Clematis is celebrating its 25th anniversary!
A Venice of the North
Many cities in the "north" had an abundance of waterways and canals that allowed them to be compared to Venice; this was the case for Bruges or Stockholm, but also for Liège...
But here, the comparison isn't solely based on the city's appearance (and let's be reasonable, Liège didn't have as many canals as Venice). As the capital of an Episcopal Principality, Liège boasted exceptional musical activity in most of its churches, and especially in its Cathedral, which, from the early years of the 17th century, had assimilated the models of the new Italian music…
The use of basso continuo on the organ, the abandonment of polyphony in favor of pieces with small ensembles of soloists, the dialogue between voices and instruments, and the theatrical expression of feelings had all made their appearance.
This is what can be found in the compositions of Gilles Henri Hayne, Léonard Hodemont, or Lambert Pietkin. With organist Cindy Castillo, Clematis offers an encounter between these composers and some Venetian masters of the period.
Clematis is also participating in this major Ricercar label project dedicated to the repertoire of Saint-Lambert Cathedral in Liège in the 17th century.
It is within this context that the concert " A Venice of the North " is programmed.
Here's a little memento of the project recorded in 2024…
The concert will take place on Sunday, April 26th at 4:00 PM at Saint-Loup Church in Namur. We look forward to seeing many of you there!
https://www.grandmanege.be/fr/concerts/523-une-venise-du-nord
*** The Clematis Ensemble wishes to see you very soon to celebrate our
25 years through various projects planned throughout the year.
Stay alert! ***
In 2026 Clematis celebrates its 25th anniversary, a quarter of a century dedicated mainly to 17th-century music and during which Clematis has continued to explore the very rich repertoire of Italy, Germany, but also the Southern Netherlands; in this area, the ensemble's first records were made, dedicated to Nicolaus à Kempis and Carolus Hacquart.
The culmination of these explorations was the rediscovery of the score of Ulisse all'Isola di Circe by Gioseffo Zamponi, the first opera to be performed in Brussels in 1655. After its revival in 2006 as part of the Sablon Baroque Spring, this opera was sumptuously recorded in 2014 under the direction of Leonardo Garcia-Alarcon.
These 25 years have been marked by numerous concerts, mainly in Belgium and France, but also in many other European countries, Russia, Israel, Latin America and Canada....
Clematis also has a very rich discography to its credit, comprising 15 recordings which have received numerous international awards, to which must be added several recordings made in partnership with different ensembles such as La Cappella Mediterranea or the Namur Chamber Choir.
@HannoMeier
At the beginning of March, Clematis began recording the complete sonatas from Johann Adam Reinken's Hortus Musicus, music which, as we know, had aroused the enthusiasm of Johann Sebastian Bach.
This recording took place at the Begijnhofkerk in Sint-Truiden. For this recording, Clematis inaugurated the restoration of a harpsichord built around 1970 by Knud Kauffmann, a Brussels instrument maker who had made a copy of the large Hass harpsichord in the Musical Instrument Museum of Brussels.