Yassen Vodenitcharov THE VOYNICH MANUSCRIPT, Editor: Babelscores
A. Bertand (mezzosoprano), Ens. PRES DE VOTRE OREIILLE, R.Pharo (direction) The Voynich Manuscript is a real mystery. Written between 1450 and 1520, this book was rediscovered in 1912 by Wilfrid M. Voynich, an American bibliophile of Polish origin, who acquired it from the Jesuits of Frascati, an Italian town near Rome, and for this reason the book bears his name. Even today, the subject, purpose and author of this book are one of the greatest mysteries of modern cryptography: the script in which the texts are written has not been deciphered to this day. Inspired by this old manuscript, Yassen Vodenitcharov composed his work for mezzo-soprano and a consort of violas da gamba. This composition is a result of his long collaboration with Robin Pharo and Anaïs Bertrand. It is a work in which the mezzo-soprano sings a text composed of syllables reminiscent of an unknown foreign language, exotic and imaginary. The sounds of the viola ensemble help to intensify this feeling of strangeness. The archaic and mystical aspects mix with modern musical language, adding a certain sense of humour. Richly illustrated, the manuscript stirs one’s imagination. Through the six movements with characteristic titles, the composer offers different interpretations of the book: 1. Cryptographical Piece, 2. Pharmacological Piece, 3. Alchemical Piece, 4. Fateful Piece, 5. Astrological Piece, 6. In Search of the Philosopher’s Stone. Music, being the art of abstraction and sensitivity, adds its own mystery to the unsolved enigma of Voynich’s manuscript. Why does music affect us to such an extent? Perhaps this is so because more than any other artistic language, it makes us perceive and feel emotions where the object remains undetermined.
A. Bertand (mezzosoprano), Ens. PRES DE VOTRE OREIILLE, R.Pharo (direction) The Voynich Manuscript is a real mystery. Written between 1450 and 1520, this book was rediscovered in 1912 by Wilfrid M. Voynich, an American bibliophile of Polish origin, who acquired it from the Jesuits of Frascati, an Italian town near Rome, and for this reason the book bears his name. Even today, the subject, purpose and author of this book are one of the greatest mysteries of modern cryptography: the script in which the texts are written has not been deciphered to this day. Inspired by this old manuscript, Yassen Vodenitcharov composed his work for mezzo-soprano and a consort of violas da gamba. This composition is a result of his long collaboration with Robin Pharo and Anaïs Bertrand. It is a work in which the mezzo-soprano sings a text composed of syllables reminiscent of an unknown foreign language, exotic and imaginary. The sounds of the viola ensemble help to intensify this feeling of strangeness. The archaic and mystical aspects mix with modern musical language, adding a certain sense of humour. Richly illustrated, the manuscript stirs one’s imagination. Through the six movements with characteristic titles, the composer offers different interpretations of the book: 1. Cryptographical Piece, 2. Pharmacological Piece, 3. Alchemical Piece, 4. Fateful Piece, 5. Astrological Piece, 6. In Search of the Philosopher’s Stone. Music, being the art of abstraction and sensitivity, adds its own mystery to the unsolved enigma of Voynich’s manuscript. Why does music affect us to such an extent? Perhaps this is so because more than any other artistic language, it makes us perceive and feel emotions where the object remains undetermined.