AMOUR, CRUEL AMOUR!

Love, cruel love!

Katalin Károlyi - vocals
István Kónya - lute
Dóra Pétery - harpsichord
Nóra Kallai - viola da gamba

The Love and Sorrow of 17th Century People Narrated in Songs from Royal Courts and French Cantatas by Lambert, Couperin, Le Camus, Lully, Monteclair

Probably most of the secular masterpieces of the Baroque period were born as an artistic expression of the subject of jealousy. Everyone is equal in love and death (amor - mors). All mortals are hit by Cupid's arrow one way or another. How this experience was expressed in art by 16-18th century people depended solely on their social status. Those who could afford it had their pain put on the canvas by the most acclaimed painters of the time, or into the words by the most eloquent poets and into melodies by the most famous composers. The melody, hummed or plucked softly in the dimness of small rooms, or the singing at gatherings held in glittering large halls, all echoed the same joy and sorrow of love. The French air de cour genre, the cantatas, and later the tragédie lyrique - the great French baroque opera - nearly all carry this theme. The two instruments that are essential and most appropriate for playing these genres are vocal chords and the lute which was called the queen of musical instruments in contemporary Europe. And when these two instruments play together, the strings of our hearts resonate with the lyrics and the melody in the deepest corners of our souls.

Katalin Károlyi studied this delicate and varied music, or French Baroque vocal music literature, from René Jakobs and Rachel Yakar at the Studio-Versailles Opera in Paris. As a soloist with William Christie's ensemble Les Arts Florissants and as a member of Philippe Herreweghe's La Chapelle Royale, she has performed and recorded in numerous concert halls and opera houses around the world. (www.katalinkarolyi.org)

István Kónya learned the beautiful secrets of the Renaissance and the Baroque, the archlute and the chitarrone, from Toyohiko Satoh at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague. Since then, he has been promoting this illustrious instrument at European and American solo and chamber concerts and recordings, and has regularly taught summer courses, and has published three books on the lute so far. (www.lant.hu)

Dóra Pétery studied musicology and organ at the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music and graduated in organ studies in 2000 as a student of István Ruppert and János Pálúr. At the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, she studied clavichord with Miklós Spányi, then honed her skills in the class of concert organist Hans-Ola Ericsson in Sweden. She regularly performs as soloist and chamber musician on the organ, the harpsichord and the clavichord. She is a regular guest at music festivals In Hungary and abroad. Her repertoire ranges from the early Renaissance to contemporary music. She is a lecturer at the Church Music Department of the Music Academy.

Nóra Kallai received her diploma in cello and chamber music at the Szeged Conservatory and studied viola da gamba in Graz for four years with Lorenz Duftschmid. She continued his studies at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, where she graduated in 2000 with a degree in gamba and chamber music as a student of Wieland Kuijken. She regularly performs with various early music bands at home and abroad and has made many CD recordings. She is also actively involved in contemporary music and her interests lead her beyond the traditional boundaries of classical music to genres such as jazz.

Tickets: 1600 Ft, Senior and Student tickets: 800 Ft