Product Description
Early Music New York's program of seasonal repertoire is a Sold-Out holiday tradition. Recorded in the great Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, New York City, A Medieval Christmas features lyric songs - sacred and secular - by Hildegard von Bingen, Perotin, von Reuenthal and anonymous composers from the schools of Notre Dame and St. Martial - gloriously sung and deftly played by EM/NY's Artists in Residence. Angelus ad virginem (the song Chaucer referred to in The Canterbury Tales ), angelic Hildegard chant, earthy 13th-century Italian laude and spirited Spanish cantigas illuminate a treasury of joyous celebration. Artists: John Alston - bass; Marshall Coid - countertenor, vielle; Todd Frizzell - tenor, symphonia; Wayne Hankin - winds, tenor; Wolodymyr Smishkewych - tenor, percussion; Jon Szabo - baritone, vielle
Review
"Intricately paced, expertly played, and artfully recorded." -- Listener Magazine
"Record of the Month!... The interpretation is delicious and very rhythmic, and never academic... a sensation... the 'crme de la crme'" -- Alte Musik Aktuell
"Wow!... spectacular sound - very direct and alive." --Stereophile
...inventive...invigorating...very appealing sweetness... and at times...happily raucous...an absorbing hour...very attractive alternative holiday season sound-track. --Early Music America, Winter 1999-2000
Variegated adventures of more than historical interest. Polish, Rusticity and Grandeur of Spirit. Irresistible. Can't get enough... I'm addicted " --New York Times, December 15, 2002
About the Artist
Founded in 1974 by Frederick Renz, New York's Ensemble for Early Music has won outstanding critical acclaim for its vibrant performances of medieval music and spectacular music-drama that combine mystical beauty and worldly brilliance. Annual tours of the United States and performances at major music festivals have taken the Ensemble around the world: Spoleto, Brisbane, Jerusalem, Hong Kong, San Antonio, Caramoor, Charleston, Paris, Athens and Tokyo. Flawless precision and concordant blend by its singer/instrumentalists, led with artistic command and creativity by performer/scholar Frederick Renz, have made New York's Ensemble for Early Music consistently preeminent in the field.
- Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No
- Product Dimensions : 5 x 5.75 x 0.45 inches; 3.6 ounces
- Manufacturer : Ex Cathedra Records
- Original Release Date : 1998
- Date First Available : October 21, 2006
- Label : Ex Cathedra Records
- Country of Origin : USA
- Number of discs : 1
