BACKSTAGE WITH… Conductor Lionel Meunier
Vox Luminis has been announced as the new ensemble in residence at Wigmore Hall. Why did you choose to revisit Schütz for your first concert?
We performed Schütz in our very first concert at Wigmore Hall in 2013, and it’s the disc that won us our first major British award and helped us get management. Schütz’s music is why we’re here, so I wanted his work to mark the beginning of our residency. I don’t know how many people can say that Heinrich Schütz changed their life, but I definitely can! We love him as a composer and really understand his music as a group.
How do you plan your programmes?
I write my programmes at night because I’m a night owl – I can’t go to sleep early. Everything gets quieter and calmer at night, so my head slows down. I like to tell a story or have a thread through a programme, and I try to imagine a programme I’d want to listen to. A herbal tea or a gin and tonic often helps.
How long has the ensemble been together?
About 14 years, and a lot of our current members have been with us since the beginning. When we started, my goal was to have one project a year, and we now have about 60. It began as something on the side without any pressure, and then became our main job. It’s like a train passing: you either catch it, or you don’t get on and you can’t complain. We caught the train. We started as students and then became young professionals, and then many of us became parents. We’ve grown together.