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Track Listings
| 1. Viderunt omnes |
| 2. Veni creator spiritus |
| 3. Alleluia posui adiutorium |
| 4. O Maria virginei |
| 5. Dum sigillum |
| 6. Isaias cecinit |
| 7. Alleluia nativitas |
| 8. Beata viscera |
| 9. Siderunt principes |
Product Description
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Customer Reviews
Perotin, called `Perotinus the Great' by one visiting Englishman of the time, is a perfect starting point for a journey back into that lost world - and into the acoustic pleasures of this fine music.
Based in plainchant - the singing of the Latin text in a flowing, one note at a time melody - Perotin's music frequently takes a small section of the text and adds extra notes - sometimes from two voices, sometimes from four.
In its simplest form, one note is like the `drone' of the bagpipe - held for a long time - and the other bounces along on top of it. (I'm reminded when I listen to this type of tune of a deep, slow, cool river flowing majestically along, whilst a red, armour-plated dragonfly zooms and bounces above it, hunting.)
There is a wonderful sense of fun in this - it is easy to imagine a group of choristers playing with the sound and trying to co-ordinate their `bounces' - a bit like putting together a sequence of passes on the football field.
Another aspect of Perotin, as shown in his Beata viscera (track 8), is a deep felt reverence for all things religious, especially the Virgin Mary. Irritatingly, the booklet doesn't provide any translations so it is easy to miss the absolute beauty of the text - but not the music. In a free flowing wave of sound, the words of the poem are hoisted to heaven - like watching a sky lark.
What the Hilliard Ensemble bring to all this is a strength, a certainty of sound and a purity of line that originates as much in their work on contemporary music as it does on older traditions. And this is what makes this CD stand out - it is as much about today as it is about 900 years ago.
As the booklet points out, Perotin has influenced the likes of Steve Reich.
If you like minimalism, you'll love this - Perotin, takes a simple idea and fills a vast space - in his case, Notre-Dame Cathedral.
However, all that said, it misses the target by a very long shot when it comes to the interpretation. We are given a clear triple-time for almost every piece, and no attempt is made to ornament the music in any way. It is known that one of the most astonishing features of this music when it became known in the 12th century was the profusion of rhythmic variety and interplay, with some passages being freely sung (organum purum), some using "long" and "short" notes (copula), and some others yet using a rhythmic pattern akin to the metrical foot (discant). All we have on this recording is unrelenting iambs or trochees. Again, we have a general consensus over what some of the ornamentation should be for this music. It is known, for instance, that the first note of a section is ornamented with a kind of appogiatura and "trill" effect. The final portion of a section is usually meant to be rhythmically freer (which in four parts leads to great tension as the parts cease to correlate to a degree before coming together again for the cadence).
The ECM recording focuses the music very much throught the lens of 20th century minimalism and the works of Part and Tavener. The sleeve notes even go so far as to make this linkage.
I recommend the recodings by Gothic voices as making the most considered and "scholarly" attempt at this repertory, although they strike me as being somewhat soulless. My favorites are still Ensemble Organum, who are never "beautiful" in the way that this ECM recording is, but who are captivating and wondering in a way I find more convincing.
But if it's nice noises you want, go for this ECM recording.
What's important is that the music on this CD is heart-stoppingly beautiful without ever getting all New Age-y or sweet. There are passages - and you'll discover them for yourself, they won't necessarily be the same as mine - when you won't want to move in case you disturb the stillness in the air.
Forget the age: this is music for a scared world to hear.
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