“Ad Mariam per Jesum”
Revitalising the Middle Ages and Early Music through Improvisation
Elena Roce, soprano
Krešimir Klarić, organ
From time immemorial, the organ and the human voice—central to Catholic liturgy—have served to glorify God, while at the same time embodying the boundless reach of human creativity and inspiration. Many of the greatest composers, recognising the unique affinity between the colours of the human voice and the manifold timbres of the organ, wrote for this pairing as an offering to the Divine. The breathing shared by singer and organist creates a rare sense of unity, a complete musical circle.
The theme of this concert centres on two of the most significant figures of Scripture—the Virgin Mary and Christ Jesus—through music cultivated across Europe for centuries, particularly along the eastern Adriatic coast, where it was often sung in the vernacular.
This duo, devoted to primordial sound and ancient styles, will gift the audience an evening of age-old chants clothed in new garments—contemporary improvisations and playful organ colours. The programme spans from Hildegard von Bingen, through melodies from Cithara Octochorda and forgotten Croatian masters such as Atanazije Grgičević, to the moving and expansive sequence Stabat Mater by Giovanni Felice Sances. The evening will also be enriched by celebrated works of the greatest Western European composers, including J. S. Bach and G. F. Handel.