MUSICA RICERCATA FESTIVAL OP.6
Lux Timisiensis
16. - 30. NOVEMBER TIMISOARA

After the expulsion of Bodor Mustafa Pasha by Eugene of Savoy following the siege in October 1716, Timișoara definitively emerged from the rule of the Ottoman Empire and entered the Age of Enlightenment. The city became modern and open to European values, which facilitated the rapid assimilation of Western culture.

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If the concept of the European Capital of Culture begins with the idea that Timișoara was the first city to have electric street lighting (exactly 139 years ago), Musica Ricercata Op.6 shifts the "action" back by about a century and a half, starting from the metaphorical enlightenment of Timișoara, which means the city's entry into the Enlightenment.

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Thus, all the events in Musica Ricercata Op.6, "Lux Timisiensis", describe the immediate period following Timișoara's entry into the light of European culture and how music transformed, just like the city, throughout the reign of Maria Theresa (born just a few months after Timișoara's incorporation into the Habsburg Empire).

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The title "Lux Timisiensis" aligns perfectly with the slogan of the European Capital of Culture, "Shine Your Light! Light up your city!" and all the events demonstrate the cultural synchrony between Timișoara and Western Europe throughout the Enlightenment.

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Several of the most significant early music ensembles in Europe will be present, including the Academy of Ancient Music (celebrating half a century since its founding), Le Concert Spirituel, and Musica Ricercata. Violinist Elicia Silverstein, one of the most important performers on period instruments, will conduct a workshop and perform two recitals in which she will interpret Heinrich Biber's complete Rosary Sonatas alongside organist and harpsichordist Marco Mencoboni.

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An extremely important presence is that of the celebrated countertenor Valer Sabadus, one of the most significant interpreters of this repertoire. The Guardian has described him as having "astonishing control and finely polished technique".

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The works performed will encompass this period of enlightenment for the city and all of Europe.

 

To understand the Ottoman culture that existed before Timișoara's entry into the sphere of Western European culture, we will also celebrate the Year of Dimitrie Cantemir, who was a reformer of Turkish musical notation, and this will be commemorated through a concert by the Derya Türkan Ensemble from Istanbul.