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And The Sun Darkened: Music for Passiontide / New York Polyphony
BIS

And The Sun Darkened: Music for Passiontide / New York Polyphony

$21.99

Details

Composer
VARIOUS
Artist
New York Polyphony
Format
SACD
Label
BIS
Released
Mar 05, 2021
Catalog #
BIS-2277
UPC
7318599922775

About

Resonating across more than five centuries, expressions of personal piety and prayer fill these works by a quartet of Franco-Flemish composers, all born in the 15th century, and their modern-day colleagues, Estonian Cyrillus Kreek (1889—1962) and British-Norwegian Andrew Smith (b. 1970). For those familiar with the vocal ensemble New York Polyphony and its previous, acclaimed releases on BIS, this exploration of the intersection of ancient and modern music is far from surprising: the group is known for its innovative programming. On And the sun darkened the four members follow Josquin’s celebrated motet Tu pauperum refugium with Andrew Smith’s setting of Psalm 55 – composed for NYP, it is a lament which nevertheless closes with an expression of confidence in God’s justice. Sung in Estonian another biblical psalm is heard in Kreek’s Taaveti laul 22 (‘David’s 22nd Song’), the text ‘My God, why have you forsaken me’ preparing the listener for the work that has given the disc its title. Officium de Cruce by Loyset Compère is a setting of a 14th-century hymn which follows the episodes of the Passion in a continuously flowing musical narrative: from the betrayal of Christ to his death – when the sun darkened – and entombment.

REVIEWS:

The vocal quartet New York Polyphony has excelled with a fine vocal blend and programs of Renaissance and contemporary choral music that often touch on underrepresented repertory. Josquin is present, but only with a single piece, and the focus is on his much less often heard contemporaries and successors, Loyset Compère, Pierre de la Rue, and Adrian Willaert. The one-voice-per-part forces of New York Polyphony may be an obstacle for some, inasmuch as this is not how Josquin was meant to be performed; the group's singing has a madrigalesque quality, and that's not everyone's cup of tea, but this might be the album to check out for those who have been wanting to sample New York Polyphony's work. Another attraction is BIS's sound, captured in Princeton Abbey in New Jersey; it's entirely distinct from that of the big English chapels where most recordings this repertory are made, and it's absorbingly inward.

– AllMusicGuide.com (James Manheim)

The four member, standard setting chamber vocal ensemble New York Polyphony continues to transfix listeners with their pure, dynamically balanced and deeply expressive a cappella singing. It's hard to believe how a group of only four male voices can sound like much more than the sum of its parts. Regardless of which century the members of New York Polyphony happen to explore at any given moment, you can sense their deep respect and understanding of both the text and music at all times. Their perfectly matched voices create a sonic canopy akin to the nave of a gothic cathedral, with audio engineering to match. Guaranteed you will feel the urge to listen to this recording many times over.

– Classical Music Sentinel (Jean-Yves Duperron, 2021)

Tracklist 16 tracks

  1. 1 Crux triumphans 05:55
    Track
    1
    Title
    Crux triumphans
    Duration
    05:55
    Composer
    Loyset Compère
    Ensemble
    New York Polyphony
  2. 2 Tu pauperum refugium 03:04
    Track
    2
    Title
    Tu pauperum refugium
    Duration
    03:04
    Composer
    Josquin des Prez
    Ensemble
    New York Polyphony
  3. 3 Salme 55 (Psalm 55) 12:27
    Track
    3
    Title
    Salme 55 (Psalm 55)
    Duration
    12:27
    Composer
    Andrew Smith
    Ensemble
    New York Polyphony
  4. 4 Pater noster 04:34
    Track
    4
    Title
    Pater noster
    Duration
    04:34
    Composer
    Adrian Willaert
    Ensemble
    New York Polyphony
  5. 5 Ave Maria 03:33
    Track
    5
    Title
    Ave Maria
    Duration
    03:33
    Composer
    Adrian Willaert
    Ensemble
    New York Polyphony
  6. 6 Taaveti laulud (Psalms of David): Psalm 22, "Mu Jumal! Mu Jumal!" (My God, my God?) 04:37
    Track
    6
    Title
    Taaveti laulud (Psalms of David): Psalm 22, "Mu Jumal! Mu Jumal!" (My God, my God?)
    Duration
    04:37
    Composer
    Cyrillus Kreek
    Ensemble
    New York Polyphony
  7. 7 In nomine Jesu 02:09
    Track
    7
    Title
    In nomine Jesu
    Duration
    02:09
    Composer
    Loyset Compère
    Ensemble
    New York Polyphony
  8. 8 Adoramus te Christe 01:43
    Track
    8
    Title
    Adoramus te Christe
    Duration
    01:43
    Composer
    Loyset Compère
    Ensemble
    New York Polyphony
  9. 9 Patris sapientia 01:50
    Track
    9
    Title
    Patris sapientia
    Duration
    01:50
    Composer
    Loyset Compère
    Ensemble
    New York Polyphony
  10. 10 Hora prima 01:46
    Track
    10
    Title
    Hora prima
    Duration
    01:46
    Composer
    Loyset Compère
    Ensemble
    New York Polyphony
  11. 11 Crucifige clamitant 02:16
    Track
    11
    Title
    Crucifige clamitant
    Duration
    02:16
    Composer
    Loyset Compère
    Ensemble
    New York Polyphony
  12. 12 Hora sexta 02:12
    Track
    12
    Title
    Hora sexta
    Duration
    02:12
    Composer
    Loyset Compère
    Ensemble
    New York Polyphony
  13. 13 Hora nona 02:24
    Track
    13
    Title
    Hora nona
    Duration
    02:24
    Composer
    Loyset Compère
    Ensemble
    New York Polyphony
  14. 14 De cruce deponitur 02:18
    Track
    14
    Title
    De cruce deponitur
    Duration
    02:18
    Composer
    Loyset Compère
    Ensemble
    New York Polyphony
  15. 15 Hora completorii 02:38
    Track
    15
    Title
    Hora completorii
    Duration
    02:38
    Composer
    Loyset Compère
    Ensemble
    New York Polyphony
  16. 16 O salutaris hostia 03:08
    Track
    16
    Title
    O salutaris hostia
    Duration
    03:08
    Composer
    Pierre de La Rue
    Ensemble
    New York Polyphony