The World of Robin and Marion
Love Songs and Motets from the time of Adam de la Halle (1240-1287)
Program
available all year long

See also our compact disc page for “The World of Robin and Marion”.

Marion, in the fields, is weaving a garland of flowers while guarding her flock and thinking of her betrothed, Robin. The knight Aubert, looking for a place to recover after a tournament, arrives with his
falcon on his fist, and attempts to seduce her: the stage is set for the spring 2002 revival of the musical presentation of Adam de la Halle's seminal work, Le Jeu de Robin et Marion.

The influence of this lyrical pastourelle is such that an entire concert can be devoted to the music, composed by Adam de la Halle and his contemporaries, inspired by the two main characters. As the original plot unfolds, the sung dialogues in the original manuscript alternate with motets from the Montpellier Codex (in which over twenty motets referred to Robin and Marion), and instrumental music played on the medieval fiddle, lute, flute, bagpipes, tympanum, organetto, drums and chalumeau. With its pastoral atmosphere, this is a truly spring-like program that uses music and poetry to bring back to life the lively, enchantingly naive pastourelle by the great trouvère of Arras, Adam de la Halle.

Anonymus is already familiar with the work, having performed it over 150 times between 1985 and 1987 in a memorable stage setting by Jean Asselin. Anonymus is now issuing a new invitation to witness the love between Robin and Marion, in the finest lyrical depiction to have come down to us from the Middle Ages!