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Pedro Ruimonte ~ Lamentions of Jeremiah
Orlando di Lasso ~ Domine ne in furore tuo
Pedro Ruimonte was born in Zaragoza in 1565. We know very little of his life and much of his output has been lost. However, he was held in great esteem by his contemporaries: in 1599 he went to Brussels to work for Archduke Albert of Austria, Governor of the Low Countries and became head of the musicians of the ducal court, with musicians of great stature under him including the Englishmen Peter Philips and John Bull, then organist of the cathedral of Antwerp. One of his few surviving works is the Lamentations of Jeremiah for six voices, published by Phalèse of Antwerp in 1607. Subtle, rich and heartfelt with long flowing melodic lines, this is complex polyphony that is both challenging and deeply rewarding to sing. Lassus’s setting of the great penitential psalm is an extended work with each of the ten verses having a separate section in the nature of a small motet.
Gabriel Díaz writes: “The Alhambra was the most important building of Al-Andalus, Arabic Spain. At the top of its amazing hill it stands out over the city of Granada.
The legend says when Boabdil, the last King of Granada, was expelled from the city in 1492, he turned his tearful face to the city and his mother Aixa scolded him, “Cry as a woman for what you didn’t defend as a man”. This episode is known as the Boabdil Lament. A century later Ruimonte wrote his Lamentations recalling a similar loss two millennia before: the destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon in 587 BC. We will explore this wonderfully expressive music in our monastery church, with the inspiring view of the Alhambra just opposite.”
Gabriel Díaz was born in Seville and directed the first Lacock course in that city in 2018. As a leading countertenor he performs regularly with orchestras and ensembles such as La Capella Reial de Catalunya, Choeur de Chambre de Namur, La Grande Chapelle, Los Músicos de su Alteza, Vox Luminis, Les Ambassadeurs and Musica Saeculorum.
Since his operatic debut at the Warsaw Chamber Opera, singing the role of Ircano in Semiramide riconosciuta by Leonardo Vinci he has sung many other operatic roles, including Andronico in Handel’s Tamerlano with the French orchestra Les Ambassadeurs, the title role in Handel’s Orlando with Welsh National Opera and Medoro in La Lisarda by Giovanni Battista Mariani at the Donaufestwochen in Austria.
Gabriel has explored other modes of musical expression such as the jazz-flamenco-classical fusion of the Looking Back Orchestra and its show Zambra Barroca by prestigious jazzist, recorder player and improviser Andreas Prittwitz, which he premiered at the Auditorio Nacional de Música in Madrid. He also performed in the dance show Until the Lions with Akram Khan, one of the most celebrated contemporary dance choreographers.
Granada
The city of Granada is in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada in Andalusia, famous for its grand medieval architecture dating from the Moorish rule, especially the Alhambra. This sprawling hilltop fortress complex encompasses royal palaces, courtyards and pools from the Nasrid dynasty, as well as the fountains and orchards of the Generalife gardens. We will sing in the church of the Monastery of San Bernardo, Calle Gloria 2 (Carrera del Darro), 18010 Granada, which is between the Alhambra and the mediaeval Albaicín district.
The course
The Ruimonte Lamentations are written for an SSATTB group and our plan is to convene a group with six singers to a part. The tenor parts were originally notated in the C4 clef and are in a comfortable range for baritones. Our plan is to meet in the evening of Sunday the 3rd of March for dinner in a restaurant near the monastery. Then from Monday to Friday there will be rehearsals from 9.30am to 1pm and from 5pm to 7pm. On Friday the 8th of March we will give a public performance in the church, followed by a group dinner, which will mark the end of the course. On other evenings we will dine in smaller groups. Meals are not included in the fee for the course. All the music will be printed in a booklet and sent to you before the course.
Travel and accommodation
Granada has a railway station and an international airport served by British Airways, Iberia and many other carriers, with over 430 flights a week. A Lacock regular has had much experience of public transport in Andalusia and we will send you his page of recommendations if you are enrolled for this course. Participants in the course are asked to find their own accommodation. The Monastery of San Bernardo has a small number of rooms, which may be available for members of the course. As one of Spain’s most visited cities there will be no shortage of places to stay in March. The monastery is in the historic centre, between the Alhambra and the Albaicín.
Fees and enrolment
The fee for the course is paid in two parts: a deposit of £325 (or the equivalent in euros) on registration and €350 on or before arrival in Granada. The deposit may be credited to another course if you have to withdraw and we are able to allocate your place to another singer. The fee includes payment for the music booklet, which will be sent to you in advance, but not meals, travel or accommodation. To apply for a place on this course, just fill in the application form below and press the ‘send application’ button.
