The Travels of Orpheus

Between Normandy & Flanders 1590-1620…

Around 1600, being compared to Orpheus distinguished several musicians recognized for the excellence of their works. This program highlights the circulation of artists and their compositions between Normandy and Flanders.

Despite the wars affecting the Netherlands under Spanish rule, musicians and their repertoires spread widely. The organist and composer Jehan Titelouze leaves Saint-Omer to settle permanently in Rouen. For his part, Roland de Lassus, born in Mons, published notably in Antwerp and active throughout Europe, embodies the pinnacle of Franco-Flemish polyphony. Both compose on the Marian hymn Ave Maris Stella, using alternatim, which alternates vocal formations. The cathedral of Rouen preserves several collections of Lassus, perfectly suited to its choir. Their gathering illustrates the mobility of works and musicians at that time.

The spread of musical printing and the movement of artists facilitate these exchanges, accompanying the gradual transition from the Renaissance to the Baroque.

The works of Lassus, Titelouze, Pevernage, and other "new Orpheuses" thus converse between Normandy and Northern Europe, attesting to the effervescence of musical creation.

The ensemble Les Meslanges interprets this repertoire with a mix of voices, cornets, sackbuts, serpent, and dulzian, revealing the golden age of polyphony. Under the direction of Thomas Van Essen and Volny Hostiou, the ensemble stands out for its original approach to the 17th-century French repertoire.

Distribution: 7 singers, 7 instrumentalists (cornets, sackbuts, dulzian, serpent, ...). Musical direction: Thomas Van Essen and Volny Hostiou.

Practical information:

All audiences

Duration: 1h30

Free

Cooperation France / Flanders

Les Meslanges receives support from the Ministry of Culture (DRAC Normandy), the Normandy Region, the Seine-Maritime Department, and the City of Rouen. The ensemble is a member of FEVIS, Scène Ensemble, and the employer groups Solstice and Oscar.