The “Sagra Musicale Lucchese” (Lucca Music Festival) is the oldest musical festival taking place in Lucca; usually between April and June, the programme offers sacred music concerts with a difference.
The Festival usually proposes previously unreleased compositions, often found in precious Lucca’s Seminary Archive while at the same time focussing on the most recent productions, with concerts of contemporary Tuscan music.
The 2014 programme features nine free admission concerts performed in some of the most beautiful churches of the town and province of Lucca.
Saturday 3 May at 21.15 in the Cathedral of San Martino
Lucca Music Festival hosts the choir of the Anglican Church St Georg of Paris, which regularly performs in the traditional latin spoken liturgy at that church, and in the Vespers’ accompaniment.
Its repertoire ranges from Mozart to Haydn, Schubert, Dvorak, Stravinsky, Lennox-Berkeley, and Palestrina, Victoria, Byrd, Tallis, Lassus. The choir travels abroad every year to perform at liturgic events, festivals or concerts.
Conducted by Peter Hicks and accompanied on the organ by Simon Lawford, the solo parts of mezzo-soprano are entrusted to Lucie Louvrier.
Details:
Saturday 26 April at 21.15 in the Church of San Pietro Somaldi organ concert by Enrico Barsanti with music by Bach, Dorati, Malvezzi, Girolami, Gherardeschi, Zipoli, Wely and Young.
Saturday 3 May at 21.15 in the Cathedral of San Martino Lucca Music Festival hosts the choir of the Anglican Church St Georg of Paris, which regularly performs in the traditional latin spoken liturgy at that church, and in the Vespers’ accompaniment. Its repertoire ranges from Mozart to Haydn, Schubert, Dvorak, Stravinsky, Lennox-Berkeley, and Palestrina, Victoria, Byrd, Tallis, Lassus. The choir travels abroad every year to perform at liturgic events, festivals or concerts. Conducted by Peter Hicks and accompanied on the organ by Simon Lawford, the solo parts of mezzo-soprano are entrusted to Lucie Louvrier.
Sunday 11 May at 18.00 in the Church of San Pietro Somaldi, Early Music concert by the associations “Cantilena Antiqua” and “Concentus Lucensis”. Performance of Missa Tornacensis from XIV century, conducted by Stefano Albarello.
Saturday 17 May at 21.15 in the Church of Santa Maria Corteorlandini, Polyphony and Spirituality from Monteverdi to Whitacre with “Il Convitto Armonico”, organ player Marco Montanelli, conductor Stefano Buschini.
Sunday 25 May at 18.00 in the Church of Santa Maria Corteorlandini, concert with female choir and instruments “La musica sacra di Venezia nel 1700 …non era solo Vivaldi” (18th Century Venetian Sacred Music… Not just Vivaldi). The Coranyo Ensemble conducted by Jolando Scarpa interprets music by Tomaso Traetta.
Saturday 31 May at 21.15 in the Church of San Giovanni in Pieve Fosciana, the organ player of the Cathedral of Lucca Giulia Biagetti interprets music by French authors from the XIX century; the same concert will be performed Sunday 8 June at 18.00 in the Cathedral of San Martino in Lucca.
Sunday 15 June at 21.15 in the Church dei Servi, a concert for choir and orchestra; the choir of the University of Pisa and the Tuscan Chamber Orchestra perform Laudate pueri, Dixit Dominus, Concert for Organ op.4 N. 3 by G.F. Haendel; soprano: Paola Cigna; mezzo-soprano: Sara Bacchelli; conductor: Stefano Barandoni.
Per informazioni: 340.30.42.039, www.sagramusicalelucchese.com
The Sagra Musicale Lucchese is organised by Lucca Town Council, the Provincial Authorities of Lucca and the archdiocese of Lucca with the support of Foundation Cassa di Risparmio di Lucca, the Regional Authorities of Tuscany and the technical sponsorship of Oleificio Rocchi.
La prima Sagra Musicale Lucchese ebbe luogo, per merito dell’ideatore e direttore monsignor Emilio Maggini, nel 1963. Fu un grande successo, anche perché era di fatto l’unica rassegna concertistica presente nella zona e richiamava gente anche dalle città vicine.
Nella sua storia la Sagra, che dal 2009 viene diretta dal Maestro Luca Bacci, si è caratterizzata per il grande livello delle esecuzioni e dei programmi offerti e per un’attenzione particolare alla musica sacra lucchese.
Sono numerose le partiture di autori lucchesi, riscoperti grazie alla Sagra, che sono state poi incise in raccogliendo positivi giudizi di critica. La sagra inoltre, per il tipo di musica in cui è specializzata, ha avuto un ruolo di primo piano nella crescita della cultura organistica a Lucca, con la valorizzazione degli strumenti presenti in città, e con iniziative per la formazione dei giovani organisti, come l’apertura dell’ “Istituto Musicale Diocesano R. Baralli”.