A short post this morning to tell you a little more about Lucine and Nathan and their Intesa Duo who will be playing for us on 27th of this month.
Book here for the Intesa Duo – the Voices of San Lazzaro – on October 27th.
San Lazzaro degli Armeni is a small island in the middle of the Venetian lagoon, the site of a 12th century quarantine station and leper colony – hence its name as St. Lazarus was patron saint of lepers. But by the end of the 16th century it had been abandoned.
Armenia had been one of the first eastern countries to adopt Christianity but suffered constant persecution over the centuries by its non Christian neighbours. But Armenia had a long history of trade with Venice which was known for its tolerant attitude to other religions. So when the group of monks that had come together under the leadership of scholar and theologian Mkhitar Sebastatsi were forced out of Armenia in the early 1700s Venice seemed the ideal sanctuary.
In 1717 the ruling council of the city gave the island of San Lazzaro to the monks who settled there, built a monastery, restored the old church, and enlarged the island to its present 30,000 square metres. ‘Its founder’s temperament and natural gifts for scholarly pursuits immediately set the Mekhitarist Order in the forefront of Oriental studies: the monastery published Armenian historical, philological and literary works and related material, renowned for their scholarship and accuracy as well as for the beauty of the editions, on its own multilingual presses which only shut down in 1991’. Today San Lazzaro houses a 150,000-volume library, as well as a museum with over 4,000 Armenian manuscripts and many Arab, Indian and Egyptian artifacts collected by the monks or received as gifts. (For a lot more on the island and the monastery – and lots of pictures – see the Educated Traveller blog here. You can also visit San Lazzaro if you happen to be in Venice.)
The connection?
Lucine is Armenian American so for her San Lazzaro has special meaning. Both Lucine and Nathan play the viol da gamba and both play with the Bellot Ensemble, some of whom played for us here last year. Bellot specialise in 17th century repertoire much of which was written in and around Venice. So for both Lucine and Nathan, Venice has a special meaning.
The result is their Voices of San Lazzaro programme in which they interweave the music of those 17th and 18th century Venetian musicians – Orlando di Lasso, Settimia Caccini, Claudio Monteverdi, Barbara Strozzi, Tarquinio Merula – with traditional Armenian folk songs and melodies. In best 17th century fashion, Lucine accompanies herself on the viol and, as those of you who came to the concert last year will remember, she has a stunning voice.
So, if you haven’t yet – book here for 27th October!
And coming up after that…..
Sunday 29th November – Highgate Society Lunchtime concert.
Kassa Green-Jakcsi, saxophone, and Diarra Walcot-Ivanhoe, keyboard.
Kassa and Diarra, both GSMD graduates have been forging themselves careers in London’s jazz clubs and festivals. We were delighted to be able to persuade them to come and play for us in Highgate.
Thursday 10th December – Hampstead Lane
Nathaniel Mander and his spinet, La Pompadour’s Christmas party.
This concert is now fully booked but do feel free to join the waiting list.
Go here for more details and to join the waiting list.
Monday 11th January – Hampstead Lane
Madeleine Mitchell and her London Chamber Ensemble, Gordon MacKay, Bridget Carey and Joseph Spooner, return to celebrate the upcoming recording of the final Charles Wood quartet which they will be pairing with some Beethoven quartets.
Go here to book.
Next post:
The Royal Northern Sinfonia Moves, the Glasshouse in Gateshead and Steve Reich at 90.
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