musica Dei donum
Concert reviews
Barbara STROZZI (1619-1677): "A portrait in five acts"
Hana Blazíková, Dorothee Mields, soprano
Hathor Consort/Romina Lischka
concert: March 5, 2026, Utrecht, Pieterskerk
[I] Calliope: Spiritual artist
L'amante modesto, op. 1,13;
Lagrime mie, op. 7,4 (sinfonia);
Al battitor di bronzo, op. 1,18
[II] Erato: Erotic lover
Begli occhi, op. 3,9;
L'Eraclito amoroso, op. 2,14;
Pensaci ben mio core, op. 7,7 (instr);
Godere a tacere, op. 1,9
[III] Melpomene: Corset of society
L'amante segreto, op. 2,18;
Il Romeo, op. 2,8 (instr);
Moralitŕ amorosa, op. 3,2;
Amor dormiglione, op. 2,22 (instr);
Tradimento, op. 7,9
[IV] Euterpe: Loving mother
Silentio nocivo, op. 1,6;
Cuore che reprime: ardo in tacito foco, op. 3,1;
[Bartolomeo DE SELMA Y SALAVERDE (1595-1640)]:
Susanne un jour (Lassus)
[V] Thalia: Protected daughter
[Girolamo FRESCOBALDI (1583-1643)]: Canzona in G;
Godere in gioventů, op. 1,12;
I baci, op. 2,23
Romina Lischka, viola da gamba;
Angela Ambrosini, nyckelharpa;
Sarah Ridy, harp;
Margit Übellacker, salterio;
Matthias Spaeter, archlute
Barbara Strozzi is one of the most remarkable composers of the 17th century. That is not because she was a woman: there were more women who were active as composers and even published their compositions. But almost all of them were residents of a convent and composed sacred music which they wrote first and foremost for liturgical use in their own convent. Barbara Strozzi's oeuvre almost exclusively comprises secular music. She was also active as a singer, although in private circles, not in public concerts and not on the stage, for instance in an opera.
That said, her oeuvre is highly dramatic in character. That is certainly due to the fact that she was educated in composition by Francesco Cavalli who would become the most famous Venetian opera composer after the death of Monteverdi. Her father, Giulio, had also strong ties with opera: he was a poet who wrote a large number of opera librettos which were set by the main composers of his time. He was also largely responsible for Barbara's career. He founded the Accademia degli Unisoni, a kind of literary academy which gave her the chance to perform, certainly mostly her own compositions, and to listen to the deliberations of its members, especially about artistic matters.
Strozzi published her first collection of music in 1644: madrigals for two to five voices and basso continuo. It was followed by seven books of pieces, mostly for solo voice and basso continuo. The first was the op. 2 which appeared in 1651 and the last the op. 8, which dates from 1664. Only one of these books comprised sacred works: the op. 5 of 1655. Most of the texts were written specifically for her; about half of them are anonymous.
The Hathor Consort and the sopranos Hana Blazíková and Dorothee Mields put together a programme of pieces by Strozzi as a portrait in five acts. They have performed it in the last few years at several places. Although the programme has been largely the same, there are differences between the various performances, probably because of the differences in the performers taking part or due to the circumstances. During the tour across the Netherlands, some pieces were performed instrumentally, that were sung in previous concerts. One of them took place at the Tage alter Musik Regensburg of last year. In the programme of the festival the participating artists are asked which repertoire is given too little attention in our time. Dorothee Mields says: Barbara Strozzi. That is a bit exaggerated, to put it mildly. Strozzi is pretty well represented on disc, and only during the last few years several discs have been released. What is true, however, is that most performers tend to focus on the later collections and pieces for solo voice. What makes the programme of the Hathor Consort different is that most items are duets from the first two collections. This part of Strozzi's oeuvre does not receive that much interest.
Each 'act' is devoted to a particular aspect of Strozzi's life and career, and is connected to a muse from antique mythology. One may wonder how exactly the texts of the various pieces are connected to the subject. Often I could not exactly figure out in what way the texts in one 'act' were different from those in another. The first was connected to Calliope, the muse of eloquence and epic poetry. The two pieces are both about love, as are most of the texts that Strozzi set to music.
The second chapter was called after Erato, "erotic lover". Here two pieces are about an unhappy love: Belgi occhi and L'Eraclito amoroso, whereas Godere e tacere is of a more light-hearted character. Notable in the second are the low pitch on which it ends, on the words "that it slays, and buries me". It is one of many passages where one notices the connection between text and music. It is also part of the task of the performers to illustrate the text, as the singers did by closing the third item very softly on the words "be silent, my voice, be silent".
Melpomene is the muse of tragedy in Greek mythology. She was used as the symbol of the "corset of society" (act 3). It opened with L'amante segreto, which refers to what is done and not done in society. "I want to die rather than have my distress be discovered". This phrase is used as a refrain. The liner-notes in the programme discuss how close is the connection between Strozzi and the texts she has set. That is, as is acknowledged, hard to say. In this case, the protagonist is a man who has to deal with the conventions of his time. The last piece in this section is one of Strozzi's better-known: Tradimento, about the trials of love, which is seen as an enemy. The singers clearly enjoyed this piece, as they showed at the end on the word "treason!". And as the audience liked it just as much, it was repeated at the end of the concert as an encore.
Euterpe was the muse of music. One wonders why she was connected to the "loving mother", the title of the fourth 'act'. It included one of the few solo pieces: Cuore che reprime: ardo in tacito foco. It is about a lover who can't show his feelings to his beloved. One gets some Gesualdo vibes at the end: "And while for others speaking leads to helping their condition, for my speech only causes my death". It is another piece which includes some eloquent text illustration, for instance the use of a chromatically descending line to display weeping. This 'act' ended with Bartolomeo de Selma y Salaverde's diminutions on Orlandus Lassus' chanson Susanne un jour.
The last 'act' was about a "protected daughter", with Thalia as its symbol: she is the muse of comedy and idyllic poetry. Again, I am not sure about the reasons of this combination. Godere in gioventů addresses maidens: "In the beautiful flowering of youth, maidens, it's a great virtue to open your heart to delights." I baci was the closing piece of the programme, about "sweet, enticing" and "adored kisses". "Kiss my mouth, and be silent" says the last line, and that the two ladies did.
As one may understand, I am rather critical about the concept. It is an attempt to show different sides of Strozzi, but the texts apparently don't offer that much variety. And let's be clear: it is not always easy to interpret the (secular) texts composers used at the 16th and 17th centuries.
Putting this aside, there was much to enjoy. That is first and foremost due to Barbara Strozzi, whose music is popular among performers and audiences for a reason. She was undoubtedly highly gifted, as her music demonstrates. Her music shows the influence of Cavalli, especially in their dramatic traits, but also that of Monteverdi, and - more generally - the monodic style of his time. That means that performers need to have great declamatory skills and a perfect articulation. Hana Blazíková and Dorothee Mields have these skills in abundance, also thanks to their long experience in early music, including this kind of repertoire. They also dealt impressively with the virtuosic written-out ornaments; I assume they added some of their own, but that is impossible to check when one does not know the music. An important tool of singers in Strozzi's time was the messa di voce: a sudden crescendo on a single note. I was happy to note that they used it to good effect. The two singers were a perfect match, although their voices are different - different enough to tell them apart.
The Hathor Consort is a fine ensemble which perfectly supported the singers. It also played some instrumental items, among them some of the duets. Although the instrumental performance of vocal works was quite common in the Renaissance, I am sceptical about this practice in the case of 17th-century vocal music. The basic problem is that at that time there was a close connection between text and music, and in an instrumental performance, that is lost. Lastly, it is a mystery to me why the ensemble included a nyckelharpa. It is an old instrument, but as far as I know it was only played in northern countries, especially Sweden, and mostly in traditional music. It is hard to see why it should play any role in a concert of music by an Italian composer.
Despite some issues, it was a most enjoyable and interesting concert, which should have taken place in a more intimate environment than the Pieterskerk, whose acoustic is not really suited to this repertoire.
N.B. An extended version of the programme has just been released on disc (CPO). I have used the translations in the booklet for this review.
Johan van Veen (© 2026)