Barbara Strozzi: A portrait in five acts

In 1650 Venice, composer and vocalist Barbara Strozzi broke every convention. Without any financial support, she forged her own path to a successful composing career thanks to sublime songs that she published herself. In 2025, Strozzi is known as one of the most talented and productive creators of her time. The Hathor Consort brings this pioneering figure to life, using historical instruments and the sublime soprano voices of Dorothee Mields and Hana Blažíková.

The Hathor Consort – named after Hathor, a mother goddess from Egyptian mythology – was founded in 2012 by the Austrian viol player Romina Lischka. The ensemble is dedicated to Renaissance and Baroque music. Their recordings have received numerous awards, including the Diapason d’or, and BBC Music Magazine described them as ‘performed with elegance and verve.’

7 p.m. / Early Music lecture (Dutch spoken) by Saskia Törnqvist
The inner world of Barbara Strozzi
Around 1650 in Venice, Barbara Strozzi earned the moniker ‘The new Sappho’ thanks to her beautiful singing voice and her impressive madrigals and cantatas. However, she also fell victim to gossip and jealousy, and her search for a permanent position proved fruitless. Quel misero Usignuolo (The unhappy nightingale) is the title of one of her madrigals. The text and music of this little masterpiece offer insight into the musical mores of its time, while also revealing much about her personality and complicated private life. It is excellent material for an in-depth musical psychoanalysis.