The MA Festival Bruges or Musica Antiqua Bruges in Bruges, Belgium, is a festival for early music with historical instruments and the appropriate playing technique practiced at the time.
First organized in 1960, the festival has been part of the supra-regional annual Festival of Flanders since 1972, which was founded in 1958. The wide-ranging program of the MA Festival Bruges includes concerts, master classes, exhibitions, an instrument market and a periodic music competition with changing instrumental and vocal performances.
The mission of the festival
The idea of the founders of the festival was not just to organize another concert festival, but to create a forum for so-called early music up to the year 1800. Specialized musicians, instrument makers, music teachers, students and music lovers were and are invited to participate. The festival's program includes exhibitions and fairs, practice courses and master classes, discussion forums, lectures and guided excursions to historical destinations in Flanders.
The international competitions have been taking place since 1964 with a changing focus every three years. The focus shifts between the instruments organ, harpsichord (since 1965), basso continuo and pianoforte (since 1983). Since 1972, the three-year competition cycle has been complemented by recordings on sound carriers, other historical instruments, soloists (since 1984) as well as choirs and ensembles.
As jurors, the organizers have been able to win over such expert personalities as Gustav Leonhardt, Thurston Dart, Barbara Schlick, Barthold Kuijken, Wieland Kuijken, Wolfgang Brunner, Florian Heyerick, Friedrich Högner (1970), Ton Koopman, Frans Brüggen, Anner Bylsma, Xavier Darasse, Michel Chapuis and Scott Ross.
The birthday party is coming up!
Gli Angeli Genève brings five festive Magnificats to the opening of the sixtieth edition of the MA Festival. With two German and three Latin versions of this lyrical and passionate hymn, Stephan MacLeod and his ensemble tell the story of the pregnant Mary who addresses her niece in prayer. The two German Magnificats are by Johann Sebastian Bach and Heinrich Schütz, while the Latin versions were composed by Johann Sebastian Bach, Johann Rosenmüller and Arvo Pärt.
This year's Festivasl will take place from August 4 to 13, 2023.
