Ludus Danielis. Incipit Danielis
Ludus. The British Library, All rights reserved. Egerton MS.2625,fol.95r.
Title of Work:
Silos Apocalypse. Author: Beatus of Liebana. Illustrator: Petrus. Production:
Spain (Silos), 1109
The British Library, All rights reserved. ADD. MS 11695, Folio 239.
The Play of
Daniel A rarely staged 13th century
opera, based on the legendary tale of the prophet Daniel, first performed by
young clerics at Beauvais Cathedral in northern France. The Play, little known
to the contemporary audience, is a masterpiece of early music and
drama. The premire performance took place at Southwark Cathedral, London, and
Kings College Chapel, Cambridge, in January 2007, gaining very positive
responses from the audience and the press. The project is still a work in progress, as we plan to remount the performance if sufficient funding can be secured.
Serious Fun! Performed
in the New Year as part of the revelry of the Feast of Fools - an opportunity
for young clerics to let their hair down in musical and theatrical festivities
not normally permitted in church Ludus Danielis
combines hilarious burlesque with the mysteries of Daniel deciphering the
Writing on the Wall at Belshazzars Feast, escaping the Lions Den, and finally
prophesying the coming of the Messiah. The spontaneous music-making in the
performance adds to the exuberant spirit of a communal celebration. More on Serious Fun
The Music Andrew Lawrence-King,
acclaimed performer and conductor of early music, leads an ensemble of 8
singers and 6 instrumentalists, himself playing psaltery, medieval harp and
synfonie. Vielles, ud, cornetto, shawm, pipes, drums and bells are also heard.
The musicians of The Harp Consort form the core of the performers.
The manuscript that
preserves Ludus Danielis (see above) consists of a single line
of notation with the text, without reference to rhythm or tempi. Performing the
play today therefore requires interpreting and transcribing the original
minimalist notation. Lawrence-King
sees the dedicated irreverence of Daniel as a metaphor for the basic
paradox of performing early music, which demands that musicians exercise the
freedom to improvise within the ordo of authenticity. Thus, taking
the original single melodic line, he invites his musicians, well versed in
early music, to embellish it spontaneously through ensemble improvisation.
With this approach each Daniel
performance becomes a unique live musical event. The acclaimed 1998 recording
of Ludus Danielis by The Harp Consort directed by
Lawrence-King, attests to the success of this improvisational approach. Listen to Daniel
Music Samples
More on Daniel
Play & Music Music-Making
__________________________________________
Performers
THE HARP CONSORT
JULIAN PODGER as Daniel,
tenor
PETER HARVEY as King
Belshazzar, baritone
CLARA SANABRAS as The Queen,
soprano; ud
IAN HONEYMAN as King Darius,
tenor
SIMON
GRANT as Habakkuk, bass
HARVY
BROUGH as Wise Man, tenor; psaltery
HANNA
JRVELINEN as Chorister, mezzo-soprano
NICOLE
JORDAN as Angel, soprano
JOHN
MCMUNN as Conspirator, tenor
SUSANNE ANSORG vielles
IAN HARRISON vielle,
cornetto, shawm, pipes; tenor
STEVE PLAYER citoles, drums,
drone pipes
MICHAEL METZLER percussion,
bells
ANDREW LAWRENCE-KING musical
direction
medieval
harp, psaltery, synfonie
_____________________________________________
AKEMI HORIE stage direction
ANABEL TEMPLE designs
NEIL FRASER lighting
_____________________________________________
Synopsis of the Play Synopsis
Parallel Text in
Latin & English Full Text
Review of the premire performance by Michael Church of The Independent (5
stars)
Southwark Cathedral forms a stage-set
beyond compare, while on a dais in the middle of the chancel stands an
elongated red-laquer chair, like a ladder to heaven As a musical event, this
would charm the birds off the trees... a beguiling blend of conviction and joie
de vivre, plus a uniquely deft mix of medieval musical sounds... the modal
music that results creates a wonderfully dreamy ambiance.
________________________________________
Musical Director Andrew
Lawrence-King
www.goldbergweb.com/en/interpreters/conductors/8206.php
The Harp Consort www.harmoniamundi.com/uk/artistes_fiche.php?artist_id=1805
Producer/Director Akemi Horie: www.ahorie.net
Sponsorship Friends of Daniel
_____________________________________________
Premire
Performances: When & Where
Southwark Cathedral,
London, SE1 (tube: London
Bridge)
Wednesday 17 & Thursday 18 January
2007 at 8pm
Tickets: Barbican Box Office: www.barbican.org.uk/eticketing
(reduced booking fee online); 0207 638 8891 (booking fee)
30-10 (restricted view); conc. 12
Friday
19 January 2007 at 8pm
__________________________________________________
Profiles
Andrew Lawrence-King is a
baroque-harp virtuoso and imaginative continuo-player, recognised as one of the
worlds leading performers of early music. A creative and inspiring conductor
who directs from the continuo, he has led operas and oratorios at La Scala,
Milan; Sydney Opera House; Casals Hall, Tokyo; Berlin Philharmonie; New Yorks
Canergie Hall; and Mexico Citys Palacio de Bellas Artes. In 1994 Andrew
Lawrence-King formed The Harp Consort, with whom he has made an award winning
series of CDs, from medieval pop-songs to South American dances and baroque
operas. A keen sailor, Andrew holds the Royal Yachting Associations coveted
Ocean Yachtmaster certificate, and spends most of his free time aboard his
boat, Continuo. www.goldbergweb.com/en/interpreters/conductors/8206.php
Akemi Horie was trained
and worked in film and theatre as actor and director in Japan and the USA. She
studied with Jan Kott at Berkeley and did extensive research on the folk ritual
origins of the theatre. In 1989 she formed the intercultural theatre laboratory
Workshop 5, aiming to generate a meeting of east and west, knowledge and
imagination, research and art. She has pioneered innovative works interpreting
the medieval Noh dramaturgy in contemporary theatrical terms, relating it to
the works of such modern writers as W.B. Yeats and Samuel Beckett. Her varied
background in music and theatre is reflected in the wide range of plays she has
directed, from Aeschylus, Kanami, Ibsen and Chekhov to Lorca, Mrozek and
Beckett. www.ahorie.net
The Harp Consort is an ensemble that excels at improvisation within the distinct styles
of baroque, Renaissance and medieval music. Their programmes range from
medieval drama and solo songs to baroque opera, from new works for early
instruments to exuberantly danced suites. The ensembles stage-shows of
17th-century Spanish dances, early Irish planxties, and German baroque dances
have delighted audiences around the world, from Londons Wigmore Hall, Berlin
Philharmonie and New Yorks Carnegie Hall to the Casals hall in Tokyo and the
Sidney Opera House.
Susanne Ansorg is one of
the most well-known fiddle players in the field of early music. Trained at the
University of Leipzig and at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis (Basle), she plays
with several ensembles (among them Sequentia, Belladonna and Sarband) and
performs all over Europe, in Canada, the USA, Brazil, Japan and Australia. She
is also the director of montalbne, the most innovative medieval music
festivals in Europe. She has two new recordings out on Raumklang, Melodious
Melancholye with Ensemble Belladonna and Triste Plasir: www.raumklang.de
Harvey Brough started as
a Coventry Cathedral choirboy, later studying at the Royal Academy of Music and
Clare College, Cambridge. He lead Harvey and the Wallbangers and Field of Blue,
and is possibly the only person to duet with Emma Kirkby, Cleo Laine and
Natacha Atlas. He has arranged for Soul II Soul, Dankworth Generation big band,
and the King of Thailand (RPO), and presented series on Radio 2 and
Radio 4.
As composer, credits include Eyes
Wide Shut, numerous film TV and radio programmes, Valete in Pace
commissioned for the D-Day 60th anniversary 2004 for 3 choirs / London
Mozart Players and Requiem in Blue which has had over 20
performances to date.
Simon Grant began his
career as a chorister at Kings College, Cambridge, and later studied at the
Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He is much in demand for early music with
frequent tours throughout Europe, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and the USA.
His many solo recordings include Caronte in Monteverdis Orfeo, directed by
Jonathan Miller. He has appeared with many contemporary music groups as well as
performing on film soundtracks. He can provide a simultaneous rhythm and bass
line vocally and can whistle and sing at the same time, an unusual talent he
has demonstrated in concert halls and on television worldwide. For further
information and recordings see www.voicesoflondon.com/voicesbiog.html
Ian Harrison grew up in
Newcastle upon Tyne, England, and studied cornett at the Royal Conservatory of
The Hague and the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis. Combining the virtuoso
technique of this instrument with the traditional articulation of the bagpipe
he has become one of the first modern masters of the shawm, one of the most
important wind instruments of the middle ages and renaissance. He is one of the
world's most active performers and teachers of early wind instruments, playing
regularly in concerts, on recordings and radio throughout Europe and beyond. He
is also noted as a composer and arranger. For further information and
recordings see www.ian-harrison.de
Peter Harvey studied at
Magdalen College, Oxford, and then at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
His broad repertoire includes works from the early Baroque to contemporary
composers, although he is principally known through his performances and many
recordings as soloist with ensembles specialising in Early Music, including the
English Baroque Soloists, the Kings Consort and the Purcell Quartet in the UK,
and continental groups such as the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and the
Collegium Vocale. Recent career highlights include Haydns Creation at the
Barbican with the Gabrieli Consort, and a tour of Bachs B minor Mass with the
Netherlands Bach Society. www.peterharvey.com
Ian Honeyman is an
English tenor (also actor and pianist) of international fame, who studied at
King's College, Cambridge. The extent of his work is broad, and includes opera,
oratorio, recital or in creation. He has been particularly noticed for his
interpretations of the roles of Evangelist in the Passions of Bach and for his
courses and recordings with Paul Dombrecht and his unit It Fondamento. With the
l'Opra Comique of Paris he was Hippolyte in the work of the same name by
Rameau. As an actor-singer he reveals meditative and paroxistic aspects in the
role of The Madwoman in Curlew River by Britten. www.bach-cantatas.com/Bio/Honeyman-Ian.htm
Hanna Jrvelinen received a
Bachelor of Music degree from the
Sibelius Academy, Finland, in 2006 and is currently studying
singing at the Schola Cantorum
Basiliensis with Evelyn Tubb and Gerd Trk.
Nicole Jordan graduated
from Acadia University, Canada, in 2002. While there she sang with Gemini
Award-winning Nathaniel Dett Choral, the Canadian Chamber Choir, and as soprano
soloist with the Orpheus Choir of Toronto. Obtaining an MSc in Music Psychology
from Keele University 2003, she is now in the final year of postgraduate
research in music performance psychology at Sheffield University. She has
recently played the Angel and Boy in Orgambides Sacro al Nacimiento de
Christo Seor Nuestro, Orpheus in Offenbachs Orpheus in the Underworld, and
has sung several recitals and orchestral concerts. She soon plans to move to The Netherlands to continue her
performance career. See more about Nicole at www.nicolejordan.info.
John McMunn began his
vocal studies at the Boston University Opera Institute, and has recently
completed an MPhil in Musicology at King's College, Cambridge. Established as
an ensemble and solo performer with several groups in Cambridge, he performed
extensively throughout Europe and the United States and on numerous recordings
for EMI and Signum with the Choir of King's College. A proponent of new music,
he has premiered many works by living composers. Recent appearances include
roles in Mahogany Opera's acclaimed touring production of Curlew River, and a
controversial staging of Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea. Recipient of numerous awards, he is
currently Cuthbert Smith Scholar at the Royal College of Music.
Michael Metzler was born in
Leipzig, Germany. He studied percussion at the Leipzig College of Music, with
Hermann Naehring (Berlin). He subsequently specialised in ethnic percussion,
working with Achmed Subhy in Cairo and Glen Velez in New York. He has made
numerous CD, radio and television recordings and has given guest performances
in Europe, Asia and the Americas with ensembles such as The Harp Consort,
Freiburger Barockorchester, Akamus, Taurus and others. Michael Metzler also
teaches historical percussion and has given masterclasses and lectures all over
the world.
Steven Player has been
with the Harp Consort since its beginning. He has played on all of their
recordings and performed around the world countless concerts from the Far East
to the Americas and Australia. As a dancer specialising in the performance of
early dance he has worked with many ensembles, theatres and schools bringing
vitality and understanding to the dance music so often heard but never seen. He
is in demand for his unique contribution as player, dancer, actor and low life
singer, having performed everywhere from the cobbles of Covent Garden to the
stage of La Scala.
Julian Podger first established himself as a singer and conductor whilst still at
school in Kassel, Germany, after which he took up a choral award at Trinity
College, Cambridge. As a soloist he has since worked with leading conductors
including Andrew Parrott, Thomas Hengelbrock and John Eliot Gardiner (Bach cantatas,
Grainger, Boulanger) and specialises in the role of evangelist for Bachs
passions, most recently with Stephen Stubbs in Bratislava. Operatic roles have
taken him to Tokyo, Berlin, Melbourne (Ulisse in Monteverdis Il Ritorno
dUlisse), and Boston. He has guest-directed Florilegium and the Norsk
Barokkorkester, and has just completed a solo voice recording of Bachs motets
with his ensemble Trinity Baroque.
Clara Sanabras is
originally from Barcelona, and studied at the Guildhall School of Music and
Drama. She sings and plays exotic instruments with her bands The Real Lowdown
and Retrospect. She also plays and sings in Natacha Atlas' Acoustic Band.
Featured on the soundtrack and in the film of The Merchant of Venice (dir. Mike
Radford) with Al Pacino + Jeremy Irons; music by Jocelyn Pook (Eyes Wide Shut).
Clara writes music for film, theatre & TV and is currently working on a
documentary for FIVE The Glories of Islam. www.clarasanabras.co.uk
or www.myspace.com/clarasanabras
Anabel Temple has worked
extensively in Theatre and Film including
Ballet and Opera. She has
designed for Opera Factory, the Royal Ballet at Covent Garden, and Opera London
at Saddlers Wells. She has also designed for the Royal Court Theatre, Bristol
Old Vic, Tricycle Theatre, Lyric Hammersmith, ICA, Riverside Studios, Liverpool
Everyman and Stratford East. Her film work includes director Ang Lees Sense
and Sensibility, Franco Zefferellis Jane Eyre and Werner Nekes Ulysses.
Neil Fraser is a
greatly experienced lighting designer and one of the world's foremost teachers
of technical theatre, working particularly with young and aspiring stage
lighting designers. He brings to his teaching over twenty years' experience of
lighting professional productions in London and New York. He was Head of the
Lighting Department at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art 1985 2002, since
when he has taken over as Technical Director for all RADAs technical training
programmes. He is the author of several books about technical theatre and
Theatre History Explained (Crowood Press 2004). His latest book, A Theatre
Lighting Handbook comes out next year, also from Crowood.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
*
Southwark Cathedral In 606 a
Convent was established on the south bank of the River Thames at the place from
which the ferry used to cross over to the City of London. In 1106 an
Augustinian Priory was established. From here they ministered to the pilgrims
and the travellers, to the sick and the needy of the area and the Word of God
was faithfully preached and the sacraments celebrated. In 2006 we therefore
celebrate 1400 years of Christian witness and service on this site. Today in
old and new buildings this Cathedral continues to serve the people of its
parish and the people of the diocese, to be a centre of teaching, of worship,
prayer and pilgrimage; place of welcome for the marginalized and excluded as
well as the integrated and able. Southwark Cathedral has seen a growth in
visitor numbers and in the size of its congregation as together we have
proclaimed a gospel of radical engagement with God and the world.
Kings College Chapel The
foundation stone of the Chapel was laid on the feast of St James, 15 July 1446
by Henry VI; it was the first step in his plan for a great court, of which the
Chapel was to form the north side, but only the Chapel was ever completed.
Construction suffered for many years during the War of the Roses, and it
remained incomplete until the end of Henry VIIIs reign. It managed to escape
the ravages of the Civil War and the Second World War, when the glass of most
of the windows was removed for safety. The history of its construction is the
subject of continuing research. Daily services are held here during academic
terms, as well as the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols broadcast live across
the world on Christmas Eve.