Danae Dörken, piano /Griece/

Hathor Consort  and soprano Lieselot De Wilde /Belgium/

If the female composer behaves like a rare species in our history books, 17th-century Italy seems to be an exception to the rule. Liberal Florence treated men and women as equals, and female patrons stimulated composers such as Francesca Caccini to develop their extraordinary talent. A place where women also wrote music before the 17th century was the monastery. The nun Claudia Sessa channeled her compositional talent into mystical songs such as 'Occhi io vissi di voi', in which she worshipped the delightful eyes of Christ. Barbara Strozzi was also an exceptionally gifted singer-composer, but had to make do without a convent or wealthy sponsor. Her turbulent life constantly balanced between the artistic environment and prostitution, which shines through in her extremely theatrical and sensitive music. Together with Lieselot De Wilde, Hathor Consort explores some of the most beautiful songs from the oeuvre of these female composers, in which both love and devotion touch the listener.

The concert is part of the project Musique est une femme. It is a joint initiative by the foundation TAK-Temat Aktualny Kultura /Poland, Handelsbeurs Concert Hall/Belgium, Molyvos International Music Festival/Greece, and the Cēsis Concert Hall/Latvia.

Project is supported by the Programme Creative Europe and Ministry of Culture of Republic of Latvia.