Staatsmarketing zur Renaissancezeit Altdorfer Fassung Triumphzug: Schiffsmodelle und Seekriege, Albertina, Wien

Roots | Why | Where | When

S

ince the mid-1900s, Basel has led the world in the rediscovery of Baroque music. Along the way, the city has developed as a hotspot for Renaissance music as well, though this has often been less appreciated by the general public. ReRenaissance is a platform built to showcase this unique scene, thus setting an important building block in the foundation of Basel as a musical capital.

ReRenaissance flourishes in Basel because of the talented musicians who are internationally-renowned for their Renaissance expertise and came to Basel because of the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis.  This project provides these musicians a spotlight in their region and a chance to connect and network with other local musicians. A changing musical director and specially-formed ensembles are selected for each concert; so far, more than 70 professional musicians have collaborated together in ReRenaissance to present varied, new programs. In the hands of these experts, instruments that can be seen in illustrations of the time come to resounding life, such as viols, early violins, rebecs, fiddles, lutes, percussion, transverse flutes and recorders, cornetts, shawms, trombones, early keyboard instruments, and, of course, singing.

Music before 1600 can be experienced anew in the Barfüsserkirche in Basel’s Historical Museum, situated in the charming, historic center of town, every last Sunday of the month. A new, one-hour program is premiered at 6:15 p.m., often preceded by an introduction to the concert’s theme by an expert at 5:45 p.m.

In 2022, ReRenaissance traveled beyond Basel for the first time into other Swiss cities, with an evocative December program entitled “Noël Normand.” More plans are underway to share the exciting “re-birth” of Renaissance music happening in Basel with an expanding audience.

2022

I

m year 2022
ReRenaissance is in its third season.

On the one hand, the repertoire represents the international diversity of the sound world of the 15. and 16th century. The music spectrum is huge, especially secular music gets a lot of space. Italian and Spanish motets, French chansons, Polish psalms and much more reflect the internationality of the Renaissance sound world.

On the other hand, it is the declared goal of ReRenaissance to present regional musical treasures in their context. The connection to Basel is highlighted twice: A Wandel concert of Basel lute music in October provides insight into private musical life in Renaissance Basel, and in the spring the baptism of a great violin was celebrated, which was first mentioned in Basel in 1511 and is being reconstructed especially for the concert series.

One concert each is dedicated to the opus of the first music printer, again there is a sing-along project and
a dance concert.

The existing collaboration with the Paper Museum and the Historical Museum will be enriched by a cooperation with the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in 2022 (concerts in January and November).

Board of Directors

ReRenaissance – Early Music Forum

The project is supported by the Basel-based ReRenaissance association, which is recognized as a non-profit organization.

Active Board: Elizabeth Rumsey, Dr. Grace Newcombe, Prof. Dr. Marc Lewon, Tabea Schwartz, Elisabeth Stähelin, Dr. Thomas Christ, Dr. Werner Baumann.

Advisory Board: Anne Smith, Christina Hess, Prof. Dr. Martin Kirnbauer, Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. David Fallows

Management: Didier Samson

Collaboration Website: Melissa Chen, Theresa von Bibra

Graphic: Lian Stähelin

Social Media: Viviane Caragea

Concert Team: Liza Sommers

And many other helpers

Didier Samson, Grace Newcombe, Elisabeth Stähelin, Elizabeth Rumsey, Thomas Christ, Marc Lewon Foto: Ute Schendel