Venice – the “incomparable city, the most beautiful queen, this paradise” – this is how the Englishman Thomas Coryat described the lagoon city that deeply impressed him during his European journey in 1608. Beyond the architecture, the canals, and the diversity of people from different cultures, it was above all the music that fascinated Coryat: “It was so beautiful, so delightful, so unique, so admirable, so unsurpassable that it enchanted and astonished all the foreigners.”
Inspired by his vivid descriptions, ensemble feuervogel follows Coryat on his journey of discovery through the alleys, squares, and canals of La Serenissima: from the magnificent St. Mark’s Basilica to the noble palazzi of the Venetian aristocracy and the elegant courts where music, dance, and courtly art played a central role. The concert program Observations of Venice brings together intricate diminutions and madrigals in dialogue with dance music, ricercari, and canzoni. In doing so, ensemble feuervogel revives the music of the Venetian Cinquecento, of which Coryat wrote that it was “so beautiful that I would willingly walk a hundred miles on foot to hear such music again.”
ensemble feuervogel was founded in 2017 and consists of recorder players Nura Natour, Tabea Popien, Mathis Wolfer, and Felix Schlenker. In 2019, they performed at the Early Music Festival in York as part of the International Young Artists Competition. That same year, they won the Förderpreis Alte Musik Saar, which included a production with Saarländischer Rundfunk. In 2023, they were awarded at the International Van Wassenaer Concours in Utrecht. The ensemble has also performed at the Musikfestspiele Potsdam Sanssouci and the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music. In the summer of 2024, WDR will dedicate a live broadcast to the young ensemble and their program The Queen’s Masque.
For Observations of Venice, percussionist Ian Harrison joins the ensemble.
He is one of Europe’s most active improvisers on shawms, cornetts, historical bagpipes, and historical percussion. Well-versed in medieval and Renaissance music, traditional music, and experimental cross-over styles, he regularly performs across Europe, as well as in Asia, Australia, and North America. He is a frequent guest musician with several leading ensembles and is a sought-after lecturer in courses and workshops.
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