Description
TREASURES OF DEVOTION
European Spiritual Song ca. 1500
The Boston Camerata • Anne Azéma
Works by Alexander Agricola, Antoine Brumel, Josquin Desprez, Hayne van Ghizeghem, Heinrich Isaac, Arnold Schlick, Ludwig Senfl, Claudin de Sermisy, and others.
Recorded in the magnificent Abbey Church Saint-Pierre et Saint-Paul, Ferrières-en-Gâtinais, France, August 28-September 1, 2017. David Griesinger, engineer.
UPC: 017685129629. Total time: 53:14.
Few things small enough to fit in the palm of the hand can inspire wonder about the limitless potential of human creativity. A collection of early Renaissance devotional objects—elegantly precise boxwood carvings of miniature rosaries, prayer beads and altarpieces, on display as part of a major international exhibition—served as the direct inspiration for this musical program.
These objects draw viewers into a private and intimate world of meditation; religious scenes carved with precision and poetry evoke a bygone world of intense spiritual devotion—sometimes tormented, sometimes luminous, but always fascinating.
The music in this program is designed to elicit similar sensations in listeners. Originating in northern European circles, contemporary with those who produced these boxwood carvings, these spiritual pieces are not intended for grand cathedrals or public ceremony, but for personal meditation, private chapels and rooms, family houses and assemblies. Like the beads and rosaries, their craftsmanship is precise, superb; rich in subtle details, they lead us to wonder, and to contemplation.
REVIEWS:
“The performers: Michael Barrett, Daniel Hershey, Joel Frederiksen, Andrew Arceci, Shira Kammen, Carol Lewis, Fabio Accurso, and Anne Azéma are nothing short of extraordinary.
The Boston Camerata is a formidable player in the ever-growing Early Music scene and we look forward to more treasures from them.
The recording was made in the Abbey Church Saint Pierre et Saint Paul in Ferrières-en-Gâtinais and it is engineered to perfection by David Griesinger and very elegantly packaged.”
—Rafael de Acha, Music Notes,May 29, 2019
