Capella de la Torre: “Erzsébet Báthory – Countess Dracula?”
7 p.m.
Renaissance music from Hungary and Europe as part of the concert project “The Art of Female Power – The Female Power of Art”
Erzsébet Báthory-Nádasdy (1560–1614) still has a dubious reputation today. Was she really a murderer, or was she the victim of a political conspiracy? The so-called “Countess Dracula” is said to have tortured and killed around 600 young girls in her numerous castles, estates, and residences. After her husband’s death, Erzsébet inherited his entire fortune. She then assumed the role of head of the family—unusual for a woman at that time—and displayed inhuman cruelty, particularly toward her female subjects.
But is there any truth to this at all, or did political intrigues turn the countess into a defenseless victim of slander? The historical truth likely lies somewhere between myth, a history of violence, and political manipulation. Join Capella de la Torre on a journey to Hungary, into the dark dungeons of a deep-black widow.
Program: Renaissance music from Hungary and Europe, compositions by Balint Bakfark, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Giuseppa da Biabo, Jacobus Gallus, from the Codex Caioni, and others.
Performers:
Capella de la Torre
, Katharina Bäuml, shawm and conductor
Tickets:
€25, reduced €15 plus fees, available online via Eventim and at the box office.
(Tickets available at all advance sales locations in the Eventim network / Order hotline: +49 (0) 1806-570070 (€0.20/call incl. VAT from landlines, max. €0.60/call incl. VAT from mobile networks) available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.).
Further information on ticket prices can be found here: Service/Tickets
Influential Women of the Renaissance: The Art of Female Power – The Power of Female Art
The concert project The Art of Female Power – The Power of Female Art aims to open up a new perspective: Drawing on outstanding female figures from the visual arts, literature, and history, it seeks to shed new light on the social roles of women in the early modern period.
Thus, women not only frequently served as mothers, muses, and patrons, but were also politically, artistically, or creatively active in their own right. In doing so, women had to contend with significantly greater resistance, as evidenced not least by the fact that we know very little or nothing at all about many of them. Even a position of privilege by birth was no guarantee of adequate recognition and appreciation of one’s own achievements.
The Art of Female Power focuses, on the one hand, on women who, through their elevated status, had the opportunity to make their own mark, or who, due to special qualities such as beauty or intelligence, became the subject of artistic representation. The achievements of all these women will be examined particularly against the backdrop of the specific obstacles they faced.
Organizer:
Capella de la Torre in collaboration with Kultur Büro Elisabeth
Funding: The series “The Art of Female Power – The Female Power of Art” is funded by the LOTTO Foundation Berlin. Further information can be found here: https://www.lotto-stiftung-berlin.de/projekte/the-art-of-female-power-t…
Photo © Anna-Kristina Bauer
