Machaut Chansons
Deutsche Grammophon Archiv 477 6731
Recording date: 1998
Artists
Robert Harre-Jones (alto)
Angus Smith (tenor)
Charles Daniels (tenor)
Donald Greig (baritone)
Complete liner notes and sung texts for this recording should be available from the Deutsche Grammophon site, but we were unable to persuade the relevant parts of the page to load in any browser, so there appears to be a technical problem on the site at the moment.
This is an unusual recording for a number of reasons. To begin with, if you have not previously encountered mediaeval music, it may come as something of a shock to the ears. This is perhaps not the place to write a lengthy introduction to mediaeval music, so suffice it to say that not only is much of the structure and harmony unlike what most of us are used to, but so is the tuning. There was no standard tuning in Machaut's time, and so, in order to reconstruct what one of these pieces should have sounded like, the Orlando Consort would experiment with a number of different known tunings until they found the one that worked best for the individual piece.
Another unusual thing about this recording is that there are no instruments on it at all. The entire effect is produced using voices. In most of the pieces, one singer has the texted line (the harmonies are so dense and contrapuntal that one can hardly call it the "melody line"), and he is the only one who sings the words; the others vocalise the accompaniment. There are two exception to this: Liement me deport (track 7) and He! Dame de valour (track 11), which are unaccompanied solos, sung by Charles and by Donald Greig respectively.
Liement me deport is an extraordinarily difficult solo. Not only does it span a considerable range, but the frequent changes of rhythm seem to leave no room to get a handle on it, especially without the help of any accompaniment. It is certainly not the best-known piece Charles has ever recorded, but in many ways it has to be one of the most spectacular.
Charles has one particular ability which is not often remarked upon, but it is very noticeable on this recording. He always knows exactly how much at every point the music demands that his voice should be standing out. With a voice as distinctive as his, one might imagine this would be a problem, but it never is; when he gets the text line he can be clearly heard above the other voices, and when he is part of the harmony he blends smoothly. The same can be equally well said of the other three singers. This is a highly talented ensemble who work together outstandingly well. Charles was one of the original members, and was with them for sixteen years until he eventually had to leave because of his rapidly burgeoning solo commitments. He still occasionally works with them when he is available.
This CD will definitely appeal to anyone who is already a mediaeval music enthusiast, and is an intriguing starting point for those who wish to learn more about the music of this period. It may also appeal to those who are interested in some aspects of 20th and 21st century music, since there is a strand of modern composition which seems to be more strongly rooted in the musical ideas of the mediaeval period than in anything that happened in the interim. If you have no knowledge at all of mediaeval music, expect to be a little disorientated at first. Only you will be able to tell whether or not you think it is worth persisting with, but, if you do, there is at least a reasonable chance that you will find it very beautiful after a while.
If you enjoy this recording, you can find details of other recordings by the Orlando Consort on their website, along with various other information regarding the group. They specialise in mediaeval music, but they are not limited to it. Charles has now been replaced by Mark Dobell, and Robert Harre-Jones by Matthew Venner, but the group is still going strong and performing with their characteristic combination of superb technical ability, first-rate musical scholarship and sheer enthusiasm.
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