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14th Century poet, Jean d'Arras, wrote about the origins and great deeds of a family with an extraordinary destiny: the Lusignan Family. Originated in the love of the fairy Persine and a King of Scotland, it is said that the lineage starts with the marriage of their daughter, the fairy Mélusine, "Mère-Lusigne", a mysterious half woman, half snake, with Raymondin of Lusignan, the nephew of a Count of Poitiers.

 

The Lusignan family drew a great deal of its prestige out of this myth. From a relatively modest noble lineage in western rural France, they became Kings of Cyprus, where they held an enlightened court of artists, writers and avant-garde composers for more than 200 years. The line included Princes of Antioch, Kings of Armenia and, most surprisingly, Kings of Jerusalem.

 

With The Lusignan Saga program, ODO Ensemble embarks on a musical journey that goes from Scotland to Jerusalem and presents: Scottish Celtic music, ancient folk music from Vendée and Brittany, crusade songs, music from the Llibre Vermell from Montserrat where Raymondin supposedly died, Ars Nova pieces by genius and friend of the Lusignans Guillaume de Machaut, polyphonies from the Cyprus Manuscript and Christian music from the Middle East...