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Track(s) taken from CDA67694

Regina caeli a 6

composer
6vv; SSAATB
author of text
Antiphon to the Blessed Virgin Mary in Paschal Time

The Brabant Ensemble, Stephen Rice (conductor)
Recording details: September 2007
Merton College Chapel, Oxford, United Kingdom
Produced by Jeremy Summerly
Engineered by Justin Lowe
Release date: September 2008
Total duration: 4 minutes 9 seconds

Cover artwork: Virgin Annunciate (1450/5). Fra Angelico (Guido di Pietro) (c1387-1455)
Detroit Institute of Arts, USA, Bequest of Eleanor Clay Ford / Bridgeman Images
 

Other recordings available for download

El León de Oro, Peter Phillips (conductor)
The Queen's Six

Reviews

‘This is The Brabant Ensemble at their most vigorous and confident … in a fast-growing discography, this is a valuable addition’ (Gramophone)

‘Rice and his ensemble reveal a composer of warmth and passion who could also write resplendently joyful music when required … the whole recital is marked by an extraordinary unanimity of ensemble, security of intonation and intelligence that surpass all rivals in the repertory. In short, this is a valuable and exquisitely sung addition to the Morales discography’ (International Record Review)

‘Music of astonishing beauty and rapt polyphonic intensity, which the voices of the Brabant Ensemble unfold with perfect poise’ (The Guardian)

‘The Magnficat setting glows with power, and the three Lamentations have a grave beauty impossible to resist with the radiant tone and golden blend of Stephen Rice's Brabant Ensemble. The wise selection focuses on material underexposed elsewhere’ (The Times)

‘The young Oxford choir turns its immaculate ensemble, lucid diction and faultless tuning to the Spanish composer Morales. His Lamentations flow with exquisite sadness … the lines blend like threads in a tapestry … the selection of motets is rich with dynamic contrast, expressivity and downright beautiful singing’ (Classic FM Magazine)

‘This first-rate recording makes an important contribution not only for its exceptional performances, but in its thoughtful programming … essential’ (Classics Today)
A combination of paraphrase technique and canon is evident in the six-voice Regina caeli setting, one of five attributed to Morales (though one of these is most likely by Costanzo Festa). The melodic material is derived from the plainsong Marian antiphon for Eastertide, with a canon at the lower fourth between the second soprano and second alto parts. This antiphon was frequently considered appropriate for canonic treatment at this time: another example is the setting by Pierre de Manchicourt, recorded by The Brabant Ensemble (on Hyperion CDA67604).

from notes by Stephen Rice © 2008

Le Regina caeli à six voix (l’un des cinq attribués à Morales, même si l’un d’entre eux est très probablement de Costanzo Festa) combine à l’évidence technique paraphrastique et canon. Le matériau mélodique provient de l’antienne mariale en plain-chant pour le temps pascal, avec un canon à la quarte inférieure entre les parties de second soprano et de second alto. Cette antienne se prêtait bien, considérait-on souvent à l’époque, à un traitement canonique, comme l’illustre le Regina caeli de Pierre de Manchicourt, également enregistré par The Brabant Ensemble (Hyperion CDA67604).

extrait des notes rédigées par Stephen Rice © 2008
Français: Hyperion Records Ltd

In der sechsstimmigen Vertonung des Regina caeli, einer von fünf, die Morales zugeschrieben sind (obwohl eine davon höchstwahrscheinlich von Costanzo Festa stammt), findet sich eine Kombination von Paraphrasentechnik und Kanon. Das melodische Material wird aus dem Choral der marianischen Antiphon für die Osterzeit entnommen, mit einem Kanon in der Unterquarte zwischen der zweiten Sopran- und zweiten Altstimme. Diese Antiphon wurde zu dieser Zeit oft als angemessen zur kanonischen Behandlung betrachtet; ein weiteres Beispiel ist die Vertonung von Pierre de Manchicourt, die ebenfalls vom Brabant Ensemble (Hyperion CDA67604) aufgenommen wurde.

aus dem Begleittext von Stephen Rice © 2008
Deutsch: Renate Wendel

Other albums featuring this work

Amarae morti
Studio Master: CDA68279Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available
Journeys to the New World
Studio Master: SIGCD626Download onlyStudio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available
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