At the heart of the Foyer

With its slender columns and lofty ceiling, the Foyer of the Philharmonie is sometimes reminiscent of a stately cathedral. And isn’t the most sacred place in a cathedral the choir, which, by analogy with the Greek khoros, refers to the group of singers performing there? It is precisely this formation that the Philharmonie intends to honour in its Foyer this season, particularly the Renaissance choral works, which undoubtedly reached their peak with the emergence of the brilliant Franco-Flemish composers. As noted rather wittily by musicologist Paul Van Nevel – who will inaugurate this new series, «Au c(h)œur des colonnes», at the head of his Huelgas Ensemble with the programme Paris 1200, which is somewhat earlier in time since it explores the beginnings of polyphony in the Middle Ages stimulated by the construction of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris – «the splendour of Flanders lay in the fact that it exported not cyclists or footballers, but musicians: renowned singers and composers, sometimes with dubious reputations, skilled at flattering the ears of the powerful.» This northern aesthetic would spread throughout Europe, as far as the Italian peninsula: for example, Orlando di Lasso, born in Mons, found himself in the service of a certain Gonzaga, who sent him travelling across the Netherlands, after which he worked in Naples and then Munich, where he served as choirmaster. In the same vein, during the 16th century, Cristóbal de Morales, a brilliant Spanish organist, entered the service of the Holy See at the Vatican, and composed around twenty-five masses. Vox Luminis will be performing works from his repertoire under the baton of Lionel Meunier. Before that, the Tallis Scholars will explore the works of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina and Gregorio Allegri’s famous Miserere, originally reserved for exclusive performance by the Sistine Chapel Choir. This time, in defiance of all prohibitions, its crystal-clear sounds will fill the lofty heights of the Foyer. So, ready to feel the cathedral effect? One thing is for sure: with the venue’s unrivalled acoustics helping to uplift the choir, this new series is sure to uplift both hearts and souls.