Programs

Les Voix humaines, or “Human Voices.” The concert takes its title from Marin Marais’s work of the same name, which also refers to one of the viola da gamba’s most distinctive characteristics: its sound closely resembling the human voice. The concert features a unique ensemble, three violas da gamba and a harpsichord, performing German and French Baroque music from the 17th and 18th centuries.

In the first part of the program, the German Baroque repertoire is represented by works by Dietrich Buxtehude, an unknown composer whose work has survived in the Düben Collection, and Johann Michael Nicolai. In the second part of the concert, the era of Louis XIV’s court and the unique world of French viola da gamba music take center stage through works by Marin Marais and Antoine Forqueray. The rarely heard trio of three violas da gamba creates a particularly rich soundscape reminiscent of the various registers of the human voice.

Réka Nagy, Mátyás Ölveti, Sándor Szászvárosi, and Katalin Kovács have been collaborating for many years. Réka Nagy and Mátyás Ölveti are former students of Sándor Szászvárosi, and today they work together with their former teacher as artists and colleagues. Through their commitment to early music, they have developed a shared musical language with harpsichordist Katalin Kovács. The concert thus represents both a convergence of different artistic paths and a shared musical vision.

Photo: Ferenc Kis