Until November 29, the 26th edition of the Bach Festival – Baroque Academy takes place in Lausanne (VD) under the sign of baroque lyricism. Oratorios, concert arias and extracts from operas put the male voices of countertenors and sopranos in the spotlight.
The 2024 edition of the Bach Festival – Baroque Academy offers eight concerts to sample the full extent of the flamboyant baroque repertoire. Works by Bach of course (several cantatas, instrumental pages as well as “The Saint John Passion”), but also by Handel (including the oratorio “Alexander’s Feast”), Purcell (extracts from cantatas and opera) , Scarlatti (opera arias), Carissimi (“Jephté”) and even Vivaldi (“Stabat Mater”, “Nisi Dominus”) can be discovered every weekend in November in the Vaud capital.
“Bach is a nodal point in the history of music. His music is extraordinarily dynamic and also lyrical. So this year, lyricism, vocal and instrumental, is at the heart of the festival”, indicates in the Vertigo program of October 31 Daniel Robellaz, active in the organization of the event and former host on Espace 2.
>> Listen to the interview with Daniel Robellaz about the 26th edition of the Bach Festival:
The shimmering baroque
Baroque lyricism in particular is in the spotlight, “this music which goes all the way in its expression and expresses a whole range of feelings”, specifies Daniel Robellaz, in particular by giving pride of place to countertenors, these men with airy voices who sing in their heads.
Five countertenor soloists will perform as part of the festival in masterpieces from sacred and secular repertoires: Filippo Mineccia, Barnaby Smith, Carlo Vistoli, Dominique Corbiau and Carlos Mena. They are accompanied by prestigious instrumental ensembles from all over Europe.
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Vocal parts dedicated to children or castrati
In the Baroque era, in the 17th and 18th centuries, the vocal parts today performed by countertenors were often sung by young boys who had not yet molted or by castrati, one of the last of whom was , Alessandro Moreschi, died relatively recently, in 1922.
>> Listen to the topic: “How to differentiate the countertenor voice from the countertenor voice?” :
In the 1970s, the countertenor voice was rediscovered and brought up to date, in particular by the English musicologist and singer Alfred Deller (1912-1979). Today, certain countertenors have become real stars, like the French Philippe Jaroussky or the Polish Jakub Józef Orliński, and this voice, criticized a few decades ago, is making a comeback.
Comments collected by Pierre Philippe Cadert
Adaptation web: Melissa Härtel
26th Lausanne Bach Festival, Lausanne, various locations, November 3 to 29, 2024. Several concerts are recorded by Espace 2 and will be available on Play RTS.
