Vache Baroque Will Perform a Unique Trio of Concerts as Part of Their ROSSI 400 Project

Vache Baroque will present a magnificent multi-event project to commemorate 400 years since the Jewish-Italian composer Salomone Rossi published his groundbreaking collection The Songs of Solomon in 1623. This series of evening concerts will see a programme of solo and ensemble vocal music by Rossi and his contemporaries. They will be staggered in the lead up to the festive period, kickstarting at The Vache House, then moving on to the Belsize Square Synagogue and finishing at St John’s Smith Square. 

Vache Baroque are a group of musicians intent on engaging with a younger and more diverse audience to connect them with high-quality Baroque-era music and drama. From fully staged operas to children’s shows, they strive to create dynamic, interactive, and impactful experiences. Since launching in 2020, the company offer young and disadvantaged people opportunities to be creative alongside leading professionals. 

The Vache Dinner will take place on Saturday 4th November, offering an exclusive, immersive black-tie evening hosted in the Great Hall of The Vache Manor House. The dinner will act as a fundraiser event for the company, as guests are taken back in time to the Jewish Quarter of 17th Century Mantua, Italy with a gourmet five course meal, courtesy of acclaimed Jewish chef Adam Nathan, interspersed with an elegant musical programme performed by five Vache Baroque singers, harpsichord and chitarrone.

As part of the Tsitsit Jewish Fringe Festival, the second concert will be held in the Belsize Square Synagogue on Saturday 11th November, and will share a moving musical programme of sacred vocal pieces by Rossi and his contemporaries from across Europe. The concert will feature joyful prayers, lamenting solo songs, and passionate madrigals that will be sung in Hebrew, Italian, Latin, and English, all accompanied by a chitarrone and Baroque lute. The second half of the concert will kick off with a Q&A session led by Rossi specialist and award-winning writer, poet, dramatist, cultural commentator, and musician, Michelene Wandor.

Joined by award-winning ensemble La Vaghezza, the final concert, A Baroque Hanukkah, will take place at St John’s Smith Square on Wednesday 13th December. Framing the story of Hanukkah through Rossi’s The Songs of Solomon, this concert will celebrate 400 years of this ground-breaking publication coupled with works on similar texts by his contemporaries such as Campion, Schütz, Cavalli, and Purcell. From solo lute songs and captivating improvisation to expansive double-choir textures, this will be an evening of passionate contrasts.

Artistic Director Jonathan Darbourne comments, Rossi was a highly-regarded Jewish violinist and composer working alongside Claudio Monteverdi in Mantua. Not only was he the first to compose contemporary-styled pieces to Hebrew texts, he also pioneered the trio sonata genre that was to become à la mode across Europe during the 17th century. From solo lute songs and instrumental improvisation to expansive double-choir textures, the concert at St John’s Smith Square will be an evening of passionate contrasts – a truly Baroque storytelling.

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