Early music festival - Lake Orta - Italy

[Dave2002]

Has the BBC has ever done a programme or two on the annual festival on the island of San Giulio - Orta San Giulio. I have been to this over several years.

This year it has featured a terrifically entertaining special anniversary concert given by Red Priest, and also some other concerts with music going back to the time of the troubadours. Last night a concert by Dulcedo had music by Adam de la Halle (born 1237) originally from Arras. I did wonder though whether having two female singers, delightful as they were, was authentic. Were women involved in singing at that time in fully composed music?

I was also surprised at how loud the circular skin covered instruments (tambours?) can be even with gentle taps. I want one!

[french frank]

Has the BBC has ever done a programme or two on the annual festival on the island of San Giulio - Orta San Giulio. I have been to this over several years.

They would have been missing a trick if they hadn't sent a team out there. I haven't visited the island itself, but Orta and the lake are beautiful.

Festival details.

[Catherine Bott]

Sounds good, I'll sound out my Senior Producer while we're in York next month (some very promising programmes from YEMF, including profiles of Paul O'Dette and Wieland Kuijken). No promises, but you never know....

[french frank]

If you want someone to carry your luggage ...

[Dave2002]

CB

You would need to keep in touch with the organisers, as they sometimes leave providing details until rather late on. Perhaps they don't think that people outside Italy will be interested. One follower and friend travelled from Canada each year.

One of the sites linked to suggested that the festival is only 3 days, but in my experience it's usually 6 or 7. This year there were 7 concerts, including the 30 year anniversary one. Also it was spread over two long weekends, so Fri/Sat/Sun week 1 and Thur/Fri/Sat/Sun week 2. Some previous years had most of the concerts spread out over roughly one week.

The last concert this year was difficult for non Italians, as it dealt with Neapolitan songs, and the earliest printed collection of these. There was a lot of explanation (in Italian) and also the songs themselves were often in very odd dialects which even Italians might have found a challenge. It possibly was an at least very interesting - concert, but so much relied on the texts and discussion of the texts that it would not have been good for UK broadcasting - at least not without a massive amount of assistance e.g. on-line texts, and discussion in English. I would like to have understood the story about the fish, and also the telling of the story of Pulcinella with the multiple characters much better than I was able to. Still I didn't want it to end too early, as there was a massive thunderstorm, and the thought of having to go back across the lake in a relatively small boat in such bad weather was not appealing.

If the BBC team is interested in following this up next year or the year after it would be good to contact the organisers as soon as possble. It could be a challenge recording in the venue, as it is rather small, but I think there could be ways of making at least one EMS out of the festival concerts.