Barock_Plus

As endearing as it sounds, the British folk song When Daphne from fair Phoebus did fly recounts an ancient mythological crime. Apollo, the god of the muses, covets the beautiful nymph Daphne. At first he tries flattery, but when Daphne rejects him with increasing vehemence, the situation escalates: Apollo plans to rape her, and Daphne can only escape because her father, the river god Peneios, turns her into a laurel tree.

Many composers and artists have drawn on this story as a source of inspiration to paint portraits of erotic desire – rendering Daphne the object of male fantasy. Ensemble Barock_Plus aims to counter these perceptions by juxtaposing the musical settings of Daphne with works by female baroque composers.