2011 Cistermúsica promotes a medieval weekend in the Monastery of Alcobaça with a program entirely devoted to the myth of Pedro and Inês where come into play the French Alla Francesca and the Portuguese Carmin’Antiqua
The Monastery of Alcobaça receives this week-end one of the most outstanding and relevant programs in Cistermúsica’s current edition, centered on the myth of Pedro and Inês, and recovering some of the best music made in the Middle Ages on this theme: July 2, Saturday, at 9h30p.m., Alla Francesca, one of the most important French medieval music group, known for performances of great interaction with the public and vivid period interpretations, come on stage in the monument’s Chapter Room. A day later, on July 3, Sunday, at 6h00p.m., it’s time for the Portuguese Carmin’Antiqua recreate in the Kings Hall some of the best medieval repertoire based on the tragic love story of Pedro and Inês.
Precisely on this weekend, 2 and 3 July, and for Carmin’Antiqua and Alla Francesca concerts, Cistermúsica created a special ticket dedicated to medieval music and the theme “Around Inês.” This ticket has the “symbolic” price 8€, also providing a focused description of King Pedro I and Inês de Castro tombs about an hour before each show (subject to appointment). The purchase of this ticket can be made through the usual contacts of Alcobaça Music Academy and Cine-Teatro de Alcobaça – João d’Oliva Monteiro.
Internationally recognized for the quality of their performances and the originality of their projects, Alla Francesca is one of the main groups for whom wants to discover the music of the Middle Ages in its best conditions. His performances at the same time vivid and poetic, are the result of a long maturation process, research and exchange, with a real sense of spectacle and contact with the public.
Created as a chamber music group, they work since the beginning of 2000 under the joint direction of Brigitte Lesne and/or Pierre Hamon, varying the number of staff between two or more of ten singers and musicians, sometimes including a narrator, a juggler and based their work on testing practices and choices which seek a historically plausible musical return, keeping the respect of the original text, and with reference to the work of musicologists and interpretation of medieval writings.
As for Ensemble Carmin’Antiqua, this was formed in 2002 with the aim of interpretation and dissemination of Medieval and Renaissance repertoire. It is composed of professional singers and instrumentalists, as researchers and interpreters of the rich, yet quite unknown, of the periods assets that arrived today. Since then, Carmin’Antiqua acted in more than 50 concerts across the country as part of music festivals, renaissance or medieval re-enactments and educational concerts, especially in the Medieval Days of Sesimbra and the IV Festival of Early Music of the Azores.
