News

he 2025 Days of Early Music festival will open on Friday, June 6 at 7:00 PM at the Klarisky Concert Hall in Bratislava with an extraordinary concert featuring music that has not been heard for centuries. The renowned Sollazzo Ensemble will present a selection from the Leuven Chansonnier—a musical treasure that stands among the greatest musicological discoveries of the last decade.

A Treasure from an Auction

The story of the chansonnier reads like a novel. In 2015, a private collector purchased a small notated book at an auction, bundled with various antiques. When he consulted the experts at the Alamire Foundation in Leuven, Belgium, their astonishment was immediate: the manuscript was an unknown songbook from the 15th or early 16th century. Scholars quickly identified it as part of the Chansonniers de la vallée de la Loire—a group of unique manuscripts that reflect the musical culture of the late Middle Ages. The significance of such a find has been compared to the discovery of a lost painting by Peter Paul Rubens.

The Leuven Chansonnier contains 12 unique compositions not preserved in any other known source. After five centuries of silence, these pieces will be revived at the festival by early music specialists Sollazzo Ensemble.

Program and Performers

The concert will feature anonymous works as well as compositions by Antoine Busnoys, Gilles Mureau, and Walter Frye. Performing artists include:

• Anna Danilevskaia – vihuela de arco, artistic director

• Carine Tinney – soprano

• Jonatan Alvarado – tenor

• Lior Leibovici – tenor

• Christoph Sommer – lute

• Filipa Meneses – vihuela de arco

The ensemble will perform works such as Vraiz amans pour dieu suppliez, Quant ce vendra, and Cent mil escuz. These pieces are not only musically captivating but also of immense historical value—some even suggest the chansonnier may have been compiled or authored by a woman.

Sollazzo Ensemble – Stars of the Early Music Scene

Founded in 2014 by Anna Danilevskaia, Sollazzo Ensemble focuses on music from the late medieval and early Renaissance periods. Since its inception, the group has won the acclaim of both critics and audiences. Their recordings have earned major awards such as Diapason d’Or, Gramophone Editor’s Choice, and CD of the Year by BBC Music Magazine.

Members of the ensemble draw not only from their expertise in early music but also from genres such as jazz and folk, which brings a refreshing vitality to their historically informed interpretations. As of 2024, the group is ensemble-in-residence at both Arsenal de Metz and Concertgebouw Brugge.

TICKETS
Price: €15 / Discounted: €10
Available online via Ticketportal
Or at the venue one hour before the concert.

Accompanying Event

On the same day, June 6 at 2:00 PM, the Music Centre will host a lecture by musicologist Stef Coninx of the Alamire Foundation, exploring the historical and musical significance of the Leuven Chansonnier.

Days of Early Music 2025 will thus begin with a truly powerful experience—music that remained silent for centuries, now brought to life by the most skilled hands.

Let me know if you'd like a shortened version for promotional use or graphics for social media.