Obsidienne
Monday July 28th - 9 pm / Church of Valloire
This concert will be preceded by a libre-cours conference by Emmanuel Bonnardot at 6 pm in the church of Valloire
A Time of Festivals
by Obsidienne, direction Emmanuel Bonnardot
The Middle Ages were a time of festivals!
The ensemble Obsidienne recaptures the mirth of the great medieval festivals. Far form the alleged and often conventional austerity of the medieval church repertoire, voices and instruments mingle in a merry European concert. A Time of Festivals is for the ensemble an opportunity to display its wide-ranging expertise in the interpretation of a repertoire spanning several centuries, from Gregorian neumes to Renaissance polyphony.
Whether with light “fifths” or a fully developed “organum”, Obsidienne colours and adorns these melodies with improvised polyphony, a specialty of the ensemble.
In the pieces chosen, we will appreciate all the subtlety of Early music that artfully mixes the popular with the scholarly. The popular first, through the universality of
the themes of the great festivals of Christmas and Easter, but also the Festival of Fools, Epiphany, the Assumption, Saint Cecilia (the patron saint of musicians) and all the numerous festivals that mark the medieval year.
The scholarly, too, for those treasures are unmistakably the works of great artisans, composers, improvisers whose legacy the ensemble is eager to perpetuate. Following Gregorian chant or plainchant, there come Italian lauds, Spanish cantigas, German lieder, English carols and Burgundian-style motets.
Though little is known of the use of instruments in church music, these are duly represented in our churches and cathedrals as well as in ornate manuscripts where also abound examples of women musicians, whether so-called “jongleurs”, psaltery, citole, or harp players, or singers, who joined minstrels and trouvères in the great contest of “the trove”.
Obsidienne
The vocal and instrumental ensemble Obsidienne is dedicated to the exploration of unpublished, ill-known repertoires, from the Middle Ages to early Renaissance polyphony, willingly blending interpretation and improvisation.
Noted for the elegant and poetic quality of its instrumental and vocal phrasing, Obsidienne is now one of the foremost ensembles in the performance of medieval music.
In residence at Sens in Burgundy since 2009, the ensemble researches the theme of “The song, from the Middle Ages to the present day”, opening its core repertoire to other times and readily linking up with poetry, theatre, dance and so on.
Alongside its creative work and concerts in France and abroad, Obsidienne is developing a wide range of outreach activities for all kinds of audiences, young and old, students, amateurs, professionals, and so on, with “La Reverdie”, its touring spring festival in rural areas, created in 2019, the high point.
Programme
Pieces by Alfonso el Sabio, Guillaume Dufay, Johannes Ciconia, Guillaume de Machaut and anonymous others.
Distribution
Florence Jacquemart vocals, flutes,bagpipes
Hélène Moreau vocals, psaltery, percussion
Camille Bonnardot vocals, citole, gittern, cornett
Emmanuel Bonnardot vocals, vielles, rebec, crwth, chifonie and musical direction
Ludovic Montet vocals, dulcimer, percussion
Colin Bonnardot vocals, percussion
Obsidienne is supported by the DRAC Bourgogne Franche-Comté as part of its aid to subsidised ensembles, by the Conseil Régional de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, by the Conseil Départemental de l’Yonne and by the City of Sens. It receives support from SPEDIDAM. The ensemble is a member of FEVIS (Fédération des ensembles Vocaux et Instrumentaux Spécialisés), the Profedim union and the Centre National de la Musique.