Anakronos Performs The Red Book of Ossory

 A unique and extraordinary show featuring Anakronos, the medieval/jazz ensemble of world-class virtuosi, performing the music from their critically-acclaimed album The Red Book of Ossory. The magnificent music (medieval music filtered through a thoroughly contemporary, jazz-infused lens) is accompanied by the award-winning film The Island of Saints. This beautiful film tells the historic backstory to The Red Book of Ossory, the witch-hunt & trial of Dame Alice Kyteler and the burning at the stake of her servant, Petronilla de Meath.

In 1324 Richard de Ledrede, Bishop of Ossory, accused a wealthy Kilkenny woman, Dame Alice Kyteler, and her servant, Petronilla de Meath of witchcraft. The events that occurred were animated by a deadly power struggle between secular and ecclesiastic authorities in the diocese of Ossory and Ireland in general. After an indictment of the most bizarre and lurid nature, Dame Alice escaped to England, Petronilla was not so fortunate and was tried, tortured, and burned at the stake, the first person in European history to be immolated for the heresy of witchcraft.

The Red Book of Ossory is a 14th century medieval manuscript which was compiled in Kilkenny, Ireland. Pre-eminent among its texts are sixty remarkable Latin poems by Bishop Ledrede. Caitríona O’Leary, music director of Anakronos, has set Ledrede’s esoteric and imagistic poetry to music from a multitude of medieval sources and reinterpreted these with influences of contemporary classical music and jazz. The musicians of Anakronos are regarded internationally for their virtuosity and interpretive elan moving fluidly between and integrating diverse historical style in an innovative and emotionally compelling way. Their album, The Red Book of Ossory, has been met with great critical acclaim.

A film version of the backstory was conceived by Caitríona and director Eric Fraad. It oscillates between scenes of Anakronos performing the music from The Red Book of Ossory and dramatic episodes recounting the central events of 1324 incidents including Bishop Ledrede’s fanatical imaginings, nightmares and projections, the trials of Alice Kyteler and Petronilla de Meath, Alice’s escape from Kilkenny, and Petronilla’s torture and burning. The film, The Island of Saints, has won multiple awards.

Anakronos performs 14 songs live, 7 of which will be performed along with the screening of the matching dramatic scenes from the film, and screen 4 scenes with their original recorded score. Each song will be preceded and explained through the display of elaborated text panels.

ANAKRONOS

Caitríona O’Leary – voice, director
Nick Roth – saxophones, percussion
Deirdre O’Leary – clarinets, percussion
Francesco Turrisi – electric keyboard, percussion
Mel Mercier – percussion

The running time of the show is approximately 75 minutes. The film contains scenes that may not be suitable for children.