Julie Comparini

Three days before the debut concert of the Isabella-Leonarda-Project Pone spes in planctu amaro, Germany's leading independent-progressive newspaper taz has published an interview with Julie Comparini by Benno Schirrmeister:

Julie Comparini über Barockkomponistin Isabella Leonarda

It seems to be in German only, but if you can read it, please do! Note that the current headline describes a common theme in Leonarda's texts and not my personal worldview. (The original headline, also describing Leonarda's texts, was "The amount of masochistic indulgence is truly remarkable", which I guess was too risqué.)

The debut concert of "Pone spes in planctu amaro" will take place on Saturday, September 23 in the Sendesaal Bremen statt. You can find more information and reserve tickets here.

During her 68 years at the Collegio di Sant'Orsola, Isabella Leonarda composed more than two hundred published works in twenty published collections. Born into minor nobility in Novara in 1620, she entered the Ursuline convent at the age of sixteen, rising to the office of Madre superior in 1686 and Madre vicaria in 1693 before her death in 1704. She is considered one of the most productive female composers of the 16th and 17th centuries.

Her approximately 100 solo motets combine technical virtuosity with a highly personal expression of religious fervor. The texts are frequently non-liturgical, rich in imagery and assumed to be written by Leonarda herself. They offer a fascinating insight into both Leonarda’s own deep and personified beliefs and the larger theological context of a 17th-century nunnery.

In spite of their musical quality, most of Leonarda’s works have not be re-performed in modern times, and only a handful have been recorded or published in modern editions -- making several pieces in this concert modern premieres.

Saturday, September 23, 2023, 8:00 pm
Sendesaal, Bürgermeister-Spitta-Allee 45, 28329 Bremen
More Information and Tickets

The Watershed project is coming to Germany with two multimedia concerts scheduled in Bremen this summer. Sea-Sounds combines Watershed with the song cycle Sea Pictures by Edward Elgar, as well as readings of texts from Watershed and Sea Pictures in translations by Schirin Nowrousian and Bertram Kottmann and illumination art by Bremen artist Sara Förster.

Elgar's Sea Pictures, published in 1899, reflect on human life on and around the sea: desire for freedom and adventure, wonder at the miracle of heavenly creation, and the ever-changing tides and weathers as a mirror of human emotional states. Together with Watershed, the program both connects and brings a present-day perspective to the poetic-musical tradition of natural and environmental metaphors of human experience.

Wednesday, June 22 2023, 11:00 pm, Kulturkirche Bremen
Sunday, June 25 2023, 7:00 pm, Stadtkirche Bremen-Vegesack

Historically informed performances of baroque operas have long found their way into the mainstream opera world, with stagings of works by Handel, Rameau, Cavalli or Purcell being produced at leading European opera houses and festivals. As a result, an understanding that the affect-driven dramaturgy of baroque operas was accompanied by a precise system of gestures has also grown.

In a month-long residency at the Fleetstreet Theater in Hamburg, the music-performance trio Marta Kowalczuk (composition), Lutz Rademacher (musical direction) and Hans-Jörg Kapp (scenic direction) has explored the possibilities of baroque gesture in a modern, affect- and performance-driven context. The results can be seen and heard in a workshop presentation on Tuesday, February 28th at 5:00 pm with performers Julie Comparini (contralto), Kerstin Dietl (soprano), Jürgen Groß (violin) and Lutz Rademacher (continuo), followed by a meet-the-artists reception.

A full-scale scenic production in Hamburg in 2024 is currently in planning.

Thursday, February 28, 2023, 5:00 pm
Fleetstreet Theater, Admiralitätsstrasse 71, 20459 Hamburg
Admission: € 5,-
Contakt: office@operasilens.de, Tel: 0172 4993344
More information

Isabella Leonarda was born into minor nobility in 1620 in Novara, Italy. At the age of 16, she entered the Ursuline convent Collegio di Sant'Orsola, rising to the position of Madre superior in 1686 and Madre vicaria in 1693 before her death in 1704. During her 68 years at the convent, she composed more than two hundred published works, making her one of the most productive female composers of the 16th and 17th centuries.

Her approximately 100 solo motets combine technical virtuosity with a highly personal expression of religious fervor. The texts are frequently non-liturgical, rich in imagery and assumed to be written by Leonarda herself. They offer a fascinating insight into both Leonarda’s own deep and personified beliefs and the larger theological context of a 17th-century nunnery.

Saturday, November 26th, 2022, 4:00 pm
Galleri Athene, Grønland 57, 3045 Drammen, Norwegen
Part of the concert series Kvinneligespor
More Information

On June 18th, 2022, the historical harbor in Bremen-Vegesack will be set in scene with a multimedia concert celebrating its 400th anniversary. Baroque and Renaissance music from the historical wind band Hanse Pfeyfferey, a vocal ensemble led by Julie Comparini and atmospheric compositions by jazz pianist Jens Schöwing transform the harbor into a dramatic musical-visual art performance and an eerie playground for the spirits of the night.
Produced by Peter Schenk for the Bremen Museum Night.
Saturday, June 18th, 11:00 pm, Vegesacker Hafen
More Information

Ireland's NearFM podcast, recorded at the Sundays At Noon concert of Watershed and the Hermit Songs in the Hugh Lane Gallery in Dublin, will be live streamed on Tuesday, May 31st 2022 at 2:00 pm GMT:

NearFM Podcast Livestream

The podcast will be available to hear after the livestream at the following link:

NearFM Podcast Archive

Accompanied by recordings of the concert and poetry readings by Jessica Brown from her book And Say, the pianist and initiator of the Watershed project, Yonit Kosovske, writer Jessica Brown, whose poems Watershed was composed on, and singer Julie Comparini discuss the collaborative process of commissioning and performing a new musical work as well as the experiences and inspirations that have accompanied them on their musical journey.

The Watershed CD, featuring the song cycle with readings by Jessica Brown and field recordings from Lough Derg, is available as a CD or digital download from Now And Then Media.

The concert Lough Derg 1 & 2 in Dublin's Hugh Lane Gallery, featuring the Hermit Songs by Samuel Barber, the new song cycle Watershed by Ailís Ní Ríain and readings by poet Jessica Brown from her book And Say was recorded on video and is now available to watch on YouTube:

Sundays At Noon Concert Catch-Up

The world premiere performance of Watershed took place on March 1st, 2022 at St Mary's Cathedral in Limerick and was followed by a wonderful ten-day tour throughout Ireland, with some concerts also being recorded, such as this one at Maynooth University:

Maynooth Music Lunchtime Concert, 10. March 2022

In addition, all four artists involved in the project -- composer Ailís Ní Ríain, poet Jessica Brown, contralto Julie Comparini and the pianist and initiator of the project, Yonit Kosovske, appeared separately or together on podcasts produced by Near FM, RTÉ Lyric FM and the Contemporary Music Centre in Dublin, allowing listeners a fascinating insight into the creative and collaborative processes from which this project grew.

The Watershed CD, featuring the song cycle with readings by Jessica Brown and field recordings from Lough Derg, is available as a CD or digital download from Now And Then Media.

After the successful launch of the CD in November 2021, the song cycle Watershed, composed in 2020 by Ailís Ní Ríain for Julie Comparini and the pianist Yonit Kosovske, will enjoy its premiere and a concert tour in Ireland.

The premiere performance of Watershed will take place on March 1st, 2022 at St Mary's Cathedral in Limerick, followed by concerts in Galway, Mountshannon, Dublin, Clonmel, Maynooth and Kilkenny.

In most of the concerts, Watershed, whose texts (by contemporary poet Jessica Brown) reflect on the natural landscapes near Lough Derg near Limerick, will be performed together with the Hermit Songs von Samuel Barber, whose texts derive from writings by medieval monks and pilgrims to Lough Derg in Donegal. Just as a geological watershed changes the direction of water's flow, both song cycles explore the places and moments that lead us in new directions.

The Watershed CD, featuring the song cycle with readings by Jessica Brown and field recordings from Lough Derg, is available as a CD or digital download from Now And Then Media.

More information is available at the links above or in the Calendar.

After being delayed twice due to pandemic conditions, the song cycle Watershed, composed in 2020 by Ailís Ní Ríain for myself and pianist Yonit Kosovske, could finally be recorded in August 2021 at Pine Valley Studio in Killaloe, Ireland and is now available for purchase or digital download.

The recording includes the 25-minute song cycle as well as readings by poet Jessica Brown from her book And Say, from which the Watershed texts were chosen. The poems reflect upon the Irish lake Lough Derg near Limerick, and other natural landscapes in Ireland. The locations themselves can also be heard on the CD in the form of field recordings by Ròisín Berg, Leo Wolstenholme, Wolodymyr Smishkewych and Ilani Smishkewych Kosovske.

The premiere performance of Watershed will take place in Limerick, Ireland on March 1st, 2022.