Nice review and 10/10 for our latest EX NIHILO cd by Frank Hougee in Dutch music magazine Luister.
Read original attached or here in a wild translation:
10/10
Ex nihilo: out of nothing. A single voice emerges mysteriously from the void and is soon joined polyphonically by more vocalists. Thus begins the six-part Christmas motet Praeter rerum seriem (Beyond the Normal Order of Things) by Josquin des Prez that sings of the unusual birth of Christ from the Virgin Mary. In the exceptionally informative CD booklet, which comes complete with vocal texts, conductor Björn Schmelzer explains the origins of polyphony at length in an (unfortunately difficult to understand) essay. Simply put, the penchant of late medieval and Renaissance composers for developing (vocal) polyphony is perhaps as paradoxical and incomprehensible as the Incarnation itself. Polyphony does not contribute to text comprehension and intelligibility, but rather explores and accentuates the inner emptiness, dogmatics and mysteries of many religious texts. Two genres that emerged from this are the hymn on the mystery of the Incarnation and the lament on absence, lack and yearning (emptiness), with texts such as O admirabile commercium, O virgo virginum, Alma redemptoris mater, Salve Regina and Vox in Rama. Vocal ensemble Graindelavoix presents a truly stunning performance of four- to seven-voice settings to these texts by Josquin, Jacob Obrecht, Johannes Ockeghem, Giaches de Wert and Bernardino de Ribera, while also paying homage to the Renaissance masters of the Low Countries. The part-song is beautifully articulated, pure and perfectly balanced. The recording quality is equally ear-pleasing. Whether this vocal polyphony would have sounded like this five hundred years ago is as great a mystery as its true genesis, but a more beautiful performance than this is hardly imaginable.
FRANK HOUGEE
