Tribute to Josquin Desprez

Concert on Saturday 15 May will present fabulous Huelgas Ensemble, one of the finest vocal ensembles known as a pioneer in the performance of European mediaeval and Renaissance polyphony.  “Even though Josquin Desprez is one of the most important and most intriguing Renaissance composers, his music is not performed in Prague all that often. We are therefore delighted that, to mark the 500th anniversary of his death, the Huelgas Ensemble, one of the finest vocal ensembles of its kind, has put together a special programme for the Prague Spring dedicated to his work,” says Programme Director Josef Třeštík. The concert held at Prague Crossroads will focus on the composer’s final period, spent in his native region in the town of Condé-sur-l’Escaut in present-day northern France, where he finally settled after his return from Italy. “Josquin was a pioneer. He mastered all the contrapuntal techniques to control his polyphony as he wished, often in violation of the accepted rules,” states founder and Artistic Director of the Huelgas Ensemble, Paul Van Nevel.