Listening now: "Stella nova"

1300 - music at the court of Palermo

Greeks, Sarazens, Staufer, D’Anjou, Aragonese ...

On Easters-monday in 1282, the people of Palermo decided to break the power of Charles I. d’Anjou, their new emperor’s name was Pedro III. of Aragon. After a short period of french government it was now Spain to rule the future of this multi-ethnic Kingdom wich, not so long before, was dominated by the Staufer dynasty (1149-1266) and Frederic II, who has made it a rich and important spot between Orient and Occident.

Palermo has become a real melting pot of different cultures, a bridge between arabo-islamic and christian-european life and life-style.
It contains an inexhaustible heritage of ancient arts, music and poetry of its Arabic,-Byzantine,-Ottoman,-Longobard, -Norman -and Spanish past, a mix of cultures, fascinating and exotic, at all times!

Ensemble ONI WYTARS presents music from 1300 at the Sicilian court, an immense variety of ethnic ingredients at the center of the mediterranean sea: passionate Laude from Tuscany, melismatic Gazal’s from the coasts of Maghreb, Spanish Cantigas, virtuoso French Istampitas, Tarantelle and Tammurriate from southern Italy, all together in an amazing and rich concert programme.