Maria Theresa’s piano teacher Georg Christoph Wagenseil, also compositions of crowned heads will be heard: Leopold I and Joseph I convince as first-class composers.