A madman, an eccentric, an artist possessed by the devil? The unusual appearance of Zacara da Teramo – a small man with a crooked back, his left arm in bandages, and painfully twisted feet – was experienced by his contemporaries as extremely peculiar. His soul was also irreparably damaged by the premature death of his wife and the loss of his young son. But nobody could deny his brilliance as an illuminator of manuscripts and a composer. With songs like oracles and cryptic texts that seem to want to entice demons from the underworld, Zacara became one of the most intriguing figures of the late trecento. Ensemble Leones pairs vocal compositions and instrumental arrangements with the work of Johannes Ciconia from Liège, a devoted fan and illustrious follower of the enigmatic Italian.
Performers
Marc Mauillon, Grace Newcombe, Matthieu Romanens, vocals | Baptiste Romain, vielle, lira da braccio & bagpipes | Uri Smilansky, vielle | Marc Lewon, lute, gittern, citole & artistic direction