Search - Dominique Vellard, Ensemble Gilles Binchois :: Les Premieres Polyphonies Français

You won't hear a finer early music vocal group than Ensemble Gilles Binchois. These eight singers--five women, three men--led by tenor extraordinaire Dominique Vellard don't just perform: They bring us wholly into the music's presence. These pieces aren't just the familiar sounds of so many chants and polyphonic works. Because of the incredible naturalness of the singing and the generously resonant acoustic that lifts and carries the music upward, we sense a direct connection to the music's origins and original function in habitual, communal worship. Apart from their liturgical context, these pieces are quite beautiful all on their own; some are startling in their harmonic and melodic originality. The chants are sung in a lovely, flowing, gently inflected style; the multi-part works benefit from perfectly tuned and matched voices. --David Vernier