Close your eyes, and try to imagine: 300 years ago, in a very dark, forbidding church, the service goes on and on. Fifteen candles are extinguished, one by one, at the closing of each psalm. Shadows enfold the congregation, and in the midst of this eerie backdrop, two high voices sing their lament. The music is solemn, pure, and deeply moving.


Beautiful? Most certainly. But also very distant from our own busy, frivolous reality.


Unlike a lot of the Baroque repertoire, these are pieces that require getting used to, or at least the willingness to spend some tranquil time immersed in a world of devotion. So be prepared: this is not music that grabs you right away, that makes you feel like singing or dancing. But for all who need to pray (religiousness aside!), this might be just the right Easter gift (the careful production by BIS is an added bonus: excellent liner notes by Jean-Paul Vachon, sound engineering that effectively captures the aural atmosphere of a church, and apt graphic design).


Originally, the Tenebrae lessons for the Holy Week were intended to arouse feelings of the deepest contrition. Held in the middle of the night (at around 3 :00 am), when darkness was complete (hence the Tenebrae ), the lessons were sung to very sad texts attributed to the prophet Jeremiah, as part of a mass performed with great dramatic flair, including the flickering light of candles which were then put out, symbolizing Jesus?s abandonment by his apostles. But humanity is mundane, of course. Little by little, the ceremony gained more earthly overtones. First, it was held at a more convenient time?in the afternoon. Then it became a showcase for the famous singers of the day, who could thus show off their piousness (and their beautiful tone!) to a very large audience.


In the 18th century, many important composers wrote versions of Leçons . Couperin´s remaining three pieces (of a group of nine) are the best known nowadays, and with good reason. In the intimate setting of a chamber work, Couperin achieves what a more grandiose-minded composer might not have: to convey true solitude, true repentance, and true sorrow.


For a long time, Couperin?s Leçons de ténèbres remained the province of the aficionado. In the past decades, however, they seem to have gained a surprising popularity, and some beautiful recordings have come to light, including excellent ones by Gerard Lesne/Steve Dugardin and James Bowman/Michael Chance, which, as in the present version by Theatre of Early Music, also resort to the unusual voices of two countertenors (normally, the leçons are sung by two sopranos). The advantage: a darker tone, sweeter and less lyrical, without the sharper edge we find so often in women?s voices. This, in itself, would be a point of interest. Notwithstanding the tough competition, the Theatre of Early Music holds its own, and manages to create a very moving rendering of the work, as well as of the sublime Magnificat included in the package. Both singers are first-rate, and although their individuality is always retained, their voices blend beautifully. Blaze and Taylor show their intimacy with the style?no mechanical vibrato here, or extravagant feats of virtuosity. They sing with simplicity and fluency, and with an austerity that fits the text without ever becoming frigid. The accompanying instrumentalists are equally masterful and discreet, each calmly serving the music.


For a long time, theologians spent their days discussing the sex of the angels. After hearing this CD, I am inclined to agree with those who held that heavenly creatures must have been male.


FANFARE: Laura Rónai

Mediterranean and Nordic Christmas music with Arianna Savall and her Baroque ensemble Hirundo MarisSince the founding of their ensemble in 2009, Hirundo Maris, the Catalan harpist and singer Arianna Savall, and the Norwegian tenor and violist Petter Udland Johansen have committed themselves to music from the Middle Ages up to the Baroque period. And a special emphasis has been Mediterranean and Nordic music. For their current album, “Silent Night – Early Christmas Music and Carols” both musicians and ensemble conductors have chosen traditional Christmas songs from the north and south. And in doing so, invite you along on a journey of sound into the magical world of centuries-old winter, Advent, and Christmas music.The German song “Silent Night” is laid out on the program alongside the Norwegian Christmas song “Mitt hjerte alltid vanker”, the Provençal “Ô nuit brillante” and the Catalonish, “El cant dels ocells”, which the legendary early music pioneer Jordi Savall, Arianna Savalls famous father, orchestrated for the recording.“Every country has its own Christmas traditions and its own treasure trove of Christmas songs” says the musician from the Hirundo Maris ensemble (the ensemble name is the Latin term for “sea swallow”). “Some of them, like “Silent Night” are known throughout the world and are translated in numerous languages, but many of these songs have remained hidden in their home countries like a national treasure. Hirundo Maris now showcases many such musical treasures in imaginative compositions that fuse the old with the present day.The expressive voices of Arianna Savall and Petter Udland Johansen give rise to an atmospheric dialogue with multifaceted instrumental parts. Such sounds emanate from cheerful bagpipes, an expertly played Cornetto, the poetic slide guitar “Dobro” and violins, flutes, harps and percussion. “Our music is based on four important elements: early music, folk music, our own composition, and improvisation. We all play different instruments, but the voices of Arianna and Petter are the main focus of our group.”The musicians of Hirundo Maris all come from many European countries: Norway, England, Germany, Poland, Spain, and Catalonia. And accordingly, the recording of beautiful melodies has become a kind of sound mirror reflecting the diverse musical traditions of European Christmas celebrations. “The singing of heavenly Christmas music brings everyone peace and hope” says Arianna Savall. “Singing is one of the best opportunities to bring people together. It is very spiritual. We cannot touch it, but we all feel it deep in our hearts.”TRACKLIST1.     The Holly and the Ivy & El Noi de la Mare 04:24(El noi de la mare) - trad, English/Catalan , arr. Arianna Savall /  Petter Udland Johansen2.     El Desembre Congelat 05:29trad. Catalan, arr. Arianna Savall / Petter Udland Johansen3.     ¡Ay, que me abraso! 04:43Juan García de Zéspedes, (17th century, Mexico) arr. Arianna Savall / Petter Udland Johansen4.     Mitt hjerte alltid vanker 05:21trad. Norwegen, arr. Arianna Savall / Petter Udland Johansen5.     Es ist ein Ros‘ entsprungen 03:27Michael Praetorius (1571 -1621), arr. Arianna Savall6.     Wexford Carol 07:44trad, Irland, arr. Arianna Savall / Petter Udland Johansen7.     Ô nuit brillante 07:17trad Noël Provençal arr. Joseph Bovet / Arianna Savall / Petter Udland Johansen8.     El cant dels ocells 06:08trad. Catalan, arr. Jordi Savall9.     Kling no, klokka 02:39trad. Norwegen10.   La salve 06:50Arianna Savall (1972 )11.   Rug Muire mac do Dhia 04:33(Mary bore a son to God) - trad. Ireland 18th century, arr. Arianna Savall12.   Stille Nacht 03:55​​​​​​​Franz Xaver Gruber (1787 - 1863) / Joseph Mohr 1792 - 1848), arr. Arianna Savall / Petter Udland Johansen

Cappella Romana explores the musical legacy of the ancient civilization of Byzantium- caught between Latin West and Islamic East- with majestic ceremonies for the cathedral of Hagia Sophia, triumphant assertions of superiority by Westerners, and fervent prayers for the healing of religious divisions. Fabled Byzantium ended with the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks on 29 May 1453, inspiring the two poignant laments sung here that give Greek and Latin perspectives on the end of a 1,000-year-old empire.

Ulrich Krieger (born 1962 in Freiburg) is a German contemporary composer, performer, improviser and experimental rock musician based in Los Angeles. Krieger's artistic work spans a broad field from contemporary classical composition and free improvisation to experimental fusion with electronic music, rock, metal and noise. His special interest lies in the exploration of the physical fringes between acoustic and electronic produced sounds. In his music and with his instrument, the saxophone, he developed an original style of playing he calls "acoustic electronics". Acoustic electronics is about using sounds that appear to be electronic but are actually produced on acoustic instruments. His probably best known experimental project with acoustic electronics is the transcription of Lou Reed's guitar feedback opus Metal Machine Music, which he rearranged for chamber orchestra. Composers: Ulrich Krieger Performers: Eric Drescher, bass flute; Christian Vogel, bass clarinet; Ulrich Krieger, tenor saxophone; Ulrich Krieger, electronics; California E.A.R. Unit; Erika Duke-Kirkpatrick, cello; Vicki Ray, piano; Amy Knoles, percussion; Sonic Boom; Alex Srameck, contrabass clarinet; Chris Kallmyer, trumpet; Luke Storm, tuba; Robert Allaire, accordion; Ami Tamura, inside piano; Lydia Martin, percussion; Aniela Marie Perry, cello; Jake Rosenzweig, bass; Johannes Uhle, organ; Ulrich Krieger, sopranino saxophone; Ensemble Experimente; Dimitri Jurowski, cello; Maria Lobanowa, flute; Johanna Sponholz, recorder; Nikolaj Abramson, clarinet; Jonas Pieper, saxophone; Stephan Bienwald, electric guitar; Julia Schröder, harp; Alezander Schubert, accordion; Vinzenz Weißenburger, piano; Friedemann Werzlau, percussion; Moritz Colitti, violin; Antje Wunderlich, violin; Arthur Hornig, cello; Felix Eugen Thiemann, cello; Gerhard Scherer, Conductor

 

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Three brothers named Zapico -- Aarón, Pablo, and Daniel -- are part of the early music group Forma Antiqua (or, Antiqva); they appear here by themselves in a program of "Iberian-Italian" Baroque dance music, a genre whose influence stretched as far north as mid-Germany. The listener who samples this disc and wonders whether Baroque keyboard pieces ever actually had this much oomph can be assured that the recording falls purely into the not-even-speculative realm of using musical scores purely as a stimulus for further creative activity; keyboard music was something of a realm unto itself in the 17th century, and the booming guitar-and-theorbo arrangements heard here are purely the invention of the players. Indeed, they offer no justification other than that of wanting to play the music together. This said, the disc has the considerable virtue of reminding the listener that all of the patterns -- the fandangos, ciaccona, giga, folía, and so on heard here -- that made their way into Baroque music as ground basses were originally dances. The accompaniments devised by the Zapicos perhaps go beyond the intensity Baroque audiences would have recognized as appropriate (or perhaps they don't). But they're a great deal of fun, and they go together with the exciting group of releases that's defining the secular repertory exemplified by such composers as Santiago de Murcia, a repertory whose echoes have come down to the present day in both old and new worlds. Not "authentic," but if you don't tap your feet to a piece like Murcia's Folías gallegas (track 12), you'd better check for a pulse. - James Manheim (AllMusic.com)

Selection includes a reading of the homage to Dufay and Binchois from Martin le Franc's "Le champion de dames".
Selection includes a reading of the homage to the female form from Martin le Franc's "Le champion de dames".
Selection includes a reading of 'Love according to the Champion' from Martin le Franc's "Le champion de dames".
Selection includes a reading of 'Love according to Brief Counsel' from Martin le Franc's "Le champion de dames".
Selection includes a reading of the homage to Christine de Pizan from Martin le Franc's "Le champion de dames".
Selection includes a reading of Malebouche's attack from Martin le Franc's "Le champion de dames".
Selection includes a reading of the prologue from Martin le Franc's "Le champion de dames".