New York, NY (Top40 Charts) On Friday 10 July, 2020, Dublin-based Heresy Records (www.heresyrecords.com) will release The Red Book of Ossory by ANAKRONOS, (pronounced anaKRÓNOS) the ground-breaking new ensemble of renowned virtuosi who infuse Medieval
Music with Jazz & Contemporary Classical styles. ANAKRONOS gave the first performance of The Red Book of Ossory to an SRO audience at the
National Concert Hall in Dublin in February 2019.
The lyrics of the songs on this album are by the 14th century Bishop of Ossory, Richard de Ledrede. The bishop instructed that these lyrics be sung by the priests, clerks and choristers of the St Canice's Cathedral "on the important holidays and at celebrations in order that their throats and mouths, consecrated to God, may not be polluted by songs which are lewd, secular, and associated with revelry" Accordingly, Anakronos founder, Caitríona O'Leary has set de Ledrede's esoteric and imagistic poetry to music from a multitude of medieval sources including Chansonnier du Roi, Llibre Vermell de Montserrat, Codices Chantilly, Modena, Squarcialupi and others. Nick Roth - a member of Anakronos - describes the unusual mix of instruments and musicians as, "A fantastic-sounding record in which uncommon bedfellows as the soprano saxophone, voice, synthesizer, bass clarinet, & North African percussion find a common denominator.... an amazing blend of expertise, innocence and experience, leadership and collegiality".
The Red Book of Ossory was recorded at Grouse Lodge Recording Studios in County Westmeath, Ireland. The recording will be available - as a stylishly designed CD digibook - from record stores, online shops and all major digital download and streaming services.
THE RED BOOK OF OSSORY: A 14th century manuscript and a true tale of political intrigue, sex, sorcery, murder and music
The Red Book of Ossory, is an important 14th century Irish manuscript; the collection of texts includes 60 poems by Richard de Ledrede, Bishop of Ossory. Upon his arrival from the papal court at Avignon to Kilkenny in 1317 Ledrede immediately set about challenging the secular authorities and making a name for himself as a zealous moralizer and "scourge of heresy".
In 1324 he arraigned Dame Alice Kyteler, a wealthy businesswoman and serial espouser (she married four times) on the charge of being a witch. He alleged that she denied Christ, enchanted the citizens of Kilkenny with magic potions made from the entrails of cocks which had been sacrificed to demons, dead men's nails, hair and brains of boys who had been buried unbaptised all cooked up in the skull of a decapitated thief, that she had a demon lover named Artisson with whom she had sex in public, and that she murdered her first three husbands and was poisoning her fourth. Dame Alice, however, had powerful allies who protected her and facilitated her flight to England where she vanished from history.
Though Dame Alice escaped with her life, her servant Petronilla de Meath was not so fortunate. She was captured, flogged through six parishes and a confession of sorcery was extracted. She was burned alive at the stake for the heresy of witchcraft, the first person in history to be thus charged and immolated.
Today Petronilla de Meath is considered a neo-feminist icon; the world-renowned artist Judy
Chicago created a place setting for Petronilla in her famed installation, The Dinner Party.
Dame Alice's son
William Outlaw was charged with heresy for defending his mother. He was forced to pay for the roof of St Canice's Cathedral to be covered with lead. The roof subsequently collapsed under the weight.
