In its new production Oltreconfine, Delle Donne Consort crosses boundaries in collaboration with composer and vocalist Vigdis Hansa Elst and live electronics artist Maarten Buyl.

The six musicians invite each other to step into the world of their own instruments and backgrounds, which at first glance may seem quite different. They simultaneously cross into the other's realm, only to find that they recognize much of themselves in each other’s musical language and identity.

Oltreconfine combines various musical elements and techniques. Think of polyphonic structures that create tension between momentum and stillness: flowing lines that culminate in cadences and moments of rest, where the music allows for more freedom, or homophonic passages that call for stability. This tension, in turn, sparks new inspiration among the musicians.

In addition to the consort, the voice plays a prominent role in this concert, inviting intimacy and vulnerability. A voice is something ‘naked’; it reveals much about the human psyche. A broken voice can deeply move us, even if we wouldn’t categorize it as ‘beautiful.’ This leads the ensemble to the question: can we find beauty in raw and unpolished sounds?

Live electronics highlight and manipulate the physical properties of sound in the final sonic result. By blending or multiplying different sounds, overtones, undertones, and harmonics emerge, generating new material in their own right.

Delle Donne Consort chose works by Adriaan Willaert and Cypriano De Rore, composed on texts by Francesco Petrarca, as the starting point for the polyphonic section. Complementing this, the performance features a brand-new composition by Vigdis Hansa Elst, who draws inspiration from the fragility of sound and the search for beauty in rawness. Her work offers a counterbalance to the polyphonic repertoire through its sung language, timbre, and harmony.

Sounds from different worlds come together: historical performance practice and polyphonic repertoire merge with experimental techniques and newly created works. This fusion creates both confrontation and symbiosis. The various building blocks are no longer distinct: recorders sound like voices, live electronics generate new harmonies, and the voice behaves like an instrument. In this one-hour performance, the contrasting repertoire converges into an indivisible whole.