Gothic Voices, the world-famous early music ensemble, makes its Linn debut with a recording celebrating the biblical matriarch Mary. Pieces from contemporary composers Joanne Metcalf and Andrew Smith sit alongside setting of Marian texts from the 13th and 14th centuries. Notably, there is a rare setting of English biblical text which precedes the first publication of an English language bible by 150 years. Mary in her various guises – caring mother, virgin lover, guiding light – are explored through settings of ancient ritualistic texts showing her mythical and human aspects, whilst contemporary settings relate the themes to the modern day. The contemporary works are cleverly constructed around a modal core so that they fit perfectly with the structure and sound of the early music compositions. With over thirty years experience Gothic Voices’ complete understanding of every aspect of early music performance is exceptional. Throughout its career Gothic Voices has been world-renowned for the excellence, refinement and spirituality of its performances of medieval music and has appeared throughout Europe and in the Americas. Originally founded in 1980 by the scholar and musician Christopher Page, Gothic Voices has gone on to release over twenty recordings, three of which won the coveted Gramophone Early Music Award. With imaginative programs using voices in varying combinations to produce authoritative performances of great beauty, Gothic Voices has won the appreciation of audiences all over the world. Gothic Voices’ wonderfully evocative sound world resulted in over a million sales of its debut featuring the music of Hildegard of Bingen.

Soprano Janet Perry hails from Minneapolis, Minnesota. She began her career with lessons on piano and violin at a young age. In her adulthood she has found resounding success, having recorded several major works under Karajan’s baton, including Mozart’s C Minor Mass, Beethoven’s 9th symphony, and Bruckner’s Te Deum. Perry writes of the works chosen, “...classical music has truly made me who I am today. It has been a constant companion since my earliest childhood... The songs of Mozart Debussy, Faure, Duparc, and Strauss have been in my repertoire for a long time, we are old friends who enjoy music-and the silence between the notes, together.” Perry is accompanied by pianist Jean Lemaire, who specializes in accompaniment and chamber music. He frequently performs throughout Europe, the USA, Japan, and South America.

After his 1920s opera The Birds, Walter Braunfels shot into stardom and enjoyed a highly successful career. Braunfels’ versatile catalog of compositions includes a great deal of choral works, orchestral works, operas, Lieder, chamber music, and piano works. He was frequently praised as a cosmopolitan representative of new music, and the most highly regarded conductors of the era frequently performed his music. Branfels himself regarded his compositional style as traditional late-Romanticism, and saw himself a successor to Wagner, Bruckner, and Berlioz. These beautiful orchestral songs are sung by some of the most respected voices of our time, including Valentina Farcas and Michael Volle.

English composer George Butterworth (1885-1916) did not write a great deal of music. In fact, during the war he destroyed some of his works for fear he wouldn’t return from battle and wouldn’t be able to revise them. He is most known for his orchestral setting “A Shropshire Lad” which is the ‘orchestral epilogue’ to the original vocal settings of A. E. Housman’s poems. Also especially notable on this release is an “Orchestral Fantasia.” Butterworth began this composition before the war broke out, and a three and a half minute section was preserved. The conductor of this release, Kriss Russman, has picked up where Butterworth left off, adding around five minutes of music where he develops Butterworth’s original ideas and adds additional material.

Joanna Freszel, this project’s initiator and manager, set out with this album to present the potential and creativity of young Polish composers. In addition to work by Polish composers, this album is supplemented with texts either written by Polish poets such as Mariusz Jagiello and Maja Baczynska or a literary canon. Each of these compositions was written for various vocal or instrumental sets, from piano to sextet, to six vocalists. Of this project, Freszel writes, “I particularly wanted to break a stereotypical thinking about contemporary music as hermetic and overwhelmed by incomprehensible elements. I wished to show that music can be dreamlike, intriguing, nostalgic, and also witty.”

Danish composer John Frandsen (b. 1956) is well known for his interpretation of texts. This new release collects some of his most evocative solo song cycles with a myriad of poems set to this music. Four of Scandinavia’s most promising young vocalists are featured on this album, including Lise Davidsen and the composer’s own son, Morten Grove Frandsen.

Unfortunately, the works of Johann Heinrich Rolle are somewhat obscure, and rarely recorded. This new release is the premiere recording of Rolle’s St. Matthew Passion. Composed in 1748, the orchestration is set to text of Martin Luther’s Gospel of St. Matthew translation. The work is performed here by Ensemble Triagonale.

Known for his outstanding orchestral works, Jon Leifs draws inspiration from the naturally occurring phenomena of his native Iceland. This disc contains all thirty-two of the composer’s solo songs. Tenor Finnur Bjarnason is joined by pianist Orn Magnusson for this album.