Impermanence
IMPERMANENCE
The repertoire on this album is rife with symbolism and metaphor, teasing out concepts of impermanence, migration, and the transient nature of musical language and human existence. From the wordless vocalises of Takemitsu’s Windhorse depicting Tibetan nomads, to the 12th century polyphony of the Codex Calixtinus sung by pilgrims traveling along the Camino de Santiago, to the dramatic shifts of polyphonic style seen in the 15th century motets of Du Fay and the Turin Manuscript, to Peter Gilbert’s contemporary meditation on the phases of the moon—temporality is a common and unmistakable thread.
The 25 Best Classical Music Tracks of 2018
“The calligraphic squiggles and vocal arabesques of Franco-Flemish Renaissance music come alive in the full-bodied and radiant sound of this female vocal ensemble. While it’s fun to dip in and sample, the album unfolds its full mesmerizing effect when you follow the singers on their squiggly line through music history, weaving together the ancient and the new in wondrous ways.”
TRACK LIST
1. Portum in ultimo - Codex Calixtinus (12c. Spain)
2. “Vocalise I” from Windhorse - Tōru Takemitsu
3. Tsukimi: Ama no hara - Peter Gilbert (Christina English)
4. Tsukimi: Akikaze ni - Peter Gilbert (Sonja Tengblad)
5. Tsukimi: Tsuki mireba - Peter Gilbert (Sophie Michaux)
6. Rite maiorem Jacobum canamus / Artibus summis miseri recluse - Guillaume Du Fay
7. Pour ce que point fu de la amere espine / A toi vierge me represente - Turin Manuscript (15c, Cyprus)
8. O proles Hispaniae / O sidus Hispaniae - Guillaume Du Fay
9. Qui patris atris honoris / Paraclite spiritus - Turin Manuscript (15c, Cyprus)
10. Tsukimi: Nageke tote - Peter Gilbert (Margot Rood)
11. Tsukimi: Wata no hara - Peter Gilbert (Emily Marvosh)
12. Tsukimi: Kokoro ni mo - Peter Gilbert (Clare McNamara)
13. Par grant soif clere fontaine / Dame de tout pris - Turin Manuscript (15c, Cyprus)
14. Flos florum - Guillaume Du Fay
“This first recording by the Boston-based Lorelei Ensemble for Sono Luminus displays a stunning precision of harmony and intonation, and often spectacular virtuosity…The sound has wonderful spatial dimensions and an airy quality.”