The ensemble Dionysos Now! present the wonderfully captivating vocal polyphony of the Renaissance: the repertoire of Adriaen Willaert, born in Roeselare (Belgium), founder of the Venetian School.

The warm reception and the positive feedback following the release of our debut album Adriano 1 have inspired us to dive further into the unexplored work of this Flemish master. Our fascination with Adriaen Willaert’s almost infinitely radiant oeuvre led us to this beautiful, polyphonic monument of a Mass.

“It’s a great pleasure and honour for me to invite you into a journey in the live and work of Adriaen Willaert (1490–1562), the great master of Flemish polyphony from Rumbeke near Roeselare.

Willaert was maestro di cappella of the San Marco Basilica in Venice for 35 years until his death and was known as the best composer and pedagogue of his time. His music quickly spread beyond Italy — thanks in part to advances in printing technology — and was performed at many of Europe’s grandest courts and cathedrals, even at the Vatican. At the same time, numerous composers were coming in the opposite direction from places like Flanders, France, and Germany into Italy to study with ‘Maestro Adriano’ in ‘La Serenissima’ or to become acquainted with his new compositional techniques.

With this project Tore Denys wants to return to his roots in Roeselare and pay homage to one of the greatest composers in Roeselare’s history.
Together with the members of his ensemble Dionysos Now!, he wants to plan a trajectory to have a contemporary reflection of his most striking signature works in 2022 – 460 years after the death of Adriaan Willaert.