Search - Anonymous 4, Marsha Genensky, Susan Hellauer :: On Yoolis Night: Medieval Carols & Motets

On Yoolis Night: Medieval Carols & Motets
Anonymous 4, Marsha Genensky, Susan Hellauer
On Yoolis Night: Medieval Carols & Motets
Genres: Special Interest, Pop, Classical
 
  •  Track Listings (23) - Disc #1

This follow-up to Anonymous 4's debut "hit," An English Ladymass, is even better. From the choice of repertoire to the proficiency of the singing to the recorded sound, this is a standard-setting production. The 23 work...  more »

     
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Synopsis

Amazon.com essential recording
This follow-up to Anonymous 4's debut "hit," An English Ladymass, is even better. From the choice of repertoire to the proficiency of the singing to the recorded sound, this is a standard-setting production. The 23 works--plainchants, carols, songs, and motets--invoke various aspects of the Christmas story: the visitation of the angel Gabriel, tributes to the Virgin Mary, gifts of the Magi, and hymns of praise for the birth of Christ. The sound is stunning: resonant yet intimate, warm yet vibrant. And while you can hear the individual character of each voice, together these four women make a sound of uncommon purity and beauty. The technical facility is evident with each closing phrase, each perfect unison. Critics are advised to jealously reserve such words as outstanding, excellent, and superior. But this is one of those recordings that deserve all those descriptions. --David Vernier

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CD Reviews

Great alternatives to 'Silent Night'! Buy It!
B. Marold | Bethlehem, PA United States | 11/05/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)

"`On Yoolis Night' performed by the quartet, Anonymous 4 is another collection of works dedicated to the worship of the Virgin Mary from medieval England. Unlike `An English Ladymass' and `a Lammas Ladymass', these are more like `incidental' music for the Christmas season or, as the subtitle states, `medieval carols & motets'. Thus, these do not comprise a complete mass and there is very little polyphony. There is much more singing in unison and `chanting'.



Six (6) of the 23 tracks are in Old or Middle English and may not be much more understandable to our modern ear than the 17 tracks in Latin. While seven (7) of the works are described as `carols', including one entitled `Ave Maria', not one will be known to either your neighborhood Christmas carolers or to the Shubert fans among us. In fact, it would be very interesting to compare this `Ave Maria' with that of Shubert and to determine the history of this particular title through the ages.



This is a great change and relief for our Christmas listening after being drowned in `Silent Night' and `Away in the Manger'.



A generous 68 minutes of a different kind of Christmas music.

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Simply Remarkable
Chris Mooney | Pittsburgh , Pa | 03/24/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have 13 of their CD's . This one is the best . Four exquisite voices , painstaking research , facinating liner notes , all of their music has this in common . What sets this apart is the clairity of the recording . Each of these ladies have amazing voices that come alive with a good set of speakers . All of the reverberations and harmonics are there , and in phase . Turn it up and listen to the crispness of each voice on every note . This is one of my favorite CD's of all time ."
Beautiful voices great cd
Dianne Croft | Chicago, IL United States | 02/27/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Quite accidentally I discovered the Anonymous 4, thanks to the feature on Amazon.com that permits one to listen to an excerpt of the cd. I immediately became a big fan of this group. Now I am disappointed that they split up, but I intend to collect all of their works. An amazing talent."