ÓBIDOS EASTER MUSIC WEEKS

courses for choral singers in Portugal led by Robert Hollingworth and David Allinson

April 2007

These courses are for you if you are an enthusiast for early music and a competent choral singer (see guidelines below). They are each a week ofrehearsal with a leading specialist conductor, in a mediaeval walled town north of Lisbon, ending with a public concert. The general aim is to perform demanding music to a high standard in a chamber-scale choir and a relaxed and convivial setting

Week I ~ 1st to 7th April 2007 (Holy Week), led by Robert Hollingworth

Rebelo: Lamentations; Valls: Miserere; Gesualdo: Sacrae Cantiones; Rogier: Cantantibus organis

Robert Hollingworth writes: "One of the peculiarities of Hispanic music was the continuation of the Renaissance polyphonic style into the 17th and even 18th century.  The 12-part Miserere by Francisco Valls and double-choir Lamentations by João Rebelo were written in the mid-17th century and have a baroque harmonic and melodic daring to them, but are absolutely rooted in Renaissance style.  To accompany this rich cross-period feast, two of the sublime Sacrae Cantiones of Gesualdo. I'm not uncritical of his music but these pieces are wonderful: expressively polyphonic but with a well-written daring that challenges good choirs.  After that, we'll need something with a little more lightness and air and so turn to Phillipe de Rogier, the Netherlander who worked at the Flemish chapel of the Spanish king".

Robert Hollingworth is one of the most interesting and imaginative directors working in early music. He was a chorister at Hereford Cathedral, and studied music at Oxford and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. At Oxford he founded the vocal ensemble I Fagiolini, and has since concentrated much of his musical life with this group. With them he has toured worldwide and won great critical acclaim for their innovative theatrical performances. Other recent work includes a staged project entitled Faust with the Netherlands Chamber Choir with music by Messiaen, Schnittke, Heppener, Cardoso, Bach and Roderick Williams.

Week II ~ 8th to 14th April 2007 (Easter Week), led by David Allinson

Duarte Lobo: Missa Cantate Domino, Salve Regina, Asperges me, Verbum caro; Rebelo: Panis angelicus

David Allinson writes: "Portuguese masters are known for their sombre Requiems and anguished penitential motets, but as Easter will have just dawned I am keen to explore other sides of their characters: from sunny motets to reflective Mass music. At the heart of our programme will be a double-choir Mass of extraordinary variety and fecundity: written in a 'minor' mode, it offers expanses of old-fashioned rich polyphony punctuated by thrilling episodes in 'modern' (ie baroque) rhythm. In the motets the emphasis will be upon varied scorings, so that most singers get a chance to sing 'a few to a part' in a divided texture. This week will offer a sample of the very best in Portuguese polyphony c.1600, showing that, just like their English contemporaries, Portugal's master musicians combined the best of their conservative native tradition with the latest Italian developments, always retaining a distinctive local flavour".

David Allinson is one of England's most sought-after choral directors of the younger generation. His choir Cantores has won glowing plaudits for its passionate performances and recordings. He was a choral scholar at Oxford University, where he has also been a tutor, and has a doctorate for his work on early Tudor votive antiphons. David has been an editorial assistant at The Grove Dictionary of Music and also teaches singing and sings professionally; he has sung and recorded with choirs including Schola Cantorum of Oxford, A Capella Portuguesa and The Cambridge Taverner Choir.

This is a new sort of Lacock course, with entry restricted to advanced choral singers. You should be a good reader and able to hold a line by yourself, have a straight, blending voice with full dynamic range, be used to normal choral discipline and be able to respond quickly to direction – the aim being to combine professional pace of work with amateur enthusiasm in a holiday setting. There will be an average of four voices to a part in the larger-scale pieces. Both conductors are experienced at working with amateur singers and the atmosphere will be relaxed and informal.

The plan is to meet for a late afternoon session on the Sunday (1st and 8th April). Then from Monday to Friday there will be rehearsal sessions each morning and another at the end of the afternoon. We have dinner together every evening in various restaurants in the town (except Wednesday, which will be a half day). The courses will end with the concert on the Saturday evening.

Lisbon is the nearest airport. The other Portuguese airports are Faro in the south and Porto in the north. There is a railway line from Lisbon to Óbidos (www.cp.pt), but frequent buses (www.rede-expressos.pt and www.rodotejo.pt ) offer a faster and more convenient service.

Óbidos is a small walled town of great charm about 60 miles north of Lisbon. Our rehearsals will take place in the church of São Tiago, founded in the 12^th century on the site of a mosque and rebuilt after destruction in the 1755 earthquake. It has a great range of places to stay. There are a dozen hotels, two of which, the Estalagem do Convento and the Hospedaria Louro have offered special rates for members of the course. We will send you all the details when you register, and the list of hotels can also be seen at www.cm-obidos.pt. A British resident, Sue Forbes, has offered to act as a finder and booker of rooms in private houses.

The fee for each week includes tuition and the suppers, but not accommodation; it is paid in two parts: a deposit of £160 on registration (this will be returned in full if you have to withdraw before 1st February; after that you may hold it over to another course) and Euro260 (about £175) on arrival. The music for each week is an additional £12 or Euro18; we will assemble it from various sources and send it to you in advance. In the Euro area you may pay the deposit by sending Euro235 to IBAN: NL23 FTSB 0835 2002 05, BIC: FTSBNL2R (in NL, account 83.52.00.205, A van der Beek, Fortis Bank).

FOR A REGISTRATION FORM FOR THE ÓBIDOS EASTER MUSIC WEEK, CLICK HERE