Search - Josquin, Ensemble Clement Janequin :: Adieu Mes Amours

500 Years Later, Josquin Still Moves Us

Dr. Christopher Coleman | HONG KONG | 12/20/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a lovely recording of the chansons of the Renaissance Flemish composer Josquin Desprez--but not all are sung. Alternating with the vocal selections are instrumental versions for solo lute or viol consort, which instruments also double some of the singing. The resultant timbral variety is very nice, and the effect is very much as a musical evening in the Renaissance was likely to be. The tone quality of the Ensemble Clement Janequin is wonderful, deep and rich, but appropriately so. Only very rarely do the higher voices devolve into the "hooting" quality all too often heard when performers strive too hard for purity of tone without vibrato. And I would have given this 5 stars, but the perfectionist in me noticed a few moments where intonation was not what it should be in a studio recording. Casual listeners will likely not notice, as they are minor flaws indeed; and certainly the CD is well worth hearing in spite of them. Particularly notable are the performances of the well-known El Grillo and Deploration sur la mort de Johannes Ockeghem. I am surprised that this CD does not have translations of the texts; this seems a real shame, especially given the important relationship between the text and music, and the liner notes are rather slim. But for the music contained within, I strongly recommend this recording."

Fabulous viol ensemble too!

Thomas J Moylan | New York, New York United States | 04/23/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have two copies of this CD. Dominiqe Visse and the Ensemble Clement Janequin have the viol ensemble Les Elements play with them and they have about 5 tracks of their own. These are some of the best versions of these pieces available. Yes there are some flaws - it sound like something clunks against one of the viols on one track, but they are truly sublime interpretations of these well known pieces. Give it a try. I have only found one other recording of Les Elements. Do other reviewers know of any?"