A Byzantine Emperor at King Henry's Court / Lingas, Cappella Romana

$16.99
Label
Cappella Records
Release Date
February 3, 2023
Format
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    Featuring ⌄
    • COMPOSER
      Xenos Korones, Agathon Korones, Saint John Koukouzelis, Romanos the Melodist, Anonymous
    • PERFORMER
      Cappella Romana
    Product Details ⌄
    • RELEASE DATE
      February 03, 2023
    • UPC
      753459828328
    • CATALOG NUMBER
      CR427
    • LABEL
      Cappella Records
    • NUMBER OF DISCS
      1
    • GENRE
      Classical
    Works ⌄

    1. Iudea et Hierusalem [Sarum Responsory at Vespers for the Vigil of the Nativity of the Lord]

      Composer: Anonymous

      Ensemble: members Cappella Romana

      Conductor: Alexander Lingas

    2. Acclamations Sung at the Prokypsis of the Emperor

      Composer: Anonymous

      Ensemble: members Cappella Romana

      Conductor: Alexander Lingas

    3. Kalophonic Polychronion

      Composer: Xenos Korones

      Ensemble: members Cappella Romana

      Conductor: Alexander Lingas

    4. Ovet mundus letabundus

      Composer: Anonymous

      Ensemble: members Cappella Romana

      Conductor: Alexander Lingas

    5. Pentekostaria [Tropes of Psalm 50, Christmas Matins]

      Composer: Anonymous

      Ensemble: members Cappella Romana

      Conductor: Alexander Lingas

    6. O magnum mysterium [Sarum Responsory from the Second Nocturn of Matins]

      Composer: Anonymous

      Ensemble: members Cappella Romana

      Conductor: Alexander Lingas

    7. Ode 9 with Megalynária [First Kanon of Christmas Matins by Kosmas of Jerusalem, 8th century]

      Composer: Anonymous

      Ensemble: members Cappella Romana

      Conductor: Alexander Lingas

    8. Kalophonic Megalynarion

      Composer: John Koukouzelis

      Ensemble: members Cappella Romana

      Conductor: Alexander Lingas

    9. Te laudant alme Rex [Prosa, Sarum Processionale]

      Composer: Anonymous

      Ensemble: members Cappella Romana

      Conductor: Alexander Lingas

    10. Hodie Christus natus est

      Composer: Anonymous

      Ensemble: members Cappella Romana

      Conductor: Alexander Lingas

    11. Kontákion for the Nativity of Christ: Prologue

      Composer: Romanos the Melodist

      Ensemble: members Cappella Romana

      Conductor: Alexander Lingas

    12. Deus Creator omnium: Kyrie

      Composer: Anonymous

      Ensemble: members Cappella Romana

      Conductor: Alexander Lingas

    13. Gloria in excelsis

      Composer: Anonymous

      Ensemble: members Cappella Romana

      Conductor: Alexander Lingas

    14. Communion Verse for Christmas

      Composer: Agáthon Korónes

      Ensemble: members Cappella Romana

      Conductor: Alexander Lingas

    15. Hodie Christus natus est

      Composer: Anonymous

      Ensemble: members Cappella Romana

      Conductor: Alexander Lingas

    16. Magnificat

      Composer: Anonymous

      Ensemble: members Cappella Romana

      Conductor: Alexander Lingas

    17. Hodie Christus natus est

      Composer: Anonymous

      Ensemble: members Cappella Romana

      Conductor: Alexander Lingas


At the end of the fourteenth century, musical worlds collided in England as Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos spent Christmas at King Henry IV’s royal court. For the first and only time, florid chant, polyphony, royal ceremonial, and imperial acclamations from both kingdoms and rites echoed antiphonally in London’s Eltham Palace. Cappella Romana’s performance is illuminated by the latest research on historically informed performance of medieval music. Cappella Romana tells this musical story of cultural contact in international crisis with clarity and beauty.

Travel back to a Christmas like no other before or since, with music for the Nativity of Christ not heard in centuries. Vocal ensemble Cappella Romana combines passion with scholarship in its exploration of early and contemporary music of the Christian East and West. Its name refers to the medieval Greek concept of the Roman oikoumene (inhabited world), which embraced Rome and Western Europe as well as the Byzantine Empire of Constantinople (“New Rome”) and its Slavic commonwealth. A Byzantine Emperor at King Henry’s Court is Cappella Romana’s 30th release.

REVIEW:

What is most striking here is that Cappella Romana, although deeply immersed in Byzantine ways of singing, also accomplishes a very different and distinctive sound for the English pieces, adding an appealing bit of gravel in the texture. As with other Cappella Romana recordings, this one was splendidly recorded at the Madeleine Parish in Portland, Oregon. With detailed booklet notes exploring the various issues involved, this is a unique and fascinating medieval release.

-- AllMusic.com (James Manheim)