Saturday, July 25 – 9:00 p.m. / Valloire Church
Where are the women?
by the ensemble Contre le Temps
This program highlights female figures in medieval Western musical sources from the 11th to the 15th century, in regions corresponding to present-day France, Spain, and England. It explores the dialogue between sacred and secular praise, particularly in relation to the cult of the Virgin Mary, whose popularity in the 12th and 13th centuries profoundly influenced musical and poetic language.
Marian devotion, marked by gentleness and love, inspired the poetry of courtly love, in which the beloved woman is elevated to a quasi-divine ideal.
The program also illustrates the musical evolution from monophonic singing to polyphony. A central focus is placed on Hildegard of Bingen, a composer, mystic, and abbess, whose work celebrates the divine feminine and symbolizes women’s creative contributions in the Middle Ages.
Performed by an all-female ensemble, this repertoire brings the traditions of community singing to life and highlights the continuity of women’s voices throughout history.
Programme
Works by Guillaume Dufay, Hildegard von Bingen, and other sources of Western medieval music.
Cast
Karin Weston, soprano
Cécile Walch, soprano
Julia Marty, mezzo-soprano
Amy Farnell, mezzo-soprano
Against Time
Contre le Temps is an all-female vocal ensemble specializing in medieval music, founded in 2021 by Julia Marty, Cécile Walch, Karin Weston, and Amy Farnell during their studies at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis (Basel). Aiming to perform a variety of musical genres from the 11th to the 16th century, the ensemble combines musicological knowledge with personal musical sensitivity.
Originally, this repertoire was performed by groups of women who knew each other well and were accustomed to singing together. It is this musical and personal connection that the ensemble seeks to recreate, creating a unified sound that nonetheless respects and celebrates the individuality of each voice. Hence the unique emotional power that emanates from these four female voices singing in unison.
Contre le Temps favors a slow, collective process of exploration, without a single conductor; it experiments with different phrasing, tempos, and timbres, and takes the time to internalize and memorize the repertoire. This gradual process stands in contrast to today’s culture of speed in the performance of early music.
In addition to this commitment to constantly renewing their sound, the ensemble seeks to forge a special connection with the audience by using the stage space in innovative ways to break away from the usual frontal arrangement. They also allow themselves to improvise, much like medieval musicians, in order to make their performances more engaging for the audience.
Contre le Temps performs throughout Europe, appearing not only in France (Beaune International Baroque Music Festival, CavroArts Festival in the Chevreuse Valley) but also in Belgium (Bruges Early Music Festival, Laus Polyphoniae Festival in Antwerp), in England (Beverley Early Music Festival), in the Netherlands (Utrecht Early Music Festival), and in Germany (Bavarian Radio’s Musica Antiqua concert series, Via Medieval Festival).