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Reviewer: Barry
Brenesal According to the liner notes, this album grew out of a research project by music historian Birgit Lodes, entitled “Musical Life in the Late Middle Ages in the Austrian Region circa 1340-circa 1520.” This led Ensemble Leones to fashion a program of the “Early Hapsburg Renaissance,” which covers a period from the late 14th century through the turn of the 16th, with source manuscripts that are in Austrian possession. A-Wn 5094, for instance, is a mid-15th-century manuscript lodged at the Austrian National Library, and containing, among several anonymous works and one early polytextual motet by Bernard de Cluny, two pieces by Guillaume Dufay. That Dufay never stepped foot in a Hapsburg court doesn’t matter; his music was at least being heard somewhere in what is now Austria, albeit in what sounds very much like a simplified arrangement. All the material on this release, save one selection, derives from Austrian-held source documents. It’s fair to say that it makes for an entertaining disc, with spillovers in interest from Wolkenstein (five selections) and Neidhart (three selections), who furnish material for two of their regular touring programs. In addition, 11 out of 28 cuts are identified as “world premieres.” There are no earth-shattering discoveries, but also nothing amateurish or bland among these largely anonymous pieces. The music ranges from the sophistication of Isaac’s Argentum et aurum to the simple beauty of the monophonic Gegrusset seistu Maria (performed here with unidentified bowed string support, by sound, a vielle), to the Styrian horn imitation of the Monk of Salzburg’s polytextual Untarnslaf, a broadly humorous but observant scene of three perspectives in two voice parts. Ensemble Leones here eschews the cornett included in their Josquin Des Prez album (Christophorus 77348), sticking instead to some combination of strings that most of its members perform. Five musicians are displayed on their web site, and seven in the liner notes, without any mention of who sings or performs on any given selection. Suffice to say that, as in several of their previous releases, the vocals are handled immaculately, with strong, attractive voices and excellent enunciation. I don’t mind the close miking, but I could do easily without the Early Music Cathedral Effect that adds a blanket of moderate-to-heavy resonance. At its worst, in Argentum et aurum and Heýa, heýa nun wie si grollen, it creates a cavernous sound for the singer, and loses some of the textures in the accompanying viol ensemble. Texts and translations aren’t included, but may be found and downloaded from the librettos site at naxos.com. As an interesting cross-section of Austrian music holdings through the later Renaissance, mostly away from the noble courts, this is great fun, in excellent performances. Generous timings, too. Recommended.
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