Richard Coeur de Lion and Blondel

On the banks of the Danube, beneath a fading sky and a motionless Austrian banner, a grim fortress holds secrets in its shadowed towers and dungeons. As night falls, a wandering minstrel approaches the walls with his harp. His name is Blondel, and his music carries the romance, longing, and heroic spirit of distant Provence into the still air.

Then a second voice answers from within the castle—faint at first, but unmistakably familiar. Blondel recognizes the rich voice and masterful playing of Richard, the captive king, and realizes that this mysterious exchange may be the only clue to his whereabouts. Written in an ornate, poetic style, this historical tale blends medieval pageantry, courtly love, imprisonment, and the extraordinary power of music. Listeners are drawn into a world of feudal strongholds, loyal hearts, and a minstrel’s dangerous search for the sovereign hidden behind enemy walls.