In 2012 Antwerp's early music festival Laus Polyphoniae will focus on the 'Mare Adriatico', the Adriatic Sea. For the first time in its history the festival will have not one but two artists in residence: Ensemble Daedalus directed by Robert Festa and Ensemble Dialogos directed by Katarina Livljanic. Acclaimed projects like the International Young Artist's Presentation and the concerts for babies will be continued.

The Adriatic Sea, with Italy as its western border and surrounded in the east by countries such as Croatia, Slovenia and Albania, is both a natural barrier and a common seed-bed for the nations that people her coasts. In addition to their connection to the Mare Adriatico, those nations are also indissolubly interconnected with each other – not only politically and historically, but also as regards culture, the arts and music.

Laus Polyphoniae 2012 moors at the most important Italian cities of the Adriatic coast (Venice, Bari ...), but also ventures via Trieste, nearby Slovenia, the crossing to the island of Cres, metropolitan Dubrovnik and port town Split. Sources and oeuvres of local origin coexist with ease next to their historical companions: masterpieces of the international polyphonic repertoire, landed in priceless manuscripts and voluminous anthologies in those faraway libraries.

From opulent multi-choral compositions and commedia dell’arte originating in Venice, to Glagolitic songs from Croatia, liturgical repertoire from Albania, Gregorian chants of Slovenian origin and lute music collected along the Adriatic coastline: Laus Polyphoniae 2012 - Mare Adriatico will sample the very best produced by east and west in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance!

Laus Polyphoniae 2012 | Mare Adriatico
24 August - 2 September, on various historic locations in Antwerp, Belgium
Info & tickets as of May 2012: +32 (0)3 292 36 80 | www.amuz.be