español | français Medieval Renaissance Baroque Clasicism Opera  5 STARS All periods MEDIEVAL RENAISSANCE BAROQUE CLASICISM OPERA LANCASTER AND VALOIS French & English Music C1350-1420 Christopher Page Gothic Voices Hyperion CDH55294 1991 - 60:00 min. I’d almost forgotten what a splendid CD this is. It takes in pieces from two near-contemporary manuscripts, England’s Old Hall and the continent’s Canonici (housed today in the British and the Bodleian Libraries), linked by the fons et origo of so much that is weird and wonderful during this period, Machaut. This was the second of a trilogy of discs that represents a pinnacle of Gothic Voices’ output, perhaps their most consistent and considered statements on the art of performing medieval polyphony. Margaret Philpot’s tone is reminiscent of Jantina Noorman’s in the opening track (Machaut’s Donnés signeursi), while Christopher Page’s line-up of tenors is truly astonishing. It’s hard to single out particular pieces for praise, but the Machaut pieces are wonderful, certainly, and Pycard’s Credo seems a monumental achievement in the context of this particular selection, for its breadth, energy and sheer ambition. A more unassuming and delicate four-voice piece is the anonymous Je vueil vivre au plaisir d’amours. The two canonic voices alternate texted and untexted phrases in such a way as to make Page’s theories on all-vocal performance seem inevitable. It’s a deeply satisfying ending. Virtually the entire body of Gothic Voices’ recordings belongs on the shelves of Goldberg readers, so those who don’t know this one already should be assured that this it’s not to be missed. FABRICE FITCH ABOUT US | CONTRIBUTE   web map - home page - cover Legal warning Copyright 2003, Goldberg. info@goldberg-magazine.com