The Early Music Club (EMC)

Started by zamyrabyrd, October 06, 2007, 10:31:49 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 3 Guests are viewing this topic.

The new erato

Quote from: (: premont :) on May 09, 2014, 01:08:38 AM
It is difficult to talk about "state of the art", when we know so little about the performance practice of these pieces.

But I agree that the CD by Diabolus in Musica is a fine contribution to the relative sparse Ciconia discography. I am more reserved as to the CD by La Morra, i do not think they always find the right pure and intimate mood for these pieces, but I may be biased by other Ciconia recordings, by Studio der Frühe Musik and Paul van Nevel e.g.
Studio der Frühe Musik made me discover this music. I was an Andrea von Ramm groupie in a former life.

petrarch

Quote from: Moonfish on May 08, 2014, 06:48:05 PM
Do you have the set that examines ancient instruments as well? If so, would you recommend it?

Yes and yes.

Quote from: Moonfish on May 08, 2014, 06:48:05 PM
Is the Flemish polyphony set structured as an "educational" anthology, i.e. bits and pieces with unifying themes elucidated by the accompanying book?   

Yes, within the constraints of what is possible in a small book (the text is repeated in 3 or 4 languages), but it is still a good overview. You can check the track listing and the performers here: http://www.outhere-music.com/fr/albums/the-flemish-polyphony-colour-book-of-200-pages-8-cd-s-in-a-magnificent-box-ric-102/livret
//p
The music collection.
The hi-fi system: Esoteric X-03SE -> Pathos Logos -> Analysis Audio Amphitryon.
A view of the whole

Moonfish

Douce Amie: Troubadour Songs & Minstrel Dances    Millenarium

Fantastic! Quite a surprise! A very innovative and creative web of music from the middle ages. Millenarium was much more engaging than I expected. The soundscape is intriguing. So my understanding so far is that these pieces are fragments of music from this time that then are improvised upon? Is that a proper interpretation?

[asin]B000079BAL[/asin]

from
[asin] B008CT7022[/asin]
"Every time you spend money you are casting a vote for the kind of world you want...."
Anna Lappé

Octave

Re: FLEMISH POLYPHONY box (Ricercar label):
Quote from: Moonfish on May 07, 2014, 11:08:56 PM
Any thoughts on this collection of polyphony from Ricercar?

You asked about this over a month ago, so I imagine by now you own it   ;)
but I think it's great and I find the packaging quite attractive with thick booklet/book in a kind of chocolate-box slipcase.
One thing about it, if you go bonkers for this music by these groups, you might end up with the full releases (several labels) from which the contents of the box is drawn.  I think you have seen the Amazon review which helpfully lists some or all of those original releases.  For example, I just got that Pierre de la Rue 3cd set ~40 minutes of which is on the Ricercar anthology.
I have been even more enthralled with the Ciconia.

Have you (or anyone here) listened all of the Millenarium box?  Is the whole thing recommended?  When you are finished with it, some more comment would be most welcome.
Help support GMG by purchasing items from Amazon through this link.

Moonfish

#564
Quote from: Octave on June 15, 2014, 12:04:38 AM
Re: FLEMISH POLYPHONY box (Ricercar label):
You asked about this over a month ago, so I imagine by now you own it   ;)
but I think it's great and I find the packaging quite attractive with thick booklet/book in a kind of chocolate-box slipcase.
One thing about it, if you go bonkers for this music by these groups, you might end up with the full releases (several labels) from which the contents of the box is drawn.  I think you have seen the Amazon review which helpfully lists some or all of those original releases.  For example, I just got that Pierre de la Rue 3cd set ~40 minutes of which is on the Ricercar anthology.
I have been even more enthralled with the Ciconia.

Have you (or anyone here) listened all of the Millenarium box?  Is the whole thing recommended?  When you are finished with it, some more comment would be most welcome.

Yep, it is on my shelf right now. I have mixed feelings about the booklet (books). Even though they contain a lot of information it feels redundant to have it in so many different languages. I would rather have more information in one selected language (perhaps complemented by translations online). Regardless, a unique approach to be explored.
In regards to the Millenarium set I am still working myself through it and enjoying it immensely. Millenarium has a rich fresh spectrum of music and creativity that they bring to their recordings. I felt surprised by the immediacy and vivid presence of the music. They remind me a bit of Savall and his numerous recordings with Hesperion XX. So far I view these recordings as gems that I will treasure. Definitely worth digging into as far as I am concerned.  :)
"Every time you spend money you are casting a vote for the kind of world you want...."
Anna Lappé

Que

#565
Quote from: Octave on June 15, 2014, 12:04:38 AM
Re: FLEMISH POLYPHONY box (Ricercar label):
You asked about this over a month ago, so I imagine by now you own it   ;)
but I think it's great and I find the packaging quite attractive with thick booklet/book in a kind of chocolate-box slipcase.
One thing about it, if you go bonkers for this music by these groups, you might end up with the full releases (several labels) from which the contents of the box is drawn.

Apart from the inconvenient format and hesitations on whether the documentation goes all that deep considering the many translations, it is the hotch-potch nature of the musical content that keeps me back from those - admittedly wonderful looking - "music books" by Ricercar and Hesperion....

Q

Que

Orlando Lassus by the German ensemble Singer Pur. What an amazing performance! :)

With a-one-voice-per-part (OVPP) approach, this is very expressive and intensely engaging. Lassus is showcasing his Despres lineage via Gombert and the ensemble give us a full picture with all the rhythmic details. Sounded even much better on a 2nd hearing- all the detailing requires a fresh ear! :)

[asin]B001S86JAS[/asin]

Actually, there is very little to add to Amazon's Giordano Bruno's review:

QuoteFive Choir Boys and a Lovely Lass
No disrespect intended! That's how Singer Pur identifies its members. How this plays out between rehearsals is none of our business. The ensemble is twenty years old this year and extremely successful in Europe, with assorted prizes, performances at all the major festivals, twenty or more CDs on the market, and an ongoing program of workshops in vocal technique in their hometown of Regensburg. They are one of the premiere "a capella" vocal ensembles in the world and one of the few that perform with equal artistry both Renaissance polyphony and more modern genres. HIPPsters, don't be disdainful of this sextet for producing Christmas albums and excursions into Pop and Kitsch! When an ensemble sings the motets of Orlando di Lasso as superbly as Singer Pur on this CD, any "misadventure" may be forgiven.

Singer Pur performs Renaissance polyphony one-voice-per-part. In many cases, the 'superius' is sung by high tenor Klaus Wenk. You'll hear the all-male quintet on several of the nine Lasso motets included on this CD. When the superius is sung by soprano Hedwig Westhof-Düppmann, the balance and match-up of timbres remains PUR gold. Singer Pur never sacrifices the expressiveness of its tenor and bass voices in favor of a bright top-loaded imbalance. Hedwig is certainly lovely, but vocally she's one of the boys.

Orlando di Lasso (1532-1594) was unquestionably the best-known, most influential, and most prolific composer of his era. The earliest "complete" edition of works reached forty volumes. His early career left him time for experimentation in secular genres -- partsongs in Italian, French, German, and Flemish -- but the bulk of his work consists of sacred vocal music in Latin. The "market" for such music was insatiable; even today previously unknown motets by Lasso are found whenever an old castle or cathedral cabinet is pried open. Lasso was the heir of all the great "Franco-Flemish" polyphonists, but especially of Nikolas Gombert (149s-1560). The central opus of this CD, Lasso's Missa Tous Les Regretz, not only recycles material from the Gombert French chanson of the same title but also expands and polishes the innovative harmonic 'language' that distinguished Gombert from his predecessors. Gombert's chanson, by the way, is sung as the last track on this CD. It's a work that still seems harmonically bold even after later works from Gesualdo to Schoenberg to Szysmanowski. This entire performance stirs with thrilling but entirely logical 'dissonances' and chromaticisms. Modern ears are hard to surprise, of course, but this performance will overcome any complacency you might feel about "Early" Music.

Lasso's musical imagination is most obvious in his variety of rhythms and phrases. None of the nine motets on this CD sound boringly like any other. Singer Pur is masterful (and mistressful) in extracting Lasso's rhythmic subtleties and in shaping the emotional rhetoric of his phrases. That's a good part of what distinguishes this performance from performances by lesser ensembles such as Pro Cantione Antiqua or The Tallis Scholars. Let's be blunt: this is as fine a performance of Lasso as any I've ever heard.


Singer Pur also did part 2 of the Lassus series by Musique en Wallonie (sorry, they don not seem to speak any English):

[asin]B009VPETDO[/asin]

Now, that might be next on my shopping list. :)

Q

Drasko

Quote from: Que on June 28, 2014, 12:11:27 AM
Orlando Lassus by the German ensemble Singer Pur. What an amazing performance! :)

With a-one-voice-per-part (OVPP) approach, this is very expressive and intensely engaging. Lassus is showcasing his Despres lineage via Gombert and the ensemble give us a full picture with all the rhythmic details. Sounded even much better on a 2nd hearing- all the detailing requires a fresh ear! :)

[asin]B001S86JAS[/asin]

So far I haven't been able to really connect with Lassus. Actually with majority of late Renaissance (Spain excepted), too smooth. Maybe ovpp could really work for me. Where did you get the disc? Looks out of print.

Que

Quote from: Drasko on June 28, 2014, 05:16:40 AM
So far I haven't beB006RD8VT6

n able to really connect with Lassus. Actually with majority of late Renaissance (Spain excepted), too smooth. Maybe ovpp could really work for me. Where did you get the disc? Looks out of print.

I think you're right in your assumption and would defintely try OVVP. :)

This disc is still on sale at jpc: http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Orlando-di-Lasso-Lassus-1532-1594-Missa-Tous-les-regrets/hnum/3866757

Also note that this disc is under two asin nrs on Amazon: B001S86JAS  and the one that is OOP: B006RD8VT6

Q




HIPster

Quote from: Que on June 28, 2014, 12:11:27 AM
Orlando Lassus by the German ensemble Singer Pur. What an amazing performance! :)

With a-one-voice-per-part (OVPP) approach, this is very expressive and intensely engaging. Lassus is showcasing his Despres lineage via Gombert and the ensemble give us a full picture with all the rhythmic details. Sounded even much better on a 2nd hearing- all the detailing requires a fresh ear! :)

[asin]B001S86JAS[/asin]

Actually, there is very little to add to Amazon's Giordano Bruno's review:

Q

Well, I've just ordered this. . .  Thanks, Q.  Looks incredible!

I'm not sure who is "worse" at helping me to lighten my load financially: Q (here), or 'Giordano Bruno' (amazon). . .  Collusion::) :laugh: :)

There are many GMGers who have helped my music collection to grow - and my appreciation of the music - over the last year; thank you!

OVPP is/was the ticket for me to get into choral works in general.  Have yet to hear OVPP~Lassus, so very much looking forward to the arrival of this release.

Thanks again, Q!  ;)

Wise words from Que:

Never waste a good reason for a purchase....  ;)

Drasko

Quote from: Que on June 28, 2014, 05:45:06 AM
I think you're right in your assumption and would defintely try OVVP. :)

This disc is still on sale at jpc: http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Orlando-di-Lasso-Lassus-1532-1594-Missa-Tous-les-regrets/hnum/3866757

Also note that this disc is under two asin nrs on Amazon: B001S86JAS  and the one that is OOP: B006RD8VT6

Q

Ah, jpc ... 5 euros for the CD and then the rest of my monthly income for shipping.  ::)

I'll check the amazons. Thanks!

And finally a reissue of something I've been waiting for long time. Not technically early music but sounding magnificently primordial to me.



... and taster for those who might be interested:

http://www.youtube.com/v/EXR75n7OH7o

Que

Quote from: Drasko on June 28, 2014, 11:38:23 AM
And finally a reissue of something I've been waiting for long time. Not technically early music but sounding magnificently primordial to me.



Thanks for mentioning it!  :) I'lll definitely check it out - despite the fact that (unlike the "Gold" series), presentation and documentation in this particular series is not up to scratch...... :(

Q

Que

#572
Some brief comments on this new addition:

[asin]B009VPETE8[/asin]

The set focuses on Desprez' contemporaries connected to the Sistine Chapel and includes, besides a selection from Josquin  Desprez's oeuvre, premiere recordings of works by Gaspar van Weerbeke, Bertrandus Vequeras and Marbrianus de Orto.

The American ensemble Cut Circle sings two-voice-per-part.A very fine group IMO. Perhaps they fall just a tiny bit short of being in the top league that IMO includes Cinquecento, Stimmwerck and Singer Pur - just to mention a few "newer" ensembles. But they come close and will soon join those IMO.

I will keep it brief, since the review linked below by Johan van Veen will tell much more. One of the main attractions of this set is the inclusion of the music by Mabrianus de Orto. The 2nd disc focuses on the song L'homme arme and puts the masses on this theme by Marbrianus and Desprez next to each other. It is a pity that Jesse Rodin and his group were not bold enough to do a full Marbrianus de Orto set, the Desprez material on the 1st disc are only excerpts and all that material is already availble on other recordings. Not that it is not nice to hear the different composers next to each other, but obviously that effect will wear off with repeated listening.

To summarize: plenty of attractions for the more seasoned Early Music collector in terms of quality of the performance by a new ensemble and unfamiliar repertoire. And the perfect presentation and documentation - a hard cover booklet with the discs front and back - is a joy in itself. Not a first priority for others.

Review from Musicweb, which featured this set a "Recording of the month":

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2013/May13/DeOrto_Josquin_MEW12651266.htm

Q

Moonfish

Quote from: Drasko on June 28, 2014, 11:38:23 AM
Ah, jpc ... 5 euros for the CD and then the rest of my monthly income for shipping.  ::)

I'll check the amazons. Thanks!

And finally a reissue of something I've been waiting for long time. Not technically early music but sounding magnificently primordial to me.



... and taster for those who might be interested:

http://www.youtube.com/v/EXR75n7OH7o

Fantastic! The Corsican chant is definitely unique!
"Every time you spend money you are casting a vote for the kind of world you want...."
Anna Lappé

Drasko

#574
Maybe slightly off-topic, and with a bit of delay, but Rest in Peace Lycourgos Angelopoulos.  :(

http://www.youtube.com/v/YmO952zqquA

The new erato

Hyperions "Please buy me" sale has lots of Gimell stuff by the Tallis Scholars.

http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/o.asp?o=1016&vw=dc

Unfortunately I already have most of it.

clavichorder

Is this thread about Medieval music mostly, or does it also accommodate music into the high renaissance and early baroque?

Que

Quote from: clavichorder on October 11, 2014, 07:34:37 AM
Is this thread about Medieval music mostly, or does it also accommodate music into the high renaissance and early baroque?

Medieval and Renaissance,  but indeed, there is always the question where Renaissance ended and Baroque began. :) There are inevitablycomposers that are somewhere in betweeen.

Q

clavichorder

Quote from: Que on October 11, 2014, 11:21:45 PM
Medieval and Renaissance,  but indeed, there is always the question where Renaissance ended and Baroque began. :) There are inevitablycomposers that are somewhere in betweeen.

Q

Cool.  I tend to think of my favorite music from the high renaissance as being more related aurally to baroque music, but if this is a thread for it, I will post some of my favorites.

I love this disc of English Renaissance keyboard music:



And this is my preferred performance/recording of Gibbons viol consort music:



And this is a fantastic selection of John Bull keyboard works, performed by Hantai very energetically:



And last(for now), the recording I have of Weelkes vocal music:


king ubu

Oh yes, that Hantai Bull disc is great!

Re: Gibbons, clavier musicke, I enjoy this one quite some:

[asin]B000EQHV9S[/asin]
Es wollt ein meydlein grasen gan:
Fick mich, lieber Peter!
Und do die roten röslein stan:
Fick mich, lieber Peter!
Fick mich mehr, du hast dein ehr.
Kannstu nit, ich wills dich lern.
Fick mich, lieber Peter!

http://ubus-notizen.blogspot.ch/