La flor en Paradis | Summer festival of old music

ABOUT THE CONCERT

Led by Guillermo Pérez, the Spanish ensemble Tasto Solo will take the audience into the mystical world of Medieval monasteries, chapters and universities, i.e., into the milieu of the monastic and intellectual elites of this historical period. For their first ever Prague performance, the ensemble has selected works from the second half of the 13th century, which will be performed in a unique combination of voice (Anne-Kathryn Olsen), organetto and vielle. The repertoire for this dramaturgical gem comes, for example, from the famous and richly illuminated manuscript, Codex Montpellier, or from the Codex Las Huelgas, written for the “spiritual family” of nuns in the Cistercian convent in Burgos, Spain.

The ensemble will perform popular French motets, which combine the sacred and the profane, as well as sequences, “organum fleuri” or instrumental dances. The concert in the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Vyšehrad will be the highlight of the festival programme, in accordance with the statement of the French musical theorist Johannes de Groche (c. 1300): “This type of music should not be played in front of an ordinary audience, because they cannot appreciate its sophistication nor take delight in it. Rather, it should only be performed in front of those people who seek subtlety in art.”

PERFORMERS

Tasto Solo

Anne-Kathryn Olsen | soprano
Pau Marcos | fiddle
Guillermo Pérez | organetto, artistic director

Programme

Codex Las Huelgas
Catholicorum concio
Flavit auster
O Maria Virgo
Casta Catholica
Maria Virgo

Codex Montpellier
Kyrie
Quant repaire la verdor
Plus belle que flor

Le Manuscrit du Roy
Danse real
Estampie real

Sanctus
Benedicamus Domino
Chominciamento di gioia
In pro
Area virga

Tasto Solo

Tasto Solo combines creativity, historical research and virtuosity in its exploration of Medieval and early Renaissance music. Led by director and founder Guillermo Pérez, the ensemble brings the sophistication of this exquisite repertoire to life, captivating audiences with a unique musical language of dramatic rhythm, mise-en-scène, improvisation and playful dialogue between performers. The ensemble has played a pivotal role in the recovery and diffusion of forgotten musical repertoires, presenting them in renewed splendour on stage.
 
Tasto Solo’s acclaimed discography includes two volumes from a triptych project devoted to 15th century keyboard music, “Meyster ob allen Meystern” and “Le Chant de Leschiquier”, as well as a disc dedicated to early 16th century English repertoire, “Early Modern English Music: 1500–1550”. These titles have received multiple international press awards, including the Diapason d’Or, an ICMA Nomination, Amadeus’ “CD of the Month”, Ritmo’s “Excellent”, Pizzicato’s “Supersonic”, Scherzo’s “Exceptional”, and France Musique’s “Coup de Cœur”. Tasto Solo’s latest recording, “Eros & Subtilitas”, featuring Italian Renaissance Music by Vincenzo Ruffo and his contemporaries, was released in 2023 on Jordi Savall’s Alia Vox label.
 
Since its international debut in 2006, Tasto Solo has performed in prestigious concert halls and early music festivals throughout Europe, including L’Auditori de Barcelona, Innsbrucker Festwochen der Alten Musik, BOZAR in Brussels, Konzerthaus Berlin, Wiener Konzerhaus, Oude Muziek Utrecht, the Fondation Royaumont, Antwerp’s AMUZ and Laus Polyphoniae, Festival de Saintes, the Concertgebouw in Bruges, Tage Alter Musik Regensburg, Montalbâne Festival, Académie Bach, Vannes Early Music Institute, Festival de Musique Ancienne in Ribeauvillé, Cantar di Pietre, Wratislavia Cantans, Festival de Música Antigua de Sevilla, Semana de Música Religiosa de Cuenca, Printemps des Arts de Nantes and Voix et Route Romane, among many others. In 2020, the group made its U.S. debut with a concert tour in collaboration with the Arizona State University Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts.
 
From 2019 to 2022, Tasto Solo was Artist-in-Residence at the Château de Bournazel in France. The ensemble is also associated with the Académie Bach in Arques-la-Bataille where it engages in the research and development of new programmes.

The concert is held with the kind support of the Embassy of Spain in Prague, the Instituto Cervantes in Prague and the Acción Cultural Española (AC/E).