“Such an interesting project! No one did this before!!! ”
Bio
Catalina Vicens
Award-winning musician, Catalina Vicens, a native of Chile and now resident in Basel, Switzerland, started her international career at an early age. By age 20 she had already played in the main concert-halls of more than ten countries in North and South America, including the Teatro Colón de Buenos Aires Argentina, the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia and the Teatro Municipal do São Paulo.
Today, Catalina combines a vibrant international soloist and research career. Having specialized in performing on antique keyboard instruments, she has been invited to play on the oldest playable harpsichord in the world, featured in her latest recording “Il Cembalo di Partenope” (Carpe Diem Records, - DIAPASON D'OR 2017/11). She is now also recognized for her work with medieval portative and positive organs, clavisimbalum and clavicytherium.
Projet actuel
Medieval and Renaissance Organs SOLO Recording
After years of performing around the world on the medieval portative organ (also known as ‘organetto’), I have finally decided to record a solo double-CD dedicated to much of the music I love and I already had the chance to explore and share.
Besides this highly expressive little-organ, I’m also fascinated by the diversity of sound-worlds that other historical organs provide. For this, I will feature the work of organ builders who have dedicated their lives to the research and reconstruction of late medieval and Renaissance organs and some of the earliest surviving gothic organs.
Given the diverse sound-worlds that these instruments provide, I don’t only want to showcase them with the music that could have been performed on them hundreds of years ago, but my commitment is also to give them a new life. That is, pieces which were already written for me and new commissions, as well as improvisations. Both old and new will be equally important.
Music meets Art
Much of what we know about these instruments is through the musical iconography of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, (that is, through paintings, sculpture, book miniatures, etc.). Thanks to these artistic documents, builders and players can find clues on how to ‘reconstruct’ instruments and new performance practices. But also, to inspire.
That's why I want this element to be translated into new inspiration for this CD. Besides including historical depictions in the CD-booklet art, I've asked several artists from around the world to collaborate in this mission to give these old instruments a new life again.
Photos de presse
