Les femmes d'esprit pays homage to two women who seized the opportunity to develop their talents in an unruly world. The programme consists of music by the French composers Elisabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre (1665-1729) and Marguerite Monnot (1903-1961). They were both virtuosic keyboard players, the first as a harpsichord player and the latter on the modern piano. But their greatest success lay within their compositions. Their music truly deserves our attention in the present day. More about this programme here.
When Sophie Elisabeth zu Mecklenburg (1613-1676) met Heinrich Schütz (1585-1672) in 1638, Germany was in the grip of the Thirty Years’ War. A series of disputes tore the country apart and caused conflicts between neighbouring principalities. Religion was one of the sources of disagreement. In the 17th century, religion was omnipresent and as a result of war, hunger and disease, people held onto their religion more than ever. After all, it was the one constant element in their lives. In this programme, KirstiConsort places Sophie Elisabeth next to her teacher, Schütz and offers an opportunity to hear how this noble lady was able to create sheer beauty during times of misery and despair. More about this programme here.
KirstiConsort joins forces with soprano Kat Carson and baroque violinist Nino Natroshvili for this programme. Qual suono festoso is a combination of theatre and concert, starting with the semi-staged cantata, Fra Dori e Fileno, composed by Camilla de Rossi and concluding with an instrumental trio sonata by Élisabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre. While Jacquet de la Guerre is one of the better known female composers of the baroque period, the life of de Rossi remains a mystery. More about this programme here.