Divine Lute Playing: “Il Divino” with Sam Chapman

Mary Stuart played it, Bach celebrated it as an instrument of introspection, and Goethe grew up with its resonance—today, rock star Sting relies on its unique character to give his ballads their poignant, intense sound: the lute.

As the sonorous heart of Baroque and Renaissance music, the lute is the key to a musical world that spans the Arab world and, above all, the Mediterranean. One of the finest “guides” into this fascinating realm of Early Music is lute expert Sam Chapman. Having collaborated with the world’s most prestigious Early Music ensembles and conductors such as William Christie and Diego Fasolis, the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis alumnus uses his masterful playing to transport audiences into the soundscape of Italian lute virtuosos.

The program centers around the famous Francesco da Milano (1497–1543), who was aptly nicknamed “Il Divino”—the Divine.

The concert series “musica pura” invites you to this extraordinary auditory experience, held in the atmospheric historical hall of the Baroque estate Gutshof Güntert in Sulzburg-Laufen.

Sam Chapman, Renaissance Lute

Duo Noé Inui and Susanna Kadzhoyan in Sulzburg-Laufen

The concert series ‘musica pura’ invites you to a masterful dialogue between piano and violin in Sulzburg-Laufen:

Noé Inui, a Greek-Japanese violinist of international standing, combines the highest technical brilliance with intellectual depth and musical curiosity. Trained in Paris and Karlsruhe, awarded prizes at renowned competitions and in demand worldwide as a soloist, he performs chamber music with personalities such as Martha Argerich and teaches at the music academies in Düsseldorf and Mannheim. In the ‘musica pura’ concert series, he will perform at the Gutshof Güntert in Sulzburg-Laufen together with pianist Susanna Kadzhoyan, one of the most distinguished pianists of her generation, who is in demand throughout Europe as a soloist and chamber musician and teaches at the University of Music in Bremen. The programme will feature works by Schubert, Brahms and Prokofiev.

Every voice counts in the Ensemble Berthilo: two female singers and two male singers, all classically trained and members of various semi-professional choirs and ensembles in the Freiburg area. Performances in sacred and secular settings define the repertoire of the ensemble, which, under the direction of Zsófia Csákány, is enthusiastically dedicated to vocal music from the 16th century to the present day. In a transparent quartet formation, the ensemble’s Advent concert explores the rich sounds of Christmas music from Spain to Hungary to Norway, from Schütz, Buxtehude and Kodály to Gjeilo. Advent sounds that put the heart and spirit in the mood for Christmas.

Maja Blomenkamp, soprano
Edda Güntert, alto
Simon Dreher, tenor
Johannes Güntert, bass
At the late Baroque Stein organ of Betberg Church: Zsófia Csákány.

Programme

J.S. Bach/Siloti: Prelude h-moll
S.Rachmaninov: Prelude h-moll op.32 n.10
R. Schumann: Concert sans Orchestre op.14

– break –

J. Cage: In a landscape
C. Debussy: La terrasse des audiences du clair de lune; Bruyérès; La puerta del viño;
Christophe Guyard (1966): Fantasia, world premiere – dedicated to Daniela Manusardi

Daniela Manusardi – Pianist & Composer

Born in Milan, pianist and composer Daniela Manusardi received her first lessons from her father, the internationally acclaimed pianist Guido Manusardi, and from Prof. Carlo Balzaretti. At the age of ten, she began studying piano at the Conservatorio ‘G. Verdi’ in Milan, adding composition at thirteen – she graduated with honours in both subjects.

She furthered her artistic training in Germany with Prof. Tomislav N. Baynov and Prof. Ákos Hernádi, as well as in masterclasses with Karl-Heinz Kämmerling and Rudolf Kehrer, among others. She has won several international competitions and was honoured as a ‘sound virtuoso’ by the Otmar Alt Foundation in 2006.

Daniela Manusardi performs regularly at renowned festivals in Europe, the USA and Asia, including Prima Diffusa at La Scala in Milan, the Valtidone Festival, the International Festival of Cervo, Swiss Radio Lugano, the Bechstein Centre in Düsseldorf and the Yamaha Festival in Bangkok. She has been a member of the Baynov Piano Ensemble since 2003.

Radio and television recordings as well as CD recordings for Lira Classic and Limen music & arts document her wide-ranging work. As a teacher, she has taught at international master classes, including in Hammelburg, Marktoberdorf and at Assumption University Bangkok.

Since 2016, Daniela Manusardi has been Professor of Piano and Head of the Piano Department at the Conservatorio ‘G. Verdi’ in Como.