A musical residency, or simply residency, is defined as a series of activities that contribute more to the local communities than just a single concert. It may involve a particular group of individuals engaging in practical activities or aim to increase the general public's level of knowledge through educational activities.
This year, the Kretinga International Music Festival is introducing its first-ever residency, and for this inaugural edition, we have invited the ensemble Les Cornets Noirs, one of the most respected ensembles of their kind. The theme of the residency is the influence of the Italian music style in Europe. The first concert will be educational, featuring a presentation of instruments, composers, pieces, influences, as a preparation for the second concert scheduled for the following day.
Through this initial residency, our goal is to contribute to the knowledge of our audience and enhance their understanding and appreciation of performances on period instruments.
An Italian Voyage. The propagation of the Italian style in the times of Monteverdi
Italy was culturally influential in Europe at the end of the Renaissance and the beginning of the 17th century. Therefore, it is not surprising that north of the Alps, it was part of the education of musicians and composers to spend a period of study in Italy or at least to study Italian works. Since books and sheet music were very expensive at the time and not available to everyone, Johann Andreas Herbst compiled a "reader's digest" in 1653 from a wide variety of Italian sources to make the "itztige italienische Manier" accessible to his readers.
The Venetian style thus spread through books and sheet music, musicians and composers from other countries, and not least through Italian musicians and composers who had found employment as kapellmeisters or court musicians in Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Austria, and other countries.
In instrumental music, the "stile moderno," the new style, was also characterized by the alternating presentation of different affects and virtuoso passages. Therefore, Dario Castello apologizes to his readers that the sonatas may seem difficult at first sight, and he encourages the musicians not to hesitate to play the sonatas more than just once, as this would soon make them seem easier: "Nothing is difficult for the one who takes pleasure in it."
