Detailed program
From August 19 (arrival before dinner) to August 27, 2023 (departure after breakfast)
Heinrich Schütz (1585-1672)
An Wasserflüssen Babylon SWV 242
Michael Praetorius (1571-1621)
An Wasserflüssen Babylon
Orlando di Lasso (1532-1594)
S,U, su, P,E,R, per
Salomone Rossi (1570-1630)
Al naaroth bavel
Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1643-1704)
Super flumina Babylonis H.70
Jan Pieterzoon Sweelinck (1562-1621)
Estans assis aux rives aquatiques
André Campra (1660-1744)
Le Carnaval de Venise (Prologue et Divertissement : Orfeo n’ell inferno)
We will sing it set to music by many composers. In Latin (Roman Catholic pronunciation for Palestrina, in French for Charpentier), in German for Praetorius and Schütz, in a very original version by Orlando di Lasso where the text is literally broken up, in Hebrew in a composition by Salomone Rossi, and finally in French in the version by Sweelinck.
Le carnaval de Venise (English: The Carnival of Venice) is a comédie-lyrique in a prologue and three acts by the French composer André Campra. The libretto is by Jean-François Regnard. It was first performed on 20 January 1699 by the Académie royale de musique in the Salle du Palais-Royal in Paris. We will sing the prologue and the divertissement in which Orpheus descends to the underworld to bring back his beloved. A particularity of this divertissement is that while the whole opera is in French, this part is in Italian.
Prologue :
A hall where a show is to be given: everything is still in disorder, the place is full of pieces of wood and imperfect decorations; we see a lot of workmen working to put everything back in order
An Ordonnateur urges the workers to prepare the place. Minerva comes down to take part in a party, and is surprised at the mess. Minerva decides to prepare the party herself by calling on the Divinities of the Arts. Music, dance, painting and architecture arrive with their retinue and build a magnificent theatre. Minerva invites the choir to celebrate a King full of glory, and to display the spectacle of a festival in Venice.
Divertissement (in Italian) : Orfeo n’ell inferno
Pluto, warned of the arrival of a mortal, alerts the infernal deities. He is seized by the song of Orpheus, who asks him to return Euridice to him. Pluto accepts on condition that he does not look at her until he has left the Underworld. Euridice appears. At her request, Orpheus looks at her. The demons separate them forever.
Workshop structure
The days begin at 9:30 am with a one-hour group vocal technique class with Muriel Ferraro or Maarten Koningsberger: posture, breathing, vocal technique according to a pre-established progression throughout the week.
Then, until 1:00 pm, the participants of the choral singing workshop work on the musical program a cappella or accompanied by Stefano Intrieri. Rehearsals resume at 4:30 pm until 7 pm.
The beginning of the afternoon is devoted, on a rotating basis, to vocal technique classes per section with Muriel Ferraro or Maarten Koningsberger. The Summer Academy choral training course attaches particular importance to vocal quality and gives the choir members the maximum amount of time to work on vocal technique to achieve this.
Choral singers must study the whole program before the beginning of the workshop. A few months before the beginning of the Music Academy, downloadable files are available as a support.
Downloadable choral scores are provided free of charge.