Magnificat super Si ignoras te (Andreae) - from CDA68447 - Hyperion Records

Reviews

‘This is a superb programme mining a rich vein of post-Reformation music from German-speaking countries, all sung with the characteristic silvery tone of The Brabant Ensemble … this is superb—the singers constantly move between overlapping, sumptuous ars perfecta polyphony to quick-witted, snappy homophony, and they do it at every juncture with great style and fluency’ (Gramophone)

‘This is another super release from The Brabant Ensemble under their founder Stephen Rice to add to their growing and estimable back catalogue. I hope the project gets the success it deserves’ (MusicWeb International)» More

‘The Mass is a tour de force of Obrechtian counterpoint, with all sorts of interesting versions of the cantus firmus showing up throughout; the reduced textures at the beginning of the Gloria are particularly appealing, and the startling dissonance at the end of the Pleni sunt coeli is beautifully crunchy … with regard to musicological prowess, musical skill, and personal sentiment alike, it’s an album well worth a listen’ (Early Music America, USA)

‘There are two ways to listen to The Brabant Ensemble’s new recording, A monk’s life, both of which are highly satisfying. First, you can simply soak up the sounds of a top-notch vocal ensemble singing polyphony of the mid to late 16th century. Alternatively, you can follow the printed program and librettos, turning the 30 tracks into an intriguing biography of a nameless monk in late-Renaissance Germany … Stephen Rice and the Brabant conjure up a glorious environment for worship’ (Classical Voice North America)

‘As always, the singing of the Brabants is simply beyond reproach: their creamy ensemble tone, their intonation, and their perfectly balanced expressiveness are a pure joy to hear’ (CD Hotlist, USA)

‘The Brabant Ensemble is perhaps the premier group on the Renaissance scene presenting in-depth research in a way that is accessible to general audiences, and the group has done it again with the 2024 release A monk's life … the ensemble of nine or ten singers is of an ideal size, and Hyperion's sound from a chapel at Oxford is perfectly idiomatic. A must-have for lovers of Renaissance choral music’ (AllMusic, USA)

Introduction
English
Deutsch

Carolus Andreae was a gifted organist, and after he became abbot of the Swabian monastery at Irsee in 1612, he also had a new organ built for his church. A chronicle praises him as ‘one of the most celebrated musicians of his time’, which is perhaps somewhat exaggerated: he was no doubt an accomplished composer, but none of his works appeared in print; they were reserved for use at Irsee. In 1614 he created, together with his fellow brother Gregor Stemmele, polyphonic settings for the feast of their patronal saint Benedict, including the Magnificat based on Jacob Reiner’s motet Si ignoras te. The text is presented alternatingly in chant and polyphony, which anchors the piece in the liturgy while allowing for creative flourishes. The swift declamation at the start of the ‘Magnificat’ and at ‘Abraham et semini eius’ is reminiscent of contemporary madrigals, and Andreae frequently divides the six vocal parts into an upper and a lower choir to create a polychoral effect. The return of the opening material at the end is a popular ploy to illustrate the text ‘as it was in the beginning’.

Auch Carolus Andreae war ein begabter Organist, und nachdem er 1612 zum Abt des schwäbischen Klosters Irsee gewählt worden war, ließ er ebenfalls eine neue Orgel für seine Kirche bauen. Eine Klosterchronik preist ihn als „einen der gefeiertsten Musiker seiner Zeit“, was wohl etwas übertrieben ist, denn er war zweifellos ein begabter Komponist, aber keines seiner Werke erschien im Druck; sie blieben dem Gebrauch in Irsee vorbehalten. Zusammen mit seinem Mitbruder Gregor Stemmele vertonte er 1614 die gesamte Liturgie für das Fest des Ordensheiligen Benedikt, einschließlich eines Magnificat, das auf Jacob Reiners Motette Si ignoras te basiert. Der Text wird abwechselnd einstimmig und mehrstimmig vorgetragen, was die Komposition einerseits durch den Choral eng an die Liturgie bindet, und andererseits kreativen Freiraum schafft. Die rasche Deklamation am Anfang des „Magnificat“ und bei „Abraham et semini eius“ erinnert an zeitgenössische Madrigale. Andreae teilt das sechsstimmige Ensemble oft in einen Hoch- und einen Tiefchor, um einen mehrchörigen Effekt zu erzielen. Die Wiederkehr des musikalischen Materials vom Anfang des Magnificat am Ende ist ein beliebtes Mittel, um die Doxologie „wie am Anfang so auch jetzt und alle Zeit“ zu illustrieren.

Recording details: July 2023
The Chapel of Harcourt Hill campus, Oxford Brookes University, United Kingdom
Produced by Matthew Bennett
Engineered by Oscar Torres
Release date: November 2024
Total duration: 8 minutes 59 seconds

Cover artwork: Scenes from the life of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux by the Master of St Severin (fl1485-1515)
Museum Schnütgen, Cologne

Magnificat super Si ignoras te

The Brabant Ensemble, Stephen Rice (conductor)

Reviews

Introduction