La Stravaganza Baroque Music Festival

Even among professional musicians, it is a little-known fact that until the 19th century, only contemporary music was performed. The performance of predecessors’ music was a rare exception, and when it occurred, the music was adapted to contemporary style, using contemporary instruments and tailored to the tastes of the contemporary audience. The idea of performing Baroque music with the instruments and in the styles characteristic of its era began to spread in Western Europe after World War II, with the aim of aligning contemporary musicians and audiences with the forms of expression of past eras, as they were understood at the time. By studying old theoretical treatises and preserved historical instruments, it was discovered that Baroque performance practices, together with appropriate instruments, unlock an unexpected expressive potential in Baroque music. The La Stravaganza Baroque Music Festival, created in 2009 by Associate Professors Maria Abrudan and Erich Türk, is held biennially.