Organised by the Consulate General of Italy in Metz and the Italian Cultural Institute in Strasbourg, a tour by the “Salomone Rossi” Ensemble has begun, consisting of a cycle of concerts entitled “Musical Flowers of the Jewish Baroque”.
This is a repertoire of songs and melodies from the Israelite tradition of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries and by composers who drew inspiration from it. Salomone Rossi (1570-1630) was an illustrious member of the Jewish community of Mantua, a community he never left. A performer and composer at the court of the Gonzaga, he was exempted from wearing the distinctive yellow sign required for Jews; he collaborated on various occasions with Claudio Monteverdi for the theatrical performances that were organised for the court.
The Ensemble that takes his name was founded by Lydia Cevidalli in 1991 and consists of Nicolò Balducci (male soprano), Lydia Cevidalli and Jamiang Santi (violin and viola), Thomas Chigioni (cello) and Giovanni Togni (harpsichord). After the first two stops at the Charleville-Mézières Conservatoire and the Synagogue of Nancy, they will be performing at the Metz Synagogue on 19 October, the Haguenau Synagogue on 20 October, and the Mulhouse Synagogue on 21 October. The tour is organized in collaboration with the Municipality of Charleville Mézières; the Israelite Consistories of the Lower and Upper Rhine; the Israelite Communities of Metz, Mulhouse, Nancy and Verdun; the World Centre for Peace, Freedom, and Human Rights in Verdun; the Ardenne Métropole Conservatoire of Charleville Mézières and the Regional Conservatoire of Metz; and the Friends of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.