Slavic Holiday Fine Contribution to Early Music
09/23/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"It's about time someone turned their attention to the wealth of music from early Eastern Europe. This disc captures so many things: breathtaking motets from the Prague manuscript Codex Specialnik, Polish Renaissance motets (with an obvious Italian influence), lusty songs to various saints and heroes (some sounding more like folk music than the typical "sacred" sound), and gorgeous spiritual songs reminiscent of the likes of Hildegard von Bingen. This may seem like a Christmas disc, but I know I'll be enjoying it all year long."
Stellar performances of unknown works
J. Friedman | Madison, WI USA | 12/26/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I was privileged to get a free ticket to hear The Rose Ensemble, performing this CD program in a local chapel. We rarely value what we don't have to pay for, but in this case, I was so glad I decided to use the ticket. This small ensemble (many pieces are done one-to-a-voice) has the finest tuning, the finest blending, and the most joy in their voices of any choir I've ever heard. They use very few instruments, just a viol during one piece, certainly nothing that interrupts the flow of the choral sound.Now to tell the truth I really didn't think I'd like this repertoire. Usually when I buy a CD, it's because I know one or two of the pieces and am willing to take a gamble that the rest of the pieces are similar enough that I'll like them, too. I wasn't familiar with anything on this CD. Bet you anything NO ONE knows the repertoire on this CD--it seems to be mostly little-known pieces, and they span some 500+ years of history and various geographical areas within eastern Europe.I find it interesting, though, that these pieces solidly echo the more westerly music of the respective time periods. You hear chant-like duets, tripartite motets, strophic religious poetry set to homophonic and polyphonic music, etc.--pretty much what you would have heard in England, France, or other western European areas in the same time periods. Does it really matter whether it's in Latin or Czech (and both are used, anyway)? If you like medieval and Renaissance sacred music in general, you won't dislike this material--and may even find a few favorites.If you don't, who cares? The sheer sound of this beautiful ensemble is a joy to hear: fabulous holiday background music, wonderful wind-down relaxation music, and for those with a discriminating choral ear--flawless choral music."
Track Listings (19) - Disc #1