In the 12th century, an age of political intrigue and dynastic tensions, one woman conquered every heart: Eleanor of Aquitaine. First queen of France, then of England, she dominated the political chessboard with unrivalled finesse. To sing her praises, troubadours and trouvères dipped their quills alternately in poison and in honey. Le Miroir de Musique uses Cercamon’s heartrending lament on the death of Eleanor’s father, Bertran de Born’s caustic mockery of her rebellious sons, Marcabru’s rapier-sharp satire and the tormented verses written in prison by Richard the Lionheart as their ink to sketch a ravishing silhouette of ‘Aliénor’.
Performers
Miriam Trevisan, soprano | Jacob Lawrence, tenor | Aliénor Wolteche, vielle | Claire Piganiol, harp & organetto | Baptiste Romain, vielle, bagpipes & artistic direction