Ego flos campi et lilium convallium.
I am the flower of the field, and the lily of the valleys.
I sat down under his shadow, whom I desired: and his fruit was sweet to my palate.
Stay me up with flowers, compass me about with apples: because I languish with love.
In the early seventeenth century the upcoming humanistic ideals started to influence the arts to a great extent. New poetry was written that laid its focus on the human itself with all his passions and desires, flaws and woes. Musical composers were excited about these new ways of individualistic expressivity and searched for a musical form to bring them to life. They pushed the boundaries of compositional formality and radically turned away from polyphonic vocal works. The newly developed genre of monody consists of only one voice singing with the accompaniment of a bass line, therefore putting the text in the centre of attention. By following the natural rhythm of the language and of the heart, the performers can allow themselves an organic way of expression, and create a real link with the audience.
Lilium Convallium explores the palette of human emotions, from exuberant joy to complete despair, because they feel the expressivity of this music, being written almost 400 years ago, is timeless and inside every human being – even today. Coming from a tradition of opera performance the ensemble enjoys the small format of the duo and its performative possibilities. The directness of the interaction with the audience puts the performer in charge of transmitting the emotions in all their purity and transparency.
The musicians of Lilium Convallium met for the first time during the 20th European Baroque Academy of Ambronay under the baton of Leonardo García Alarcón in the 2013 production of Monteverdi’s ‘Orfeo – Favola in Musica’. Their immediate musical connection and love for the repertoire of the seventeenth century led them to perform together and finally form their ensemble. Both being involved in different kinds of contemporary art forms, the members of the group are actively experimenting with different ways of performance in order to create a link to the new generation and show them the beauty and timelessness of their music.
Human emotions have never changed: Love, desire, betrayal, despair, joy and hate.
Because we all languish with love.
Maximilian Ehrhardt 