Vikings in Sicily

The first mentions of Normans or Vikings in Southern Italy date back to the X-XI centuries. In the 30s of the XIth century the Normans already owned small counties there, and in June 1059 Pope Nicholas II granted the Norman knight Robert de Hauteville, nicknamed Guiscard (the Cunning), the title of Duke of Sicily. By the end of the XIth century, Sicily and Malta, Apulia and Calabria, Naples and Bari - the entire south of Italy - were in the hands of the Normans. In 1139 Pope Innocent II recognised Roger II Otville as king of Sicily.

Norman, surrounded from childhood by Sicilian Greeks and Arabs, Roger II spoke several languages and was skilled in the sciences and arts. In the 40s of XII century he invited philosophers, mathematicians, geographers and physicians from different parts of Europe and the Arab world to Palermo, the capital of his state. During the reigns of Roger II and his grandson William II, the Capella Palatina, the cathedrals and churches in Monreale, Palermo and Cefalù were built, beautiful and marvellous for their mixture of different cultures.

The few surviving music manuscripts from 12th century Sicily have brought to us the music of this medieval Norman kingdom, which fused the most diverse cultural tendencies into a marvellous sound pattern. These works will form the basis of the programme.