Golden Age | Julia Lezhneva II

The Süddeutsche Zeitung describes Julia Lezhneva as a "magician" who can make her voice disappear into nothingness, only to fire off a "firework display of garlands and ludicrous vocal tricks" the next moment. Perfect conditions for a program where everything revolves around the "Golden Age". At the end of the 16th century, scholars and musicians in Florence (the Florentine Camerata) believed that in ancient Greece, dramas were not spoken but entirely sung. They regarded antiquity as the "golden age" of human culture. Their aim was not simply a new invention, but the rebirth (renaissance) of a musical perfection that was thought to have been lost. This was also the birth of opera. Complex polyphony was abandoned in favor of solo singing with simple accompaniment (basso continuo). The strict regularity of the basso continuo gave the singer the freedom to express emotions as passionately as the ancient heroes were imagined to.

Giulio Caccini provided the theoretical foundations with his collection Le Nuove Musiche (1601). Despite their supposed simplicity, Claudio Monteverdi's "Scherzi musicali" display strong passions that gain their musical power from the confrontation of opposing affects. In the music of the High Baroque, such as that of Antonio Vivaldi, these emotions are heightened by extreme intervals and chromatic lines, culminating in virtuoso rage arias. The lute music of Pietro Paolo Melli offers a haven of peace in this musical battle of emotions.

Julia Lezhneva, soprano

Artist in Residence 2026

Luca Pianca, theorbo

Giulio Caccini (1551-1618)

"Dolcissimo sospiro", Aria

"La bella man vi stringo", madrigal

"Amarilli mia bella" (decorated), aria

"Belle rose porporine", Aria IX

Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)

"Ecco di dolci raggi il sol armato" SV 249

"Quel sguardo sdegnosetto" from "Scherzi Musicali" SV 247

Vincenzo Bernia (1561-1626)

Toccata cromatica & Allemanda for lute

Pietro Paolo Melli (1579-1625)

Preludio & Aria del Gran Duca for lute

Corrente "La Palatina" for lute

Domenico Mazzocchi (1592-1665)

"Con ghirlanda di rose", cantata

Giacomo Carissimi (1605-1674)

"Tu m'hai preso a consumare", cantata

Intermission

Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)

"Sorge vermiglia in ciel la bella aurora", Cantata RV 667

Manuscript Goëss-Ebethal (16th century)

Prélude, Allemande, Gigue, Sarabande & Chaconne for lute

Giovanni Paisiello (1740-1816)

Variations on "Nel cor più non mi sento"

Note: This text was translated by machine translation software and not by a human translator. It may contain translation errors.