Celi 2

The songs and devotional works included in this recital by the women's ensemble of Ars Choralis Coeln, a group dedicated to liturgical chant and Medieval song, are found in a collection of songs for worship compiled by Anna von Köln (ca. 1480-1530). Anna, who was probably a member of a non-cloistered Beguine community, collected songs in a variety of languages, including Rhinelandic, Middle Dutch, and Latin, some of which included the text and music, and some of which had the text only, requiring research to discover the music in other contemporary sources.

The Mussorgsky Pictures is the most unusual and most interesting reading of the set. Starting with a carefully molded legato opening trumpet tune, Celibidache puts forth an amply lyrical interpretation, one awash in warm, glowing orchestral colors that, unlike in his Scheherazade, do not get lost in the wash. Every number receives special attention to its particular nuance, Bydlo being just one example, while the finale’s grand solemnity (and massive slowness) makes for a truly moving conclusion.

Hungaraton's Codex Sanblasianus: Medieval Mass for the Feast of the Annunciation is a rather mysterious entry for a number of reasons. One will look in vain for the title "Codex Sanblasianus" anywhere outside the context of this disc, and that raises a red flag as to exactly what manuscript János Mezei and the Schola Cantorum Budapestiensis is referring. It is British Museum Add. 27630, a South German manuscript from the second half of the fourteenth century.

One of the delights of exploring early music is that there's always some wonderful discovery just around the corner–some composer or work you've never heard of or were afraid to take a chance on last year, but who now compels your attention. And you're pleasantly surprised, as you will be when you discover the works of 15th-century Burgundian composer Busnoys. From the very first minute of his fantastic In hydraulis–a tribute to Ockeghem–you'll realize that here was a composer of considerable talent for part writing, for melody, and for intricate rhythmic structures.

The making of Congo Funk!, our long-awaited journey to the musical heart of the African continent, took the Analog Africa Team on two journeys to Kinshasa and one to Brazzaville. Selected meticulously from around 2000 songs and boiled down to 14, this compilation aims to showcase the many facets of the funky, hypnotic and schizophrenic tunes emanating from the two Congolese capitals nestled on the banks of the Congo River.

The blend between the voices is finely controlled, the tone mellow and the tuning spectacularly accurate, giving rise to an organ-like sonority that is genuinely thrilling,” wrote Gramophone magazine, praising the Hilliard Ensemble’s four singers, who excelled in an extraordinary variety of music over a 40-year career. This seven-CD collection extends from the Middle Ages to the Baroque, offering music by composers from England, France, Flanders and Germany.