CordaSonora Productions and Quimeras & Gárgulas – Associação Cultural are proud to present the full program for the new Leiria Medieval Music Cycle 2025 (CMML2025)!
This year promises to be filled with medieval secular music and poetry from the Iberian Peninsula, with Esin Yardimli Alves Pereira and Ricardo Alves Pereira, CMML directors, inviting prominent figures in music: medievalist Eduardo Paniagua, lutenist Orlando Trindade, percussionist Paul Johnson, singers Jorge Luis Castro, Maria Bayley, Joana Godinho, and the singer, writer, and poet Fernando Ribeiro from MOONSPELL.
CMML2025 kicked off its second edition on January 7, 2025, with the opening concert, commemorating 700 years since the death of King Dinis, which occurred on the same day in 1325. The audience had the privilege of hearing music transcribed by The Wandering Bard directly from the Sharrer Parchment, a precious document containing medieval musical notation for songs by King Dinis, discovered in 1990 in the Torre do Tombo. This manuscript provides a unique glimpse into the sound of secular music from that time and region.
On March 22, the Leiria Medieval Music Cycle 2025 showcased “Da Esteyra Vermelha Cantarey”; a one-of-a-kind performance, where medieval music merged with the voice of Portugal’s greatest heavy metal icon, Fernando Ribeiro. In unison, the metal titan and the two medievalists lead a satirical and provocative spectacle, blending the troubadour tradition with the boldness of the 21st century, celebrating freedom of expression.
Esin Yardimli Alves Pereira and Ricardo Alves Pereira, founders of the CMML and the hosting ensemble, The Wandering Bard (TWB Ensemble), are committed to exploring this heritage with precision and reverence, bringing to life the music and words of the Poet-King for the audience.
CMML2025 is promoted by the Municipality of Leiria and the Castle of Leiria.
Come join us on March 31st!