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2005-2006 Season |
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SICILY: CROSSROADS OF MEDITERRANEAN CIVILIZATION February 24 & 25, 2006 From the Sicali to the Phoenicians, from the Greeks to the Romans, from the Carthaginians to the Arabs, from the Goths to the Vandals, the island of Sicily has been a crossroads for ethnic groups moving through the Mediterranean or south from Central Europe. These various migrations left Sicily with a diverse cultural heritage, reflected in its architecture, fine arts, and music. This program will consider the most significant civilizations which established themselves on the island, from the Carthaginians to the present time. Friday February 24, 2006 8:00 pm Lecture Crossroads of Civilization In 850 BC the Carthaginians established trading ports in the west of Sicily at Palermo, Solunto and Mozia.Over the centuries most of the powers of the Mediterranean have laid some claim to parts or all of Sicily.Roy Willis an emeritus Professor of History from UC Davis will follow the threads through this fascinating tapestry. 9:00 pm Lecture Sicily at the Opera: Sicilian Life on the Operatic Stage Sicily’s unique culture and history have been vividly reflected in operas written by, for, or about Sicilians. San Francisco Opera’s Musical Administrator Clifford (Kip) Cranna will examine how opera has mirrored the island’s colorful past. Video examples will highlight such masterpieces as Verdi’s The Sicilian Vespers, and Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana (Rustic Chivalry). Saturday February 25, 2006 10:00 am Lecture Greek Buildings and Art The Greeks who colonized Sicily from 735 BC to 413 left behind many great buildings, both civil and religious that are among the finest examples in Magna Graecia.Margaret Miles (UC Irvine) will help us discover these treasures.She will also present examples of other art forms that flourished in Sicily. 11:00 am Lecture The Norman Conquest Arabo-Norman style combines elements from Islamic, Romenesque, and Byzantine art. Monuments of incomparable beauty were erected in this style. Anna Gonosova (UC Irvine) will showcase the great Sicilian examples of this period. 12:00 noon Break for Lunch 1:30 pm Lecture The Trial of Plato in Syracuse Plato was a guest in Syracuse in 388-387 BC. He was a friend of Dion, the brother-in-law and son-in-law of the ruler Dionysius I. However the ruler was not receptive to Plato’s utopian ideas.When Dionysius II succeeded his father, Plato returned to Sicily, where he again fell out of favor. George Hammond (San Francisco attorney and raconteur) will present The Trial of Plato in Syracuse. 2:10 pm Lecture Spanish Sicily: From the Sicilian Vespers to the Wars of Spanish Succession From 1300 to 1700 Spain ruled Sicily.Thomas Dandelet (UC Berkeley) will examine the influence that Spanish rule had on Sicily. 3:00 pm Lecture Sicilian Literature and the Modern Age. Much of Sicilian Literature is a mirror of modern Sicily. Roberto Dainotto (Duke) will explore the works of Sciascia, Lavagino, Camilleri, Vittorini, Consolo, and Maraini to present a view of Sicily during the past sixty years. 3:50 pm Panel Discussion A conversation with the speakers from this program. THE EMPEROR CHARLES V: CONQUEST, FAITH, AND SPLENDOR IN THE WORLD OF A RENAISSANCE PRINCE Friday March 31 & Saturday April 1 For, in the wisdom of the Almighty’s ways, He waits until the world shall be made one Beneath an Emperor more just and wise Than any who since Augustus shall arise. A prince of Austrian and Spanish blood... Ludovico Ariosto, Orlando Furioso (1532) Imagine a young prince, born in 1500, who by age nineteen had inherited the Low Countries, Spain, Austria, half of Italy, some corners of France, bits of North Africa and exotic lands across the ocean in what was called the New World. He was also Holy Roman Emperor by election, and presided over a loose federation of German states and northern Italian duchies. History knows this prince by his imperial rank, Charles V, the just and wise Emperor prophesied in Ariosto’s epic poem about Charlemagne’s paladin Roland. Charles reigned opposite extraordinary contemporaries: Francis I of France (1515-47), and Ottoman Turkish Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent (1520-66), with whom he was often at war; and Henry VIII of England (1509-47), an on and off ally. It was during Charles’s reign that Martin Luther’s Protestant Reformation spread and the Catholic Counter Reformation responded. Making Charles a world emperor, Hernán Cortés conquered Aztec Mexico, Francisco Pizarro, Inca Peru, and the Magellan expedition circumnavigated the globe. While involved with the flood of events, Charles, a prince of the Renaissance, actively supported great composers, patronized great artists such as Titian and Dürer, and built splendid palaces. Friday March 31 Lecture Charles V of the Empire, Carlos I of Spain Born in 1500 Charles had inherited by age 19 the Low Countries, Spain, Austria, half of Italy, some corners of France, bits of North Africa and exotic lands across the ocean in what was called the New World. He was also, by election, Holy Roman Emperor and presided over a loose federation of German States and northern Italian duchies. His richest inheritance was Spain, where he was known as Carlos I; it was comprised of the kingdoms of Aragon and Castile, as well as Castile’s growing overseas empire. Peter Pierson, (Professor Emeritus of History, Santa Clara University, and Professor at The Fromm Institute) will introduce us to Charles the man and will place him in the context of the tumultuous years in which he lived and reigned until his death in 1558, years central to the formation of the modern world. Musical Performance Secular Music from the sixteenth century will be presented by Shira Kammen and Friends. Nicolas Gombert Alleluya Dezilde me al cavallero Josquin Des Pres Petite Camusette a 6 Johannes Ockeghem Petite Camusette a 4 Thomas Crequillon Petite Camusette a 7 Luis de Milan Pavan # 6 Antoine Brumel De tout plonget Juan del Ensia Si la Noche Diego Ortiz Recercada 2 Anon early 16th century Flemish Adieu Mes Amours Anon early 16th century Spanish/ Basque Jançu Janto Saturday April 1 Lecture Charles V and the Visual Arts Charles V was the most far reaching collector of his age. The sheer variety of artistic production that he bought or commissioned has rarely, if ever, been surpassed. Not only was Charles the patron of Titian and Durer, but he also accumulated tapestries, coins, armor, and sculpture. Theodore Rabb, (Professor of History, Princeton University) will consider Charles’s artistic interests, his use of art as propaganda, and also the great palace that he planned for Granada. Through Charles’s eyes, we will gain a sense of the humanist and court culture that he embodied. Lecture Imperial Vision and Overseas Empire When Charles V assumed the imperial throne of the Holy Roman Empire in1519, he became part of a rich imperial tradition. In becoming king of the motley realms that formed early modern Spain, he also inherited a long and checkered tradition laden with ideological trappings and expectations. Teofilo Ruiz (Professor of History, UCLA) will seek to sort out these different imperial traditions with the emergence of Castile’s great New World Empire, which was signaled by the fall of Tenochtitlan in 1521, a few months after Charles was crowned Holy Roman Emperor at Aachen. Musical Performance Shira Kammen and Friends will perform sacred music of the Sixteenth Century including Josquin Desprez and contemporaries from the court of Charles V. Josquin Des Pres Ave Maria a 4 Mille Regretz Christobal De Morales Agnus Dei from Missa Mille Regrez Isaac La Spagna / Agnus Dei from Missa La Spagna Anon Maria Mater Gratie/ Fors Seulement from the Chanson of Marguerite of Austria Ludwig Senfl Ave Maria a 6 Lecture Charles V, Lord of the German Lands, and the Reformation of the Church Catholic Thomas Brady (Professor of History, UC Berkeley) will discuss Charles’s rule of the German lands for thirty-seven years, a reign dominated by the religious question. The tumultuous eruption of dissent in the 1520s, the progress of Protestant resistance and collaboration from1529-1545, the first German religious war in 1546-1547, and Europe’s first religious peace in 1555 dominated the history of Charles’s imperial rule. By choosing to negotiate and arbitrate rather than use coercion, Charles helped to assure Germany would remain a country permanently divided in religion. Lecture Charles V and Italy: The End of the Italian Renaissance? Charles V played a crucial role in the rearrangement of power relations among Italian states. He ushered in a new period for Italian politics after his troops sacked Rome in 1527. Historians still differ in evaluating his impact on the political, religious, and even artistic life of the Italian peninsula. Elisabeth Gleason (Professor Emerita of History, University of San Francisco and Professor at the Fromm Institute) will examine some of these questions and connect them with attempts to reform the church, especially during the four decades From1520 to1550. Panel Discussion A conversation with the speakers from this program. |
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