More Maiorum

Floridi virtuosi d'Italia: splendid virtuosos from Italy Around 1600, Antwerp is not only a busy trading metropolis, but also a flourishing music market. Italian madrigals are eagerly printed and reprinted there, often enriched with virtuose diminutions. In Floridi virtuosi d'Italia, More Maiorum highlights the Italian composers who circulated most widely in Antwerp prints of that time. Their work alternates with the splendid instrumental madrigal arrangements by virtuosos such as the English keyboard specialist Peter Philips who emigrated to the Low Countries and lutenist Emanuel Adriaenssen – striking examples of how the Italian fashion was taken up by local artists. This program forms the soundtrack to a story of trendsetters and followers, inspiration versus creation, and art that crisscrossed Europe long before Schengen removed the borders of the country. Program: Italian madrigals from Antwerp prints circa 1600