Early Music Society of the Islands

The incomparable Benjamin Bagby, well-known for his virtuosic rendering of Beowulf and as co-founder of Sequentia, returns to the EMSI stage with colleagues Jasmina Črnčič and leiken, with an astonishing 12th Century tale of one man’s victory over despair (sung in medieval German verse with projected translation in English). This ancient tale by Hartmann von Aue (d. ca. 1210), tells of how a man tossed about by fortune and unaware of his incestuous origins, finally finds his own life, returning from near death to become a great holy man. This story was probably transmitted orally: sung, spoken, and accompanied, for courtly gatherings of passionate listeners who, like us, could never get enough of good storytelling. This ancient tale reaches far into the past — we feel the presence of Oedipus in its darkest moments. At its most inspiring, it is a tale of limitless possibility and inextinguishable hope, the triumph of belief over despair, a story which captivated those binge-listening courtly audiences in the late 12th century. These days we get our stories through the indirect and impersonal sources of modern media. Here is a chance to reconnect with a time when storytelling was a person-to-person experience, in the hands of an ensemble renowned for the commanding presence, dramatic flair and musical brilliance to bring it alive vividly for us. Sequentia are: Benjamin Bagby, Jasmina Črnčič and leiken: voices and Romanesque harps