Music from the Gruuthus manuscript, ca 1400
Ensemble Aventure (Netherlands)
Christopher Kale – tenor
Marco Magalhães, Susanna Borsch, Ita Hijmans – recorders

In every early music programme, the practice of historical performance plays an important role, but here we’re talking about something special. This programme is an excellent example of the thrilling unity of theory and practical music-making. Original 15th century recorders are not in the best playing shape, and making copies of them requires years of experimenting. Fumitaka Saito and Marco Magalhães have taken on this task and achieved a truly convincing result. The leader of the ensemble, Ita Hijmans, is herself a recorder player, but due to her thorough research of 15th century music, she is also well known and held in high regard among musicologists. This is where the two ends meet: the combination of theory and live performance result in an extraordinary and enjoyable picture. It is an exclusive privilege to take part in it.