The Eloquence of Tears | “For the soul weeps as the spirit speaks or the voice sings.”
7:30 p.m.
Halfway between body and soul, a tear defies explanation. One does not analyze, prove, or conceptualize a tear; one can only contemplate it. Translated into sound, it forms the core of this concert, featuring music by John Dowland, as well as Praetorius, Verdelot, Sánches, and many others.
Is it possible to write a history of tears? A tear expresses precisely what cannot be told, what can no longer be told, what cannot yet be said. With quiet eloquence, it reveals itself by withdrawing, by flowing. True tears cannot be explained; our judgment must yield to their weight. They reveal to us what people keep hidden and give silence its moment to speak.
Inspired by the work of art historian Jean-Loup Charvet, this concert is a musical reflection on this “passion of the soul.” The central theme of the program is the *Lachrimae* by John Dowland (1563–1626). In his dedication, Dowland points out that there are different kinds of tears. Building on this idea, the concert presents a multifaceted “declination of the tear” through works by various composers such as Byrd, Praetorius, Verdelot, Tromboncino, Vásquez, Schubert, and others.
Program:
Praetorius: Aus tiefer Not
John Dowland: Flow my tears
Lachrimae Antiquae Modernae: Cara: Per dolor me bagno el
viso****
De Corroy: Requiem
John Ward: Weep forth your tears
Dowland: Lachrime Tristis
Byrd: Ye sacred muses
Gesualdo : Gagliarda del Principe di Venosa****
Anonymous: Occhi miei al pianger nati
Dowland: Lachrimae Amantis
Go Crystal Tears
Franz Schubert: Tränenregen
Verdelot: Con lagrime e sospir negando porge
Le Blanc: Les
mariniers****
Dowland: Weep You No More, Sad Fountains
Juan Vásquez: Lágrimas de mi consuelo I and II
Brunelli: My Eyes Shed
Tears Philippe Verdelot: Queste non son più lacrime che fuore
Dowland: Lachrimae Verae
Performers:
Korneel van Neste (alto)
Magnus Andersson (lute)
Kairos Violin Consort:
Veronika Skuplik
, Prisca Stalmarski
, Heidi Gröger
, Patrick Sepec
, Thomas Pitt
Tickets:
18 €, reduced 12 €, plus advance booking fees; available online via Eventim and at the box office. Further information will follow shortly.
Organizer:
Prisca Stalmarski in cooperation with Kultur Büro Elisabeth
Funding:
Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion
Watercolor “Baltic Sea” © Francesco Fontana, an original work created specifically for this project