Dulces Exuviae

The duo Dulces Exuviae, consisting of baritone Romain Bockler and lutenist Bor Zuljan, incorporates improvisation and unusual ornamentation into performances of Renaissance music. Both Bockler and Zuljan have long histories as performers of Renaissance music as well as works from other periods. Bockler earned a master's degree at the Conservatoire de Lyon (CNSMD) and then joined the studio of the Opéra National de Lyon in the 2015-2016 season. Several major prizes helped him launch a career ranging from Baroque opera to contemporary works. Bockler has appeared at the Opéra de Lyon and other regional French houses, and he has collaborated with top early music ensembles, including Les Arts Florissants, Le Concert Spirituel, and Pygmalion. Born in Slovenia in 1987, Zuljan studied both classical music and jazz at the Ljubljana Conservatory before moving to Germany and then Switzerland, where he studied the lute at the Haute École de Musique in Geneva and mastered various stringed instruments. He leads his own ensemble, La Lyra, and is the director of the Slovenian early music festival Flores Musicae. Dulces Exuviae was formed when Bockler and Zuljan met. The duo released their debut album, Josquin: Adieu mes amours, on the Ricercar label in 2019. The name Dulces Exuviae (roughly, "Sweet Escape") was taken from the title of a Josquin chanson. Both that album and the sophomore Dulces Exuviae release on Ricercar, Toutes les nuits, were Renaissance chanson recitals based on programs the duo performs live. Those performances feature improvisation and ornamentation to a degree unusual among Renaissance ensembles. The players attend to period details such as setting and lighting in intimate venues, seeking in their own words to "reproduce the Orphic magic described by the ancients." In the duo's Josquin program, the players sit near a candle-lit table. Toutes les nuits is a recital on the theme of the night, from amorous dreams to deeper philosophical matters, featuring songs by such composers as Clément Janequin, Orlande de Lassus, Palestrina, and Francisco Guerrero. The album Toutes les nuits appeared on Ricercar in 2023.
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