In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the cornetto was fabled for its ability to imitate the human voice. This encompassed not only its clear and bright sound, but also its agility, range, dynamic flexibility, and articulation, making it sound as though the player were speaking through their instrument.

Hana Blažíková, a Czech soprano described as ‘one of the most exciting voices in the Baroque scene today’, joins world-renowned cornettist Bruce Dickey and musicians from Tasmania’s Van Diemen’s Band. Together, they revive the lost art of this instrumental-vocal pairing in a program framed by the seventeenth century, which also includes the Australian premiere of a new work for the combination by Greek composer Calliope Tsoupaki.