Great interpretation from Ensemble Organum
Steven Guy | Croydon, South Australia | 02/10/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I know that Ensemble Organum isn't for everybody and their very unconventional approach to Medieval and Renaissance music is sometimes unusual. In the Machaut Messe de Notre Dame they do not sound like a Classical music vocal ensemble at all, and that was a great feature of this interpretation. Ensemble Organum's approach to Johannes Ockeghem's great Missa pro defunctis is less iconoclastic, yet it still differs from most of the recordings available. The work is performed at a considerably lower pitch than most of current recordings available, I am guess that the work is performed around a fourth or fifth lower than the written pitch of the work. Obviously, pitch is a relative thing and a work such as this, which would have been performed by male voices, should be performed in a comfortable range for the choristers. Pro Cantione Antiqua also performed the work with entirely male voices, but theirs was much closer to the written pitch and this ensemble used countertenors on the cantus and altus lines. Ensemble Organum only use tenors, baritones and basses and their recording plunges the work down into a very deep region of the human voice, which is appropriate for a Requiem, wouldn't you say?
The interpretation of this disc is sober and reverential. I still love the thrilling Pro Cantione Antiqua [on ARCHIV] recording - the countertenors in the Tractus are spine tingling and I have rarely heard Early Music performed with such intelligence, poise and beauty.
However, this newer recording is very beautiful, too, and it shows us a number of other things about this work - it is also performed without instrumental support, which Pro Cantione Antiqua used.
Considering the fact that the E.O. recording is now on Harmonia Mundi's budget label, I would like to invite all music lovers to investigate it."
Mesmerizing
E. Lorge | Earth Human | 11/09/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I don't have much more to add than what the previous reviewer, Steven Guy wrote, (which was very informative, btw).
This is amazing music, recorded and performed equally well.
Highly recommended!
"
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1