Paul O'Dette

Destination Central Europe In music history, Central Europe is often no more than a footnote. That's a pity, thought Paul O'Dette, and for Laus 2026 he put together a tasting menu with the most beautiful music and most interesting composers circulating around 1600. That he could draw from a large stock of music for lute should come as no surprise: mobile, elegant and versatile, the instrument was the ideal traveling companion. The cosmopolitan musical landscape comes to life in the imaginative lines of Matthias Reymann, the sparkling dances of Melchior Neusidler, graceful melodic contours in Wojciech Dlugoraj and elegant sound poetry, signed Jakob Reis. With icons John Dowland and Jacques Gautier as compass, O'Dette shows how Central Europe co-wrote the larger European story. Programme: Music by M. Reymann, M. Neusidler, W. Dlugoraj, J. Reis, J. Dowland, J. Gautier and others.