AUGUST-SEPT 2011 PREMIERE:
THE TESTIMONY OF MELANGELL
LISTEN....
View photos from premiere....
The Testimony of Melangell is performed in visual artist Alison Michell's modern version of Melangell's sacred valley.
View photos from premiere 20.-21.8.2011 during the
Schubertiade
In a circular "Magical Clearing" the audience becomes an integral part of the performance which features 4 singers and 4 instrumentalists.
LISTEN..
Performers:
MUSIC FOR THE MYSTERIES
Agnethe Christensen
mezzoalto and kantele - sings Melangell
Teit Kanstrup
bass baritone - sings Prince of Brochwell
Bente Vist, soprano
Christian Berg, tenor
Kuno Kjærbye, violin
Ida Bach Jensen, contrabass
Hanne Tofte Jespersen, piano, alto, recital
Anders Hvidberg-Hansen, percussion
back to menue
"VERY excitng! The music holds both medieval, renaissance, folk music and the modern - and at no point does it turn commonplace"
commented organist Sven-Ingvart Mikkelsen after the concert performance of The Testimony of Melangell 4.9.11, which served as the closing concert of the international summer concerts 2011
in Frederiksborg Castle Church
The tale of the Welsh female saint and mystic MELANGELL
from around
500 AD, set to music for the present. Her name means "honey-angel".
She is associated with the shrine Pennant Melangell in Northern Wales. An isolated valley in the misty highlands to where she came as a pilgrim and settled as a hermit.
One day the local prince happened to disturb her sanctuary. A terrified hare pursued by hounds and hunters shot beneath her skirts, and Brochwell - the prince in charge of them - were captured by her sacred radiation, granted her the valley and declared that from that day no hunting should ever take place there. again. And so it has been, at least for hares who are still called "The lambs of Melangell"
THE TESTIMONY OF MELANGELL sets her story to music for 5 voices (SAATB), violin, contrabass, piano, percussion and recital. download the text
Hanne Tofte Jespersen has composed the music.
Welsh author Mike Harris wrote the tale of Melangell in 1989.
In 2007 he showed Hanne the manus. Her immediate reaction was: - This story I would like to set to music.
Melangell speaks across ages:
Who knows where I come from.
who am I or what I am,
I am the wild woman older than time....
LISTEN....
Visual artist Alison Michell (UK/DK) has created the magical clearing in stones, moss, drops of glass, silk, 4 paintings - 1,80 x 1,30 m canvases - and lights.
The Magical Clearing may also be visited as an exhibition:
Mike Harris' manus for The Testimony of Melangell has been recorded and is played back from the visual setting before and inbetween performances
The premiere took place in the former industrial area MUSICON which used to house concrete production. The composer and the visual artist let the contrast between the wild nature of Melangell's and the desertedness and natureless of Musicon's modern setting be their starting point.
The acoustics of Hall 9 proved cathedral-like and sublime for acoustic music.
click to view larger image
CO-PRODUCERS:
ROSKILDE:
The Franz Schubert Society of DK,
the Museum of Contemporary Art,
Roskilde Music Association
KORSØR:
Korsør Art Association, Korsør Concerts, The Isenstein Collection, Kongegaarden Foundation and Association.
Sponsors: Danish Musicians Union, Nordea, Roskilde & Slagelse Districts, DJBFA, The Danish Arts Foundation, KODA, Dmf-Roskilde, Mangor & Nagel A/S Architects a.o.
Earlier projects
"MUSICIANS IN THE MUSEUM" is Music for the Mysteries' concept for
projects in art museums and cultural heritage sites.
The projects take place within ordinary opening hours.
The 5 musicians perform in the exhibition halls
and give short introductions to the music and texts to visitors.
Music performed live in the halls deepens the experience of the visual art and artefacts and vice versa.
LATEST PROJECT:
17.-18. JUNI 2010
AT THE FAROE ISLANDS'
ART MUSEUM
in TÓRSHAVN
with introduction to "Music for Melangell"
2 days before its first performance,
among Jógvan Sverrason Biskopstø's
sculptures and watercolours:
"Vision of Enoch" in the hall of Sámal Joensen-Mikines':
EARLIER PROJECTS
In August-September 2008 we did 4 projects in collaboration with
four Danish museums of art and history:
Museum of Contemporary Art/ Museet for Samtidskunst, Roskilde
The Art Museum of West Zealand/ Vestsjællands Kunstmuseum, Sorø
Kalundborg Museum - local museum in the medieval part of town
Odsherred's Art Museum / Malergården
photos fra Malergården
The 5 musicians were present in the exhibition areas and performed extracts of our programme during opening hours. The composers introduced their works, and the group took visitors along on "wandering concerts" in interaction with the artworks and artefacts.
photos from Museet for Samtidskunst
back to menue
The programmes were scheduled for 2 days in each museum,
incl. a 1 hour concert on the second day
photos from Kalundborg Museum
back to menue
The project "Musicians in the Museum" is supported by Kulturregion Midt- ogVestsjælland/ Cultural Region Mid- and West Zealand, Kalundborg Kommune / District, Odsherreds Kommune/ District, Roskilde Kommune/ District, Sorø Kommune/ District, Dansk Musiker Forbund/ Danish Musicians Union, DJBFA, Nordea Danmark-fonden, Deloitte, Sorana A/S. Stiftelsen Sorø Akademy and Sorø Congregation Council Menighedsråd have kindly made Sorø Klosterkirke (Monastic church of Sorø) available for the concert 13 Sept.
FIRST MUSEUM CONCERT took place at The MUSEUM OF COPENHAGEN 27 April 2008
and included
a 1 HOUR "Introduction to concert "
with author Mike Harris (Wales) and the orchestra:
A question from the audience made Mike Harris retell the myth of how Gwion becomes the bard Taliesin through dipping his fingers into the cauldron of Ceridwen, the Goddess, literally licking the drops of Awen (Celtic for "divine inspiration").
Music for the Mysteries performs Anders Hvidberg's instrumental suite The Swords
The concert was supported by The Music Council of Copenhagen and The Soloists' Association of 1921.
fotos: Lucia Carriere