Ton Koopman presents 14th Itinéraire Baroque festival in the Romanesque churches of the

Dordogne’s leafy Périgord Vert region

Launch concert 6 June 2015, Mozart & Bach

Itinéraire Baroque Festival

Thurs 30 July - Sun 2 August 2015

www.itinerairebaroque.com  

Château de Beaulieu Abbaye de Brantôme Ton Koopman’s Itinéraire Baroque Festival in the Dordogne, set in the picturesque medieval villages and towns around Riberac and Brantôme, returns for its 14th edition from Thursday 30 July to Sunday 2 August 2015. This year’s summer festival presents a feast of baroque masterpieces and rarities, from opera arias based on the myth of Orpheus to Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks. A particular focus this year is on Bach, his family and his colleagues. The festival’s annual highlight is the Saturday pilgrimage circuit to small forgotten Romanesque churches for five “taster” concerts, following Koopman’s uplifting morning recital on the organ. This year’s line-up includes Koopman’s many friends and colleagues, performing Monteverdi, Vivaldi, Haydn, Handel, Mozart and many of their contemporaries; Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Brisk Recorder Quartet, London Haydn Quartet and Eric Hoeprich, Nicolas Achten and Scherzi Musicali, Patrizia Marisaldi, Alberto Rasi, Bettina Pahn, Joachim Held, Werner Matzke, Marieke Spaans, Jasper Schweppe, Gerard de Wit, Ensemble Arco Sonoro and Timan Lichdi. Prior to the festival, there is a launch concert on Saturday 6 June with Koopman’s celebrated Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra performing Bach’s Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland BWV 61 with the Junior Choir of the Dordogne, Mozart’s Ave Verum Corpus K618 and the Fantasie for two organs K594. This year’s summer festival opens on Thursday 30th July in Église de Cercles with a programme of operatic laments on the myth of Orpheus by Monteverdi, Caccini, Peri, Rossi and Sartorio. Baritone Nicolas Achten as Orpheus - whose lute and voice programme in a sunny chateau garden was a popular favourite at last year’s festival – is joined by soprano Deborah Cachet as Euridice with ensemble Scherzi Musicali. On the Friday 31 July in the same venue, the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra returns for a delightful midday concert of Vivaldi Concertos for

 

3 harpsichords, rearranged by Ton Koopman for 4 harpsichords, followed by the Brisk Recorder Quartet from Amsterdam at 4.30pm and clarinettist Eric Hoeprich with the London Haydn Quartet at 8.30pm. This year’s Saturday Itinéraire travels around Brantôme to some of the overlooked architectural gems of the Romanesque period, including the chapel of Champeaux, the Château de Beaulieu, and the Église of Rossignol. It provides an ideal way to discover the neglected churches of the Dordogne during half-hour “bite-size” concerts, often introducing rarities of the Baroque repertoire for lute, viola di gamba and voice in magical settings. The festival concludes on the Sunday 2 August with Koopman and the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra in Église de Cercles in a programme of Bach cantatas and Handel arias with tenor Timan Lichdi, followed by Handel’s iconic Music for the Royal Fireworks. In this beautiful unspoiled region with its quiet stone-built villages, Ton Koopman has created a festival that celebrates baroque music and the graceful medieval architectural heritage of the area. Started as an “itinéraire”, a one-day festival of five concerts on the pilgrimage circuit to five small parish churches, the festival has gradually expanded into an extended weekend over 4 days, which attracts new audiences to the Périgord Vert. Each year some 3,000 visitors attend the dozen concerts in the festival - many have returned to settle in the area, restoring the farmhouses and chateaux and enjoying the gardens and gastronomic local produce. Koopman bought a family home in the area 15 years ago and shortly after Bach’s epic 250th anniversary in 2000, he founded the Itinéraire Baroque with Robert-Nicolas Huet in 2001. The aim was to bring music to the stunning locations, from Brantôme to Saint-Astier via the rural roads of the Mareuillais, the Verteillacois and Ribérac and to involve the local community by forming a children’s choir. With Koopman, the Youth Choir of the Dordogne (Jeune Chœur de Dordogne) has performed a wide range of works including Purcell’s King Arthur to Telemann’s Orpheus and the St Matthew Passion, with which they toured France last year. Another highlight of each year is when Koopman provides the music for the Sunday morning mass at his local church in Verteillac playing the organ and often accompanied with one of the festival’s singers. As Ton Koopman explains: “This rural area of Perigord Vert is perhaps lesser known than the more famous Dordogne valley with its majestic castles and strategic crusader fortresses. These smaller villages on rivers dotted across the countryside, many inhabited since prehistoric times, have a quieter, intimate charm. It seemed a shame to see so many of these historic churches closed for much of the year, so we started the festival to open up their doors and fill them with music. 14 years on, I am delighted that the festival has grown and become a regular fixture in the summer calendar, attracting visitors from far and wide.” About the Dordogne Named after the great Dordogne river, this region of Aquitaine is one of the most picturesque areas in Europe, famous for its prehistoric caves and gastronomic delicacies – foie gras, walnuts and truffles ideally complemented by wines from St Emillion. It is rich in magnificent castles, historical museums and its luscious green valleys. The Dordogne is also well-known under the former name Périgord, which dates back to when it was occupied by the Gauls. It was divided into four separate parts, according to the four tribes: Périgord Noir (Black for the darkness of the stone), the Périgord Blanc (White for limestone quarries), the Périgord Vert (Green for forest) and the Périgord Pourpre (Purple for wine).

 

The charming city of Brantôme is located in the Périgord Vert, in an island on the River Dronne next to a cluster of prehistoric limestone caves, open to the public behind the Abbey. The Celts and their mystic Druid priests gave Brantôme its name – a combination of the Celtic words for water and rocks. After the Celts, the town was inhabited by Romans, then early Christians whose community of monks developed the early monastery into the splendid abbey on the banks of the river. The Dordogne is renowned for its gastronomy – local cuisine includes duck and goose dishes, truffles, apple cider and walnuts. There is also the delicious dessert wine of Montbazillac and Bordeaux’ fine wines an hour away. There are also plenty of activities for visitors to the Dordogne, as the area boasts lush green golf courses, canoe trips along the river and beautiful walks and bike rides across the undulating landscape.

2015 Festival

Saturday 6 June Collégiale de Ribérac – Concert de Printemps (Opening Concert) Time: 5pm and 8:00pm JS Bach 2ème Suite BWV 1067 Cantate BWV 61 « Nun kommt der heiden Heiland Sinfonia de la cantate BWV 209 Alleluia de ‘Lobet den Herrn’ BWV 230 Mozart Ave Verum Corpus K 618 Fantasia in F Minor for 2 organs K 594 Young Choir of Dordogne Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra Amsterdam Baroque Choir & Soloists Ton Koopman, conductor

Thursday 30 July Venue: Abbaye de Brantome - Il Pianto D’Orfeo Ou La Naissance De L’Opéra Time: 8:30 pm Operatic scenes from the myth of Orpheus by Peri, Caccini, Rossi, Sartorio and Monteverdi. Scherzi Musicali Nicolas Achten, Orfeo Deborah Cachet Euridice Lambert Colson Cornett Justin Glaie Viole de gambe Eriko Semba Lirone, Harpsichord, Organ Solmund Nystabakk Théorbo

 

Friday 31 July Baroque en Cercles As counterpoint to Saturday’s Itinéraire, Friday offers three different concerts at a single church. Between concerts there are lectures and you can enjoy food and drink from Café Baroque. Église Abbatiale, Cercles – Vivaldi and Koopman Time: 12:00pm  Bach: Concerto for 2 harpsichords BWV 1060 Vivaldi/Bach: Concerto for 4 harpsichords BWV 1065 Vivaldi/Koopman: Concertos for 4 harpsichords RV567, RV 549, RV550 (rearrangement for 4 harpsichords) – World Première Arrangement Ton Koopman Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra Ton Koopman conductor and harpsichord T. Mathot harpsichord P. Marisaldi harpsichord E. Valorz harpsichord C. Manson violin D. Rabinovich violin W. Matzke cello A. Rasi bass Café Baroque - Discussion Time: 3:00 pm Round table led by Alain Durel with the participation of T. Koopman, Tini Mathot , Patrizia Marisaldi and Edoardo Valorz. Église Abbatiale, Cercles – Brisk plays Bach Time: 4:30pm Chorale preludes, fugues and concertos of JS Bach. Brisk recorder quartet Amsterdam Café Baroque – Architecture Conference Time: 6:00 pm Alain de la Ville Architect Église Abbatiale, Cercles – Quartets, Quintets and Clarinets Time: 8:30pm Haydn: String Quartet op. 54 and op. 55 Mozart: Clarinet Quintet K. 581 Eric Hoeprich, clarinet London Haydn Quartet: C. Manson violin M. Gourevich violin J. Boyd alto violin J. Manson cello

 

Saturday 1 August L’Itinéraire following opening concert with Tom Koopman welcoming all 5 groups. Five concerts | Five venues | Five groups of audiences | Five performance slots Group 1 Route: 9:45am: Mareuil 11:00am: Église de Vieux Mareuil 12:15pm: Église de Saint-Sulpice de Mareuil 3:00pm: Église de Champeaux 4:15pm: Château de Beaulieu 5:30pm: Église de Rossignol Group 2 Route: 9:45am: Mareuil 11:00am: Église de Saint-Sulpice de Mareuil 12:15pm: Église de Champeaux 3:00pm: Château de Beaulieu 4:15pm: Église de Rossignol 5:30pm: Église de Vieux Mareuil Group 3 Route: 9:45am: Mareuil 11:00am: Église de Champeaux 12:15pm: Château de Beaulieu

3:00pm: Église de Rossignol 4:15pm: Église de Vieux Mareuil 5:30pm: Église de Saint-Sulpice de Mareuil Group 4 Route: 9:45am: Mareuil 11:00am: Château de Beaulieu 12:15pm: Église de Rossignol 3:00pm: Église de Vieux Mareuil 4:15pm: Église de Saint-Sulpice de Mareuil 5:30pm: Église de Champeaux Group 5 Route: 9:45am: Mareuil 11:00am: Église de Rossignol 12:15pm: Église de Vieux Mareuil 3:00pm: Église de Saint-Sulpice de Mareuil 4:15pm: Église de Champeaux 5:30pm: Château de Beaulieu

__________________________ Opening Concert Event: Concert for Organ Venue: Mareuil Time: 9:45 am Ton Koopman organ Église de Vieux Mareuil – Italian Chamber Music Vivaldi: Sonata RV 801 Platti: Sonata for Oboe, Cello and Basso Continuo Handel: Trio Sonata H393 L’Arco Sonoro: Y. Shin oboe F. Bergamini violin B. Smith cello E. Valorz harpsichord Église de Saint-Sulpice de Mareuil – Italian Virtuosity and Vocal Expression Scarlatti: Sonata K 460 & K 461 Vivaldi: Sonata RV42 Lanzetti: Sonata for Cello and Basso Continuo

 

Werner Matzke, cello Ariane Marieke Spaans, harpsichord Église de Champeaux – Bach and Sons CPE Bach: Trio WQ88 & H510 JS Bach: Sonata BWV 1028 Patrizia Marisaldi, harpsichord Alberto Rasi, viol Château de Beaulieu – Arias and Music for German Baroque Lute Telemann, Weiss, Kremberg, Rathgeber, Hammerschmidt Bettina Pahn, soprano Joachim Held, lute Église de Rossignol – Ich Habe Genung Bach: Aria Ich habe Genung & Choral Rosenmïuller: Salve Regina Hollanders: O Clementissima Virgo Zipoli: Pasorale Jasper Schweppe, bass Gerard de Wit, organ

Sunday 2 August Église de Verteillac - Mass Time: 10:30am Celebrated by Father Jean-Pierre Body Ton Koopman organ St Astier – Closing Concert Time: 5:00pm JS Bach: 3 arias for tenor BWV 62, 117 & 19 Handel: 3 arias for tenor from Messiah and Samson HWV 351

Music for the Royal Fireworks HWV351 Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra Timan Lichdi, ténor Ton Koopman, direction

 

Ton Koopman

Hailing from Zwolle in the Netherlands, Ton Koopman is an acclaimed organist, harpsichordist and conductor, as well as the Artistic Director of Itinéraire Baroque. From the beginning of his musical studies in Amsterdam, he was fascinated by authentic instruments and a performance style based on sound scholarship and in 1969, at the age of 25, he created his first Baroque orchestra. In 1979

he founded the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra followed by the Amsterdam Baroque Choir in 1992. Koopman's extensive activities as a soloist, accompanist and conductor have been recorded on a large number of LPs and CDs for labels such as Erato, Teldec, Sony, Philips and DG, along with his own record label, Antoine Marchand, distributed by Challenge Records. Over the course of his 45-year career Ton Koopman has appeared in some the most important concert halls and festivals in the world, including the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Théatre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, the Philharmonie in Munich, the Alte Oper in Frankfurt, the Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall in New York. He has been Principal Conductor of the Netherland Radio Chamber Orchestra and has collaborated with leading international orchestras such as the Royal Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Chicago Symphony, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome and Wiener Symphoniker. Between 1994 and 2004, Ton Koopman was engaged in a unique project, conducting and recording all the existing Cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach, a massive undertaking for which he has been awarded the Deutsche Schallplattenpreis ‘Echo Klassik’, the BBC Music Magazine Choral Award in 2008, the Prix Hector Berlioz and has been nominated for a Grammy Award in America and Gramophone Award in the UK. In 2000 Ton Koopman received an Honorary Degree from the Utrecht University for his academic work on the Bach Cantatas and Passions and has been awarded both the prestigious Silver Phonograph Prize and the VSCD Classical Music Award. In 2006 he has received the ‘Bach-Medaille’ from the City of Leipzig. Ton Koopman publishes regularly and for a number of years he has been engaged in editing the complete Händel Organ Concertos for Breitkopf & Härtel. He has published Händel’s Messiah and Buxtehude‘s Das Jüngeste Gericht for Carus. Koopman leads the class of harpsichord at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, is Professor at the University of Leiden and is an Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Music in London.

 

Hotels of the Perigord Vert

• Château Le Mas de Montet, Petit-Bersac – a luxury four-star hotel in the heart of the Périgord. This Renaissance house with 10 well-appointed bedrooms and suites boasts a genealogy dating back to the Roman Empire, and is built on 130 acres of rolling parkland and manicured gardens. The Château and hotel restaurant have recently undergone an extensive renovation.

• Le Moulin du Roc, Champagnac-de-Belair – an authentic 17th century mill, converted into a charming hotel with 15 rooms connected by walkways, terraces and staircases. The hotel restaurant serves local produce including truffles, nuts, duck and strawberries.

• Le Moulin de l'Abbaye, Brantôme – a four-star hotel bordering the Dronne river,

which consists of three historic buildings: the old mill, the ‘Maison du Meunier’ and the ‘Maison de l'abbé’ dating from the 13th century. There are two traditional restaurants and a gourmet eaterie.

• Château de Saint-Privat-des-Prés - situated in the north west of the Perigord,

the Château offers bedrooms in four independent, restored houses (named after the four parts of Dordogne) placed around a charming courtyard. The courtyard opens onto a park of 17 hectares which includes a basin of natural water for swimming.

www.itinerairebaroque.com

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