Last Sunday, the final concert of the 'Coudenberg Sound Box Fest' series took place beneath Koningsplein, in the remains of the former Coudenberg Palace in Brussels. Throughout the past month, visitors were able to enjoy weekly duo concerts underground featuring consort music.
As you descended the stairs, you immediately felt the eerie atmosphere of the dark underground corridors. A small stage had been set up with chairs arranged in the old 'Isabellastraat'. Together with matching lighting, the audience found itself in a cozy setting among the ruins of the former palace.
Artistic director Matteo Gemolo welcomed the audience and enthusiastically explained the festival's theme of consort music. A term first used in 16th and 17th-century England to describe an instrumental ensemble. Either composed of instruments from the same family (whole consort) or from different families (broken consort).
For this evening, Gemolo had selected the Ictus duo and the Delle Donne Consort. The Ictus duo combined viola da gamba and cello—a contradiction of old and new—with which they blended Baroque and contemporary influences. The Delle Donne Consort, a recorder ensemble, also sought innovative approaches to old musical traditions through contemporary interpretations of themes from early music.
The Ictus duo started with Eva Reiter on viola da gamba and Geert de Bièvre on cello. Their program was structured around works by Monsieur de Sainte Colombe. He was one of the most talented viola da gamba players and is credited, among other things, with adding a seventh string to the instrument, expanding its range. Around his compositions, the Ictus duo performed contemporary works and original pieces, with the modern sounds flowing naturally around the 16th-century works.
The underground conditions presented a challenge; due to the cold and damp environment, the musicians were forced to retune regularly. Eva Reiter's original work was at times very fragile, with sweeping, tapping, and squeaking sounds. This flowed organically into the works of Monsieur de Sainte Colombe. I myself lost track of the program order and was quite confused whether we were listening to 16th-century music or contemporary compositions. That may have been the intention. Background sounds from Brussels, such as the rumbling metro or an ambulance passing by, blended into the music. As a listener, you only realized later, 'oh wait, those are sounds from outside'.
The Delle Donne Consort presented a program of music from the 16th-century Neapolitan villanella genre. A popular genre at the time, featuring simple, easily understood texts about pastoral themes. The originally vocal music was adapted for recorder ensemble by the Delle Donne Consort. With works by Adrian Willaert, Cipriano de Rore, and Orlando di Lasso, the recorders told the story of a 'toxic polyphonic love tragedy' between two people. All themes came to pass, from attraction to harsh rejection, and the various emotions involved.
The ensemble had wonderful stage presence, radiating enthusiasm. It was also beautiful to see how well the recorders played together. In their ensemble playing, they frequently made eye contact or sought connection through body movements or head gestures. They also emphasized the musical themes by adding small theatrical elements to their performance. This drew the audience into the story and truly stole the show.
Both ensembles gave brief introductions before their performances. Additional background information about the instruments and selected works interspersed throughout would have been interesting. As a nice bonus, during the intermission visitors had the opportunity to explore the underground palace while enjoying a warm beverage. All in all, an impressive evening in which the audience was drawn into 16th-century atmosphere with a modern twist!
