Voices of Passion 2025

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Sollazzo Ensemble © Elam Rotem

Festival
Feb 3 - May 10, 2025

1425, a polyphonic beginning

In 2025, KU Leuven will celebrate its 600th anniversary. As part of the festivities, Voices of Passion is looking back at the sound world of the early fifteenth century. At that time, polyphony was no longer in its infancy and had developed throughout the Middle Ages into a complex, almost mathematically sophisticated texture of voices.

At the beginning of the fifteenth century, composers faced a new era in which innovative compositional techniques, surprising sound constructions and a sense of euphony would gradually come to the fore.

The ingenuity of the Franco-Flemish polyphonists was admired throughout Europe. When their polyphonic music came into contact with French, Italian, and English composition, for example during international tours, a mutual cross-fertilisation took place. With well-known names such as Guillaume Du Fay and Gilles Binchois, but also completely unknown composers such as Johannes de Lymburgia, Voices of Passion is a musical evocation of the first decades of the fifteenth century.

Leuven and polyphony have long been intertwined. Together with 30CC, we highlight this tradition and current knowledge and performance practice during the Voices of Passion festival.

Upcoming events

Monday 3 Feb. '25
Sint-Pieterskerk

1425 Masterly Polyphonic

Friday 25 April '25
Sint-Pieterskerk

The time of Guillaume Du Fay

Saturday 26 April '25
Abdijkerk van Park

Gaude Felix Padua

Wednesday 30 April '25
Abdijkerk van Park

Missa Ecce ancilla Domini

Saturday 3 May '25
Abdijkerk van Park

Les Champions des Dames

Saturday 10 May '25
Sint-Pieterskerk

Missa O bone Jesu