CHARITABLE HELP FOR UKRAINIAN MUSICIANS:
[ Ссылка ]

PayPal: musesarenotsilent@gmail.com
Patreon: [ Ссылка ]

PART ONE: Two scenes from the BEOWULF epic (anonymous, England, 8th century)

The Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf, which survives in a single manuscript source dating from the early eleventh century, has its roots in the art of the scop ('creator'), the storyteller and reciter at gatherings, whose services were essential to the fabric of tribal society in early medieval England. The scop would re-tell the story of Beowulf, in song and speech, perhaps accompanying himself on a six-stringed harp (this we know from contemporary accounts, although musical notation was superfluous and only remnants of instruments have survived).

This performance features two essential scenes from the epic: the Danes under King Hrothgar have built a magnificent feasting-hall, which is attacked nightly by a malevolent, man-eating monster named Grendel. The terror and attacks persist for twelve long years, and the tribe is plunged into a nightmare of fear and paralysis. But the word of this awful dilemma reaches Beowulf, a supernaturally strong warrior of the Geats (Sweden), who comes with his men to free the Danes from Grendel. Beowulf waits in the cursed hall for Grendel's arrival in the night, and final combat takes place.

PART TWO: Songs of combat and of the end of time

The musicians Benjamin Bagby and Norbert Rodenkirchen of Sequentia perform lost songs and instrumental pieces from the Frankish world between the 8th and 10th centuries. Framed by instrumentally performed sequences and verse melodies from the monastery of St. Gallen, we perform epic songs in Old High German and Latin, singing of the tragic confrontation between father Hildebrand and his long-lost son Hadubrand, the dark and sad description of the pitiful battle between brothers (Fontenoy, 841), and a German monk's advice to the living on how to prepare for the end of time. The only surviving epic text in Old High German is known as the Hildebrandslied.

Aurora cum primo mane. Carolingian carmina on the battle of Fontenoy  (Angelbertus. ca. 841) 

The descendants of Charlemagne did not manage to hold his empire together. Many years after this death, on 25 June 841 near the village of Fontenoy, the allied armies of Charles the Bald and Louis the German fought a terrible battle against their own brother, Lothar. The poet Angelbertus, who fought with Lothar, wrote this deeply sad and dark song about the terrors and desolation of warfare.

Thes habet er ubar woroltring. “De die Iudicii” from the “Gospel Book” (Otfrid von Weissenburg / Alsace, †875)
This heartfelt description of the final judgement is taken from the Evangelienbuch of the Alsatian monk Otfrid von Weissenburg (the first German poet whose name we know), who wrote commentaries and paraphrases on the Gospels in the local German dialect (which he calls Frankish) of his fellow brothers and the nearby noblemen.


Artists:
• Sequentia, the ensemble for medieval music
Benjamin Bagby (FR), voice, harp
Norbert Rodenkirchen (DE), flute, harp


Program:
• PART ONE: Two scenes from the BEOWULF epic (anonymous, England, 8th century)
• PART TWO: Songs of combat and of the end of time
“Sequela: Stans a longe”. Instrumental version (Notker von St. Gallen / 9th century) 
“Ik gihorta dat seggen”. Germanic heroic epic (fragment): The Song of Hildebrand (Hildebrandslied) / anon. (late 8th century)
“Ardua spes mundi”. Instrumental version (Ratpert / 9th century)
“Aurora cum primo mane”. Carolingian carmina on the battle of Fontenoy  (Angelbertus. ca. 841)
“Sequela: Concordia”. (Instrumental version) Notker von St. Gallen (9th century) 
“Thes habet er ubar woroltring”. “De die Iudicii” from the “Gospel Book” (Otfrid von Weissenburg / Alsace, †875)

Partners:
• Goethe-Institut Ukraine
• Zamus: Zentrum für Alte Musik Köln

Moderator: Polina Kordovska


***

Live broadcast provided by:
Andrij Zelenyj, camera
Mykola Khshanovskyi, live broadcast director
Marian Lesiuk, sound director
Bohdan Sehin, producer

***
We provide a free opportunity for the whole world to watch concerts on the official YouTube channel of the Lviv National Philharmonic. At the same time, we suggest our listeners from abroad make charitable donations to Ukrainian musicians who have stayed here in Ukraine.

свернуть