Vox Luminis

Sunday, October 23, 2022, 4 p.m. Corpus Christi Church

Sunday, October 30, 2022, 4 p.m. Online

Lionel Meunier, director and bass voice

Bach: The Arnstadt Connection

Belgian Vox Luminis, the highly praised ten-voice ensemble joined by strings and continuo, returns to Music Before 1800 to perform cantatas by the Bach family. Johann Sebastian Bach, himself, researched the relationships that connected the impressive musicians who made up his family tree. A cantata by Dietrich Buxtehude both separates and compliments the mellifluous flow of Bach family works. The program culminates with J. S. Bach’s mighty Easter cantata, Christ lag in Todesbanden, BWV 4.

“The playing throughout is exquisite, beaming with color and flawlessly executed. The choir … creates a cultured sound with clear, natural diction. Each voice is perfectly balanced and blending with ease, yet still allowing every vocal line to have its own clarity and sense of purpose.” Classic Review

The virtual program becomes available on Sunday, October 30, 4 p.m. ET and remains viewable until November 13. 

Artist Bios and Program

Vox Luminis is a Belgian early music vocal ensemble created in 2004 by artistic director Lionel Meunier. The ensemble performs over sixty concerts a year, appearing on stages in Belgium, across Europe, and around the world. Since its inception, the ensemble has been defined by its unique sound, appealing as much through the personality of each timbre as it does through the color and the uniformity of the voices. The size and composition of the group depends on the repertoire. The core of soloists, mostly from the Royal Conservatory of the Hague, are often joined by additional performers. The repertoire is essentially Italian, English, and German from the 16th to the 18th century.

Vox Luminis has released fourteen albums on the labels Alpha Classics, Ricercar, Ramée, and Musique en Wallonie. These recordings have enjoyed international critical acclaim, and have won numerous prizes including the prestigious Gramophone Recording of the Year in 2012 for the Musicalische Exequien by Heinrich Schütz, and the 2018 Choral Award from BBC Music Magazine for their recording of music of the Reformation, Ein Feste Burg ist Unser Gott, released on Ricercar Records. In 2018 Alpha Classics released two albums, Abendmusiken by Dietrich Buxtehude, in a collaboration with the Franco-Canadian ensemble, Masques. These were awarded a 2019 Gramophone Music Award in the choral category. Vox Luminis has also recorded Purcell’s King Arthur.

Recent highlights include Vox Luminis’ Lincoln Center debut with a residency at The Juilliard School in New York, debuts at the Arsenal in Metz, at the Glyndebourne Festival Opera, and at the National Concert Hall in Dublin at the Our Lady of Ambronay abbey. Vox Luminis has performed extensively at festivals in Belgium, Europe and overseas, and has performed in prestigious venues such as Wigmore Hall in London, the Oratoire du Louvre in Paris, the Auditorio Nacional de Música in Madrid, the Concertgebouw in Brugge, the Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam, and the TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht. The ensemble has held residencies at the Abbey of Sainte-Marie-des-Dames, the Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels, the Concertgebouw in Brugge, the prestigious Festival of Early Music in Utrecht, and the “Musique et Mémoire” Festival. Since 2017, the ensemble has also been in residence at Aldeburgh Festival in England, founded by Benjamin Britten. In 2019 Vox Luminis celebrated fifteen years with sublime collaborations and a busy touring schedule.

One project, one objective, one path: introduce today’s audiences to early vocal music, passionately conveying its quintessence and touching the light through the voice. Vox Luminis.

Alliance Artist Management

Vox Luminis receives support from Federation Wallonia-Brussels, the city of Namur and Namur Confluent Culture and is recognized by the Art and Life Tours.

Tickets

Individual Tickets
Preferred Center: $55/$50
Center: $45/$40
Premium Balcony and Sides: $40/$35
Balcony: $30/$25
Partial View: $15/$10
Blocked View: $10/$5
Virtual Concert: $15

Season Subscriptions
Regular Subscription: $176-$336
Partial Subscriptions: $96-$264
Virtual Subscription: $80

Student Tickets
We offer $5 student tickets to all in-person and virtual concerts.

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