There are times for celebration and times for reflection, and among the latter is Holy Week. Since sacred music is conducive to spirituality, Lutesong Consort is offering two concerts titled Via Crucis (The Way of the Cross) ahead of Good Friday this year. BEVERLEY BROMMERT speaks to mezzo-soprano Lente Louw, the Artistic Director of Lutesong Consort:
Lente Louw explains that Via Crucis consists of twelve lustrous Renaissance motets compiled by this ensemble to trace Christ’s progress from the raising of Lazarus to the Resurrection of Christ, thematically bookending the performance with the triumph of life over death: a musical pilgrimage which the audience can follow for an hour of uninterrupted immersion in a transcendental experience.
She mentions that works featured are by a variety of composers including Claudio Monteverdi, JS Bach, Orlando di Lasso, Carlo Gesualdo and Hermann Shein, among others. Whether familiar or lesser-known, they convey a mood of quiet, salutary introspection which few would fail to acknowledge as beneficial in our troubled times.
Their innate beauty is well served by a small ensemble of six vocalists with minimal accompaniment from Uwe Grosser and Kevin Kraak playing theorbo and organ respectively.
Louw is joined by sopranos Lynelle Kenned and Elsabé Richter, tenors Van Wyk Venter and Willem Bester, and bass Keaton Manwaring.
Rhythmical intricacy and harmonic complexity
Regarding the challenges of performing these sacred choral compositions dating from over four centuries ago, she identifies rhythmical intricacy and harmonic complexity as the most significant. When a number of individual voices intertwine to build polyphonic texture from multiple melodic lines, it helps when they are all of equal proficiency.
“Fortunately this is the case for us, and because we sing together regularly, our mutual familiarity as well as our shared understanding of each individual’s role in the ensemble, make it a pleasure. Even when we have only four rehearsals of three hours long!”
“The works we have chosen are for either six, five, or four voices, and mostly quite short, varying in style and range.”
This clearly resonates with audiences, as this year, instead of a single performance, the concert will be repeated on both Maundy Thursday and the preceding Wednesday in response to demand, in different venues. The first will be St Andrews Presbyterian Church in Greenpoint, the second in the Rondebosch Dutch Reformed Church.
“They differ in acoustics, as St Andrews (the larger of the two) has a stone floor, while the more intimate Dutch Reformed Church has wooden beams in the ceiling. Moreover, the sound is also affected by the size of the audience, especially in a packed venue,” says Louw.
She is especially happy that, to promote audience understanding of the lyrics sung in Latin, German “and some other languages”, an English translation will be projected on the wall of both venues.
This latest project from Lutesong Consort represents an opportunity for time out from current geopolitical turbulence to find a measure of inner peace … a wholesome exercise for all.
What: Via Crucis (The Way of the Cross)
Where and when:
St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church on 1 April 2026
Tickets: Quicket
Rondebosch Dutch Reformed Church on 2 April 2026, both at 7.30pm
Tickets: Quicket
WS
