A good way of getting to know the legacy of St. Louis is to visit his chapel in Paris, full as it is of stained glass of the 13th century. On a bright day as we experienced two years ago, Saint Chapelle is glorious and one is reminded, as in the Chronicles of the Crusades by de Joinville that he was a truly loved and devout man who has become a saint. His feast day is on 25 August, the very day by chance, we visited the chapel which acts as his shrine. The glass glorifies the Crown of Thorns and the True Cross which St. Louis had purchased — although the chronicles indicate that the King of Constantinople gave them — from the Holy Land and which were placed in a reliquary. On this disc the sequence Regis et Pontificis (tr. 22) celebrates the event.
Presentation One remark to evoke the way we will have been able to hear, throughout this programme, the great organ of Notre-Dame de Paris sound. At the time, it was known for an amazing, fecund, symbiotic existence with its organist, Pierre Cochereau, openly in love with his alter ego, well known for being able to make it speak like no one else. Yet it is unquestionably a ‘Guillou’ organ that proudly speaks in many aspects over the course of nearly 80 minutes, changed into a kaleidoscope of sound, unusual in many regards. Should we be surprised? Surely not, if we dare compare this being of 8,000 voices with the greatest symphony orchestras capable of transforming themselves instantly and against their traditions, to the sole ends of bending to the often contradictory aesthetic desires of the greatest conductors. It is even thereby that we recognise them: unlimited resources, a strong identity, yet capable of adaptation or metamorphosis but without denial.
André Campra s’attelle à la composition de sa série de «petits motets» dès son arrivée à Paris en tant que maître de chapelle de la cathédrale Notre-Dame (1694-1700). Très vite ces compositions remportent un vif succès et l’on se presse à Notre-Dame pour les écouter Les motets de Campra sont fortement influencés par la musique italienne : raffinements harmoniques, charme de l’accompagnement, écriture brillante et contrastée… Ils sont aussi de la main d’un homme de théâtre : le texte sacré se met en scène. Campra sait tirer profit de l’effectif restreint du petit motet : airs, récits, duos, trios et ritournelles s’enchaînent comme à l’opéra ! Mais son éloquence n’est pas sans profondeur et ses grâces savent encore nous toucher.
The world is looking forward to seeing Paris’s Notre-Dame restored to its familiar physical glory. In the meantime, the musical joys of the great cathedral can be experienced with the singers of its choir school, Maîtrise Notre-Dame de Paris. Backed by more than 800 years of choral tradition, the Maîtrise offers training and performance opportunities to talented children, teenagers and adults. On Cathédrale d’émotions they and the professional singers of the Ensemble vocal de Notre-Dame de Paris perform music that spans the entire history of the cathedral, including works premiered at Notre-Dame in the 21st century.
Thirteenth-century troubador Gautier de Coincy's blend of mystical religious poetry and the popular tunes to which he set his poems proves irresistible, especially in the Harp Consort's lively renditions. Given the nature of the material, the sheer variety of rhythms, sounds, and colors on this disc is astounding; the vocal soloists are all excellent, the small chorus adept, captivating when it sings in the gutsy peasant style at appropriate moments. Eight purely instrumental numbers are sprinkled throughout the 20 tracks, each a gem, full of colorful effects from the rich-sounding shawm and other period instruments like bagpipe, vielle, and a variety of percussion instruments that thump and shimmer in ways that make you want to dance.