La Camerata Chromatica invites you to discover the mysterious ancient origins of its repertoire, its emergence and development in the heart of Italy, and the spread of this revolutionary style throughout European musical culture at the time.

The composers of chromatic music based themselves on Greek musical theory: this programme explores the conflicting relationship between an ancient music fantasised by theorists and its living reinterpretation in the 16th century. From this starting point, this performance takes the form of a journey of initiation: from its origins to its flamboyant apogee in the Baroque period, via the Italian Renaissance and its crazy experiments, we discover the great intensity of a music that is ever more touching and dramatic.
 

At the birth of chromaticism, two major competing aesthetic currents emerged in Italy, with different interpretations of the Greek sources: one, rigorous and more authentic, and the other, more liberal and contemporary. This "contemporary music", monopolised by an aristocratic elite, was sometimes called "Musica Reservata", or "reserved music". These highly experimental works represent the most prized and secretive of what could be heard in princely courts such as Ferrara, Naples, Rome or Paris.

Offering some of its most emblematic pieces, with a wide variety of styles and affects, La Camerata Chromatica highlights the major aspects of this Greek-inspired repertoire: intense passions, exquisite poetry and extreme musical experimentation.