Perotin The Hilliard Ensemble - Perotin (9 tracks) +Album Reviews

The Middle Ages Brought to Life

David J. Horne | Cincinnati, Ohio United States | 02/22/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought the Hilliard Ensemble's Perotin recording after reading the section on the evolution of medieval music from plainsong to organum in Grout's history of Western music. Grout praises Perotin's music, and this recording shows that praise to be well justified. The music is magnificent: dark, rich, full of mystery and awe, quintessentially medieval in sound. The Hilliard Ensemble's interpretations are superb and capture all the richness and power of this great idiom. The music communicates the reverance, awe, and, even fear, that the people of the Middle Ages must have felt in approaching a God who, after thousands of years of silence to most of the world, had revealed Himself to His creation. The Viderunt omnes, Veni creator spiritus and beata viscera are particularly fine, the Viderunt being possibly the finest surviving music of the age. I also highly recommend the Hilliard Ensemble recordings of Medieval English music, Walter Frye, the Machaut Mass, Gesauldo Responsoria, and Tallis. I also own Paul Hillier's recording, "The Age of Cathedrals" with his American ensemble, The Theatre of Voices, and value it highly."

One of the Hilliard Ensemble's greatest works

Mark Swinton | 11/24/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Perotin (or Magister Perotinus) was at the forefront of polyphony as it emerged in the twelfth century, together with Leonin (Magister Leoninus). Paul Hillier's scholarly sleeve notes describe the processes at work in his music far better than a short review could; suffice it to say that the style of some of the organum pieces has influenced many a twentieth century composer, including the minimalist Steve Reich, whose views are quoted in the notes. Perotin is not the only composer represented in the programme - some of the pieces are anonymous, although this does not detract from their musical strength in any way.In a nutshell, the organum works are founded on plainchant, which is sung as part of the performance. Some voices sing the chant in extremely long note values, so that the progressions of the melody are hard to distinguish. Meanwhile, higher voices dance through a series of rhythmically-charged motifs, overlapping with each other and producing an astonishing alternation of dissonances and consonances, breathtaking to hear. The opening piece, the Christmas motet "Viderunt omnes," is a particularly fine example of this.Other works in the programme sound closer to the sound world of Guillaume de Machaut: "Dum signillium" and "Veni Creator spiritus" are two such pieces, the former sung by tenors John Potter and Rogers Covey-Crump whilst the latter adds counter-tenor David James. Another short motet, "Isaias cecinit," repeats the same material for new verses of text, like a hymn tune with a descant at the end. I believe these three to be the most wonderful in the programme; especially, "Veni Creator" has a timelessness about it, enhanced by magical singing and the strong acoustics of Boxgrove Priory - one can almost imagine being in another century listening to this. Another fine moment is the chant "Beata viscera," powerfully sung by David James to a wordless drone.As early music recordings go, this one has much to commend it: masterful singing in a wonderfully atmospheric venue, excellent sound quality, thoughtful programming that sets long beside short and quiet beside loud. It is glorious music from first to last - truly wonderful!"

Otherworldly

S. Gustafson | New Albany, IN USA | 12/21/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The overall audio effect of this disc is truly haunting and otherworldly. The rich recording and the skilful use of vocal drones make you feel as if you are in a vast and dark cathedral, lit only by stained glass and candlelight.

This is an excellent performance. Though recorded by many other ensembles, the -Beata Viscera- on this record is soaring and definitive.

This record would be appreciated, not only by confirmed early music fans, but by those who love all other sorts of slow and ethereal music. The harmonies are beautiful, and even sound somewhat edgy to the contemporary ear, largely because the modal melodies and open fifths do not map easily into our expectations for major or minor keys."

Should be TEN stars!

emilyxyz | New York, NY USA | 01/02/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If I could have only one record, this would be it. It is one of the most perfect vocal performances ever recorded, of some of the most unbelievable music ever written. Intricate, intelligent, detailed, nuanced; incredible pitch, subtle rhythm, spectacular technique; all in the service of a soaring devotional spirit that would probably astonish Perotin himself. I've owned this record for something like 8 years and it amazes me all over again every time I listen to it.Let's hope heaven sounds this good -- if I were the angels, the Hilliards would make me nervous."

A rare gem!!!

emilyxyz | 03/20/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Paraphasing Gramophone, this recording clearly is a contender for the desert island status. It's a gem!!! I love the vocal style of the Hilliard, so I own quite a few of their recordings, but this one stands out even among them. I am not an expert, I can hardly tell Josquin Desprez from Arvo Pärt. But even someone like me cannot fail to appreciate the beauty of the works on this disc. Six out of nine compositions collected here are attributed to Perotin (Perotinus), the others are anonymous. All of them are amazing. Sung a capella, these works almost feel like they are set to music, because the lower voices are constantly providing a sort of vocal "continuo" for the upper voices, while the upper voices are engaging in complex melodic modulations. Both upper and lower lines intersect from time to time in the arresting antiphona-like passages during which the lower pitches change gear giving rise to new upper-line stanzas. Even the antiphonas themselves are singularly beautiful because they are delivered in a wave-like manner, like an echo catching up with someone leaving a deep cavern. The overall effect is truly haunting. Don't miss this recording! Another Hilliard recording of the "desert-island" caliber, that I would like to recommend to you, is Dunstable Motets, recently reissued on Virgin Veritas. You won't believe the singing of David James! Incidentally, John Potter once said that the greatest strength of the Hilliard is in its unique vocal blend. He meant that each individual Hilliard performer may be not all that remarkable when singing alone; but that together, subordinating their individualities to the higher common good, they constitute a true musical phenomenon. This seems intuitively true, although the singing of David James (including his singing in Beata Viscera on this disc) challenges Potter's premises. I also think that Potter's proposition never applied too well to Mark Padmore, my most favorite Hilliard member. I've always felt that Padmore's voice is way too beautiful to be drowned in an ensemble, even if the ensemble is as good as the Hilliard, Tallis Scholars or the Sixteen. That's why I was happy that he went off to a solo career. What do you think? If you have no opinion because you don't know what Padmore sounds like, check him out!"

Search - Perotin, The Hilliard Ensemble :: Perotin

CD Details

Synopsis

Similar CDs

Similarly Requested CDs

CD Reviews