One of the most prominent women in medieval Europe, Hildegard of Bingen's political, spiritual, and artistic legacy has remained unique to this day. For good reason, she is still known to a wide public almost a thousand years after her death. The interest in Hildegard gained momentum after Pope Benedict XVI proclaimed her a Doctor of the Church. It is therefore to be welcomed that a young generation of musicians is exploring her works. Thanks to the Sequentia ensemble, Hildegard’s entrancing music has made it into the pop music charts since 1980. Initially, the aim was mainly to unveil the treasure of Hildegard’s compositions. As time has passed, not only has a great deal of knowledge about early music reading and performance practice been acquired, but also young musicians nowadays feel much more relaxed about developing their own views and interpretations of masterpieces, thus making valuable contributions from both a philological and musical standpoint.

This is precisely what we should expect when Arianna Savall, Petter Udland Johansen and their Hirundo Maris ensemble delve into Hildegard’s music. Vox Cosmica, the name of the CD, says it all, for Hildegard was convinced that the cosmos was a single sonorous whole held together by the harmony and love of a creator. His holy principles are transformed by Hildegard into sounds. Caritas and Sapientia are not sung,: instead, they raise their voices themselves. What better expression of those principles than Arianna Savall’s clear, warm, sensual and unpretentious soprano voice?

Her counterpart is is Petter Udland Johansen’s characterful tenor. Vox Cosmica goes beyond Hildegard of Bingen’s feminine spirituality to create a male antipode in Peter Abelard’s Laments of David. In both his tragic love for his pupil Héloise and his theology based on reason, Abelard is an antipode, if not the antipode of Hildegard: not only in his life and teachings, but also in the few intensely personal compositions that have survived. Whereas Hildegard refers to the great whole and the ideal, Abelard focuses on the specific and the individual. Hildegard knows no pain, while Abelard sings of it alone – and Petter Udland Johansen certainly brings that pain to its most heartfelt expression.

The musicians – Hirundo Maris, David Mayoral, Anke and Andreas Spindler – move effortlessly and knowledgeably through the complex manuscripts of both the medieval abbess and the love-stricken theologian. Yet they do not forget their own origins or our musical present. They join together Hildegard’s main chants to create touching units, contrasting them with Abelard, and threading it all together with musical meditations by Petter Udland Johansen. These meditations are intensely moving, shifting the timeframes almost imperceptibly from medieval music to the present, neither detaching from Hildegard’s material in a modernistic manner nor ingratiating in a cosy, stereotypical way to produce an esoteric feel-good atmosphere. Thus, rather than providing a contrast to medieval sounds, present-day music is allowed to flow logically from the latter. The aim is nothing less than a new unity of past and present, which in fact is timelessness. In this way, Hildegard’s and Abelard’s messages easily cross space and time, being felt in a very direct, emotionally authentic way. As to us, we can ask ourselves what remains foreign and what touches us.

Thomas Höft

Mneme by the Greek early music ensemble "Ex Silentio" is a collection of musical remembrances from around the Mediterranean Sea: dances, songs and instrumental pieces from medieval and early renaissance sources. At home in the traditional folk and "classical" early music worlds, Ex Silentio create colorful portraits of mighty kings, noble knights and beautiful princesses who once populated those countries as well as people's imaginations then as now. "Mneme" is a historically well-informed, visionary and highly creative fairytale derived from Greek mythology and Mediterranean psyche.

This is a collection of polyphonic music from late medieval sources around the turn of the 15th century.

The Uncertainty Principle is a journey into the mystical musical world of Russian composer Alexandre Danilevski, where music and instruments from the middle-ages to modern day meet and create an unexpectedly beautiful soundscape. On this recording, Danilvski's own ensemble Syntagma interprets two of his works for mixed ensemble and voice, while the Flanders Recorder Quartet plays his "Antiphones" and cellist Larissa Groeneveld presents "Revelation", a concerto for cello solo.

Classical Music

This third album of Arianna Savall and Petter Udland Johansen with their ensemble Hirundo Maris on Carpe Diem Records is a musical journey along coasts and oceans, an ode to seafarers and travelers from ancient and modern times, to their lives, hopes and dreams. The windrose points into all cardinal points, encompassing all different cultures and places on earth in it's movement. At the same time, it can be a symbol for the inner travels of the human soul which may aim into all different directions and places throughout life. In this sense, the songs on this album connect inner and outer journeying through music and poetry, just as countries and people are connected through oceans, currents, and winds.

The famous Swiss-American lute player Peter Croton plays on his Carpe Diem debut a collection of fantasias by the two Italian lute-composers Francesco Spinacino & Francesco da Milano. The 15th century saw the lute emerge as a solo instrument, and the terms ricer car and fantasia were used for works created without preexisting models. The ability to improvise was apparently as widespread then as it is in jazz today. Peter Croton, also known for his contemporary and jazz-related musical projects, explores this beautiful musical world with the heart of a true improviser, free of limiting preconceptions and sparkling with creativity.

The new album by Arianna Savall, Petter Udland Johansen and their ensemble Hirundo Maris, following last years’ Hildegard of Bingen - recording, is a musical journey of Amor, the love, through Europe and beyond, and through different ages and cultures. Assembled on this album are traditional songs, songs from Renaissance sources as well as new compositions by Arianna Savall and, finally, the famous “Gracias a la vida” by Chilenian singer and political activist Violeta Parra.

The six musicians of Hirundo Maris combine all these diverse musical sources of their music into a time- and weightless dance through time and space. In the end, it is not clear anymore where the borders and differences between them are, and it is not even important anymore: Love as the universal uniting force is being applied here in a most practical way, and made comprehensible and very real to the attentive listener.

Hirundo Maris:

Arianna Savall – soprano, baroque triple harp
Petter Udland Johansen – tenor, hardingfele, cittern
Michal Nagy – guitar, voice
Sveinung Lilleheier – guitar, dobro, voice
Miquel Angel Cordero – colascione, double base, voice
David Mayoral – percussion, voice

En El Amor is a fascinating new project that brings together two well-known jazz musicians, Michel Godard (serpent) and Jarrod Cagwin (percussion) with the Bosnian singer Natasa Mirkovic, a truly versatile vocalist who became known internationally with her theme song for Angelina Jolie’s “In the land of blood and honey,” as well as for her recording of Schubert’s “Winterreise.” On this album, the singer performs songs from her childhood in Bosnia: Ancient Sephardic traditionals, that are still being sung by the people of the Balkan area today. She clearly draws inspiration from her ancestral roots, while at the same time the three musicians arrange these old songs in a new and experimental context, creating a magical soundscape that transcends time, culture and tradition. Recorded in the breathtaking acoustics of the former synagogue of St. Polten in Austria, this album becomes a total work of art fusing ancient and new, religious and secular, traditional and modern artistic expression.

"• “Dowland – A Game of Mirrors” is a sophisticated merging of modern jazz and English renaissance music. The French jazz guitarist/composer David Chevallier conceived this project based on the original melodies by John Dowland, and then created his own instrumental arrangements for guitar and theorbo, which give the well-known songs a completely new sound. • New acoustic jazz arrangements of Dowland Songs • Set for soprano, guitar and theorbo • Booklet in English & Frenc"

For most period-instrument bands, improvisation means judiciously adding ornaments. But in works by Strozzi, Cabezon, Attaingnant, Monteverdi and others, the recorder player Vicente Parrilla and his superb Seville-based ensemble More Hispano elaborate freely and inventively on the composers' melodies and classic dance rhythms, much as a virtuoso jazz band would do with standards. Alvaro Garrido's vigorous percussion underpinnings have a world-music quality that suits these works, and Raquel Andueza, a soprano, sings with an earthy, almost vibrato-free tone. -New York Times, 2011 Music Gift Guide, Allan Kozinn.

The works featured on this new album are by German composer Esaias Reusner (1636-1679). Reusner was a child prodigy who traveled and performed at courts across Europe with his lutenist father, Esaias senior. Reusner released two collections of lute suites, “Deliciae testudinis,” and “Neue Lauten-fruchte.” These pieces are taken from the latter. These pieces are performed by world-renowned Japanese lutenist, Toyohiko Satoh. Satoh gave his first public recital in Tokyo in 1965, and moved to Europe shortly after. He studied lute with Eugen Muller-Dombois at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Switzerland.

This new release is the debut album of Thimios Atzakas, Greek oud composer and virtuoso. The selection of his own arrangements and compositions that he has chosen for this release displays his range of style, which is influenced by European jazz, Oriental traditions, and contemporary classical music. He is joined by an ensemble of six other musicians from around the world, including Avgerini Gatsi, James Wylie, Nikos Paraoulakis, Elektra Miliadou, Kostas Anastasiadis, and Dimitris Zacharakis.

This new album of haprsichordist Catalina Vicens is a unique, multifaceted musical and poetic project. First, it features music from Naples, Italy from around 1525, the year when the instrument that she plays was actually built in Naples. Secondly, Ms. Vicens conceived an imaginary tale of the life and story of that very instrument, partly based on historical facts, partly on poetic inspiration emerging from her encounter with this priceless treasure of a historical harpsichord. The album comes with a free audiobook download of that same story, narrated by Ms. Vicens herself and accompanied with original music from the disc.

Draumsyn is the debut solo album of Norwegian hardanger fiddle player Anne Hytta. This album, now available as a 180g Vinyl LP, is a selection of her own compositions, rooted in the traditional Norwegian hardanger fiddle style, but truly unique and timeless in sound and expression. The music of Draumsyn is a travel into an unknown world, a world of ancient wisdom, emotions and colors, closely connected to the nature of Norwegian mountain landscapes, valleys and streams. Fans of Scandinavian music as well as open-minded listeners of any genre will be fascinated by this one-of-a-kind recording beyond common conventions of folk-, world-, or classical music. "Draumsyn also deserves to be praised as a sound product. Rarely have I heard a richer, truer and more detailed fiddle sound. May this album become school-forming as a sound product, as well as a composed and performed album." (Folkemusikk, Norway)

On this release, lutenist Toyohiko Satoh plays music from the court of Vienna around 1700. A special discovery on this album is the suite by Adam Franz Ginter, who was a famous castrato singer in that time, but who also composed some pieces for the lute. This recording is a tribute to this largely forgotten musician who most probably had a short and rather sad and lonely life. The following suite by Saint-Luc contains a “Tombeau for Francois Ginter” and was composed to lament the early death of this extraordinary singer, lutenist, and composer. Toyohiko Satoh studied at Rikkyo University in Tokyo. His first recital was at the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan concert hall in 1965. He went on to study lute at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, and just two years later, in 1970, he recorded the first album devoted entirely to the solo baroque lute. Since then he has been involved in numerous lute recordings, and has concertized throughout the world.

Classical Music

This album explores music for viola da Gamba and organ from 17th-century Austria, played by Viktor Töpelmann and organist Daniela Niedhammer on original instruments from that time. The recording took place in a small village church in Austria, which houses an original church organ from 1662. The viola da gamba used for this recording is a bass viol built by Hans Khögl in 1674. Together with the special acoustics of this beautiful church, the two musicians dive deep into the emotional and intimate music of that era, creating a meditative and most pleasant listening experience.

Dr. Rebecca Stewart together with the vocal ensemble Seconda Pract!ca explores the music of Josquin Desprez and his contemporaries Brumel and Willaert, commemorating the 500th anniversary of his death. The central piece of this recording is the famous Missa Mater patris by Josquin. Founded in 2012 by international musicians gathered in The Netherlands for their studies, Seconda Prat!ca has become one of the leading ensembles of the new generation of early music performers. The ensemble’s main goal is to bridge the gaps between performers and audience, revitalizing western musical heritage by bringing it back to a shared living experience. We achieve this through a continuous mixing of media, performance, research and musical excellence. Since 2013 Seconda Prat!ca has become part of the EEEmerging project, an initiative of the European Comission to support young developing ensemble specializing in Early Music.

The second album of German harpist Maximilian Ehrhardt on Carpe Diem Records is a unique concept album of music for the rare Italian "Arpa Doppia", a chromatic harp from the 17th Century. As there are only a few original compositions known for this instrument, the intention of this project was to invent a new repertoire for the Italian chromatic harp and to utilise the instrument's special tonal and technical characteristics to build a bridge between the past and the present. Six compositions from the 17th century are being complemented by six contemporary works that pay reference to their original templates in very different and fascinating ways. This harp album is a totally new musical experience, both imaginative and daring, and will hopefully contribute to the recognition of a wonderful, almost forgotten instrument.

Tenor Richard Resch presents a moving Christmas album that explores the season's deeper meaning through sacred and folk music. Named after Jochen Klepper's powerful Advent hymn, the album traces the symbolic journey from darkness to light, weaving together Baroque masterpieces, traditional carols, and lesser-known gems from across Europe. With works by Rosenmuller, Briegel, Graupner, Buxtehude, and others, the recording offers a musical meditation on hope, faith, and the light born at Christmas. Highlights include the mystical Maria durch ein Dornwald ging, the Byzantine chant Miladuka, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Von guten Machten-a testament to trust in the darkest of times. For Richard Resch and his ensemble, this album is both personal and profound. "These pieces remind us that Christmas is not just a tradition-it's a message of light in the midst of night."

French lutenist Florent Marie presents his second solo album on Carpe Diem Records: A collection of Renaissance lute music by the famous John Dowland. Recorded in a small church in the normannic countryside, this album features both melancholic and more uplifting compositions of the great English master of the lute, creating an emotional and colorful rendering of these mostly well-known and loved pieces.

The first solo album of Swiss double bass player and composer Fridolin Blumer is an exceptional album, even for the rarity-driven catalogue of Carpe Diem Records. Acting as a stylistic counterpoint to the many Early Music solo albums on the label, "Anklam" is a solo album of entirely improvised contemporary double bass music, focusing on instantaneous musical creation in the moment, instead of reviving century-old compositions. Fridolin Blumer is a jazz musician who has dedicated his whole musical career to exploring music beyond the written score, even beyond formal musical concepts. His style is not easily determined by conventional understanding of music. His music is primarily sound that evolves and moves in time, creating structures while moving through and past them, taking the listener on an unforeseeable trip into the feeling and thinking process of the creative mind. His music is non-descriptive, not trying to depict anything outside of itself, not telling a story other than it's own. The album is called Anklam simply because that's where it was recorded. It is split into twelve pieces just to give it a conceivable structure. The parts have numbers, as they together form a sort of larger musical structure. Any intrinsic meaning, inner beauty or musical logic remains at the listener's disposal to be discovered, heard or felt. Fridolin Blumer opens a vast space of possibilities of understanding and insight by staying as grounded and elementary as possible. In this way, he creates a sonic artwork that is at the same time spiritual and deeply human. "The line I trace with my feet walking to the museum is more important and more beautiful than the lines I find there hung up on the walls." (F. Hundertwasser)

Mélodies d'ailleurs is the first album collaboration of Swiss soprano Viviane Hasler and her long-time friend and musical partner Maren Gamper. For this album, the two artists selected French songs from the turn of the 19th Century, known as the "fin de siècle" in France and beyond. Works by Claude Debussy, Ernest Chausson, Cécile Chaminade, and Reynaldo Hahn are being contrasted by three songs of contemporary German composer Wolfgang Rihm, creating a concept album that is much more than just an anthology of romantic piano songs. Viviane Hasler's interpretation is fresh and tangible, never overboarding or romanticizing, yet staying true and honest to the emotions of the original compositions. Pianist Maren Gamper, always searching for that perfect moment between the notes, creates an intimate yet deeply supportive soundscape for the voice. Recorded at the big hall of the orchestra house in Kriens, Switzerland, this album strives to open a little window in time, leaping into memories of a bygone past while connecting them to the living present.

Ostium is a selection of works from medieval, traditional and oriental sources featuring different ancient and modern flutes and recorders, drawing a rich tapestry of early flute sounds and melodies that inspired and formed later Euopean musical culture on many levels. Greek flutist Dimitris Kountouras performs these pieces together with his ensemble Ex Silentio.