CYPRUS EARLY MUSIC WEEK 2006
a course for choral singers in Agros and Droushia led by Deborah Roberts, 17-24 September
This is an invitation to experienced choral singers of all ages to a week of singing in two villages in Cyprus. We rehearse a programme of renaissance music for a concert at the end of the week. The course is conducted in English. The general aim is to stimulate and broaden enthusiasm for music in a relaxed and convivial setting.
The musical programme spans the whole two-century course of the renaissance polyphonic school. We will sing two late Gothic Mass movements from the magnificently-produced Cyprus Manuscript, a glimpse of the sophisticated cultural life at the court of the House of Lusignan, last kings of "Cyprus and Jerusalem". Josquin's Mass Pange lingua has long been held to represent the highest peak of his art, while his Ave Maria is a tour de force in the imitative style, which in turn inspired an extended version from Senfl. The cycle of seven-part spiritual madrigals Lagrime di San Pietro was Lassus's swansong and one of the most remarkable artistic testaments in the history of music; his hallmarks of concision, balance and clarity are here given their definitive statement. Deborah Roberts has given over a thousand performances around the world as a member of the Tallis Scholars. As their lustrous high soprano she is one of early music's most admired singers. She directs the Brighton Consort, and her own ensemble Musica Secreta specialises in the music of female composers of the Renaissance.
Gloria and Credo from the Cyprus Manuscript (c.1420)
Josquin des Prez (c.1450-1521) ~ Missa Pange lingua, Ave Maria Ludwig Senfl (1486-1543) ~ Ave Maria Orlandus Lassus (1532-1594) ~ Lagrime di San Pietro The
course will be based in two unspoilt parts of the island, in two three-star hotels built by local communities to stimulate a sustainable tourism quite different from that of the brash coastal resorts. It begins in the Troödos
Mountains at the Rodon Mount Hotel in Agros. At over 1,000 metres, the whole town is given over to the growing of roses for the extraction of their perfume. In the middle of the week we travel on direct forest roads to the Droushia
Heights Hotel, about 15 miles north of Paphos. On a hill behind the traditional village of Droushia, it has wide views of the sea, mountains and spectacular Akamas nature reserve. Paphos was the Roman capital of Cyprus; Cicero its
proconsul. It was here that St Paul chalked up the first recorded official conversion to Christianity (Acts 13.6) and was given a "well-merited thrashing" (Laurence Durrell's words) for his pains. The magnificent and unmissable
Paphos mosaics date from this period. Paphos was later abased by earthquakes and Arab raids, but is now once again a flourishing port. Late September is a favourable time to visit the island: the sun and crowds have abated, the sea
is at its warmest and the grape harvest is beginning. The course is designed for serious amateur choral singers with an interest in early music and voices free of vibrato. The standard is somewhat higher than the
average workshop course; most participants will sing and perform regularly in a choir: some will have singing lessons. Good reading ability (or the willingness to study the music in advance) is important, but no one is expected to
be perfect. Participants are of all ages and nationalities and come alone, with a friend or partner, or in a group. Deborah Roberts is very experienced at working with amateur singers and the atmosphere is very relaxed and informal.
Our plan is to meet in Agros for supper on Sunday 17 September. Then on Monday and Tuesday there will be rehearsal sessions in the morning and another at the end of the afternoon. We dine together at the Rodon Mount
Hotel. On Wednesday we travel on direct forest roads (some unsurfaced) to the Droushia Heights Hotel. On Thursday we resume the pattern of rehearsal for a concert on Saturday evening and the course ends after breakfast on Sunday 24
September. At Droushia we will dine twice in the hotel and twice at village tavernas. Both hotels have swimming pools and the special rates they have given us represent very good value for the degree of comfort on
offer – £CYP17 per person per night in a double room, £CYP25 in a single and £5 extra for half board (the Cyprus £ is worth about 20% more than sterling). We will reserve a room for you when you register. We will also put
participants in touch with Stephen and Doris Willis, who live in Paphos and suggested the first Cyprus Early Music Week in 2001. They have offered to give advice on practical details such as travel and car hire. We will coordinate
travel between airports and the hotels. Book travel early. Paphos Airport lies between Agros and Droushia, so is the preferred point of arrival; there are numerous flights from London and regional airports. Larnaca,
in the south east of the island, is the other possible airport. Do not arrive in Turkish-administered northern Cyprus. The island has fascinating natural history, culture and archaeology and if you can spare the time, you would be
well advised to prolong your visit to the country. Please indicate on the form if you want to extend your stay in either hotel. The fee covers tuition, music (which will be sent to you in advance) and the taverna
suppers, but not travel, accommodation or meals taken in the hotels. It is paid in two parts: a deposit of £165 on registration (this will be returned in full if you have to withdraw before 1 August; after that you may hold it over
to another course) and £CYP125 on arrival. In the Netherlands you may pay the deposit by sending Euro245 to account 83.52.00.205 (A van der Beek) at Fortis Bank.
FOR A REGISTRATION FORM FOR THE CYPRUS EARLY MUSIC WEEK,