C4 Orlando furioso (Laura Kuhlman)

For players at the upper intermediate or advanced level

Orlando furioso, The Frenzy of Orlando, is an Italian epic poem by Ludovico Ariosto (1474 – 1533), a lawyer and poet. The earliest version appeared in 1516, although the poem was not published in its complete form until 1532. Ariosto's work is 38,736 lines long in total, making it one of the longest poems in European literature.
 
The poem is about war and love and the romantic ideal of chivalry. It mixes realism and fantasy, humor and tragedy. The stage is the entire world, plus a trip to the Moon. The large cast of characters features Christians and Saracens, soldiers and sorcerers, and fantastic creatures including a gigantic sea monster called the Orc and a flying horse called the hippogriff.
 
In our sessions together, we will explore the many musical settings of this epic poem, one verse or cantos at a time . . . and not the whole poem, of course! Composers included will be Andrea Gabrielli, Jacquet de Berchem, Alessandro Striggio, Eliseo Ghibel, William Byrd, Giovanni Battista Mosto, and more as research and time allow. This is an upper intermediate/advanced class. Being able to hold your own line, read alto up, bass recorder in treble clef or tenor in bass clef would be a bonus.

Instructor Laura Kuhlman.