Castle Courtyard Concerts: Dancing Queen: ABBA & Jean-Philippe Rameau

You’re in the mood to dance, and when you get the chance: You are a dancing queen! Bringing together these two absolute giants of European music history seems audacious: Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683–1764) and ABBA! But upon a second listen, countless similarities emerge: the originality and catchiness of their melodies, the rhythmic liveliness, and the boundless popularity of both. Under the title “Dancing Queen,” the lautten compagney builds a bridge from the present to a time when it was not so much the queens but rather the kings who could be found on the dance floor. ABBA’s music is arranged—as in other cross-epochal projects by the Berlin ensemble—and performed on Baroque-era instruments, and is not merely juxtaposed with Rameau’s music. The pieces are at times fused so seamlessly that it is barely discernible which parts originated from the pen of the High Baroque French composer and which from the workshop of the Swedish pop quartet. A true Dancing Queen on her instrument, the adventurous saxophonist Asya Fateyeva dances back and forth between worlds. With great virtuosity, she coaxes both breakneck-fast runs and the finest lyrical, singing arias from her instrument. She possesses an endless palette of diverse sounds and improvises with ease over a rock riff, whether it be by Rameau or ABBA. An ideal partner for the musicians of the experimental and playful lautten compagney, with whom she released the highly acclaimed CD “Time Travel” in 2021, featuring pieces by Purcell and The Beatles. Asya Fateyeva - Saxophone Bo Wiget - Arrangements lautten compagney Berlin Birgit Schnurpfeil - Musical Director