All stars of the Actus Humanus On 14 December, world-leading performers of early music will convene in Gdańsk to take part in the Actus Humanus Festival. For five days, against the backdrop of some of the city’s most beautiful historic monuments, audiences will be entertained by virtuosos including La Venexiana, Ensemble Micrologus, the legendary harpsichordist Pierre Hantaï, sensational soloists Roberta Mameli, Pino de Vittorio and Magnus Staveland and the phenomenal Italian Modo Antiquo on its first visit to Poland.

The idea of this new festival, to be held annually in December, is to showcase true masterpieces of early music involving a Christmas theme and interpreted by the world’s leading period performers. The artistic direction of the Festival rests in the capable hands of Filip Berkowicz the creator and artistic director of Poland’s most acclaimed festivals of classical music, Sacrum Profanum and Misteria Paschalia and of the Opera Rara project.“The carefully selected repertoire and the unquestioned authorities of early music invited to perform at the Festival will put Gdańsk on the map of the most important cultural events dedicated to music of centuries long gone” says Filip Berkowicz. “Indeed, it is an ambition of Actus Humanus to join the league of Europe’s most respected festivals of Renaissance and Baroque music right from the start” he adds.The Festival will begin at St. Nicolas’ Church on a strong note with the first Polish performance of one of the most beautiful, but sadly forgotten, masterpieces of the Italian Baroque, “Cinque Profeti – Cantata per la Notte di Natale” by Alessandro Scarlatti. The piece will be performed by the Italian ensemble La Venexiana, a winner of multiple prestigious awards, under maestro Claudio Cavina. The following day, at St. Bridget’s Church, Ensemble Micrologus will present their unique Medieval Christmas programme “In Festa Nativitatis” featuring Patrizia Bovi and Pino de Vittorio, one of the most original contemporary male voices. French Renaissance music will fill the middle of the Festival. A unique programme “Noël Renaissance – 'O' de l'avent”, including pieces by the most eminent representatives of the Franco-Flemish school, will be performed at St. James’ Church by Ensemble Clément Janequin under Dominique Visse, also known as the founder of the famous Les Arts Florissants. For the last two nights, the audiences will be invited to the Artus Court. The Saturday concert will feature Johann Sebastian Bach’s sublime Goldberg Variations performed by Pierre Hantaï, the most famous French harpsichordist, a student of Gustav Leonardt, winner of many international competitions and a favourite musician of the greatest pioneers of the Baroque period performance, Philippe Herreweghe, Jordi Savall and Marc Minkowski. The Festival will end with a concert featuring the phenomenal Italian formation Modo Antiquo conducted by the charismatic Federico Maria Sardelli. Together with the Norwegian tenor Magnus Staveland, a guest performer, the ensemble will present virtuoso interpretations of Antonio Vivaldi’s concertos and a selection of his most beautiful arias.

Programme and more information: www.actushumanus.com