Le greygnour bien (Matteo da Perugia) - from CDA67549 - Hyperion Records

Reviews

‘The vivid ambience of the recordings, the quality of the chosen compositions, the incisive, animated, full-toned precision of the fiddle playing and performances by Bott make for 62 minutes of pure pleasure … these performances must rank amongst Bott's best (and that's saying something)’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘Delectable is just about the right word for this sequence of pieces sung by Catherine Bott, with and without the fiddles of Pavlo Beznosiuk and Mark Levy. … the simplicity and spontaneity of the pared-down and often improvisatory approach enormously enhances the emotional impact of the music, and brings the listener extraordinarily close to the characters whose deepest feelings are being voiced’ (The Daily Telegraph)

‘The outstanding CD of the month’ (Early Music Review)

‘This is some of the most elegant singing I have heard and certainly some of the best fiddle playing now available … it is an excellent single-disc anthology of medieval song’ (American Record Guide)

‘In every respect this CD is an utter delight. The music is charming, the performances infectious, the recording is simply outstanding and the booklet complete with full texts and translations into modern English, is a real pleasure to read … this disc is a source of unreserved pleasure’ (International Record Review)

‘A sublime survey of music and textual conceits from a remote yet immediately communicative past … soprano and string players wear their classical training lightly, catching the folk flavour of this beguiling repertoire’ (Classic FM Magazine)

‘We had to wait five years for its release. Believe me, it was worth the wait. Hear this haunting music’ (Fanfare, USA)

‘Charmingly and effectively done, it is well worth hearing’ (Scotland on Sunday)

This song is simply one of the cleverest pieces of contemporary music ever to have come out of France—sometime before the year 1418. Le greygnour bien is a benchmark of the Ars subtilior—that ‘more subtle art’ which deploys conflicting time signatures and complex rhythms to display its conceits. This exquisitely mannered repertoire has fascinated audiences since it was written, and easily bears comparision with the most ‘difficult’ of modern music.

Cette chanson est tout simplement l’une des plus intelligentes œuvres musicales jamais produites par la France d’alors—nous sommes un peu avant 1418. Le greygnour bien est une référence de l’Ars subtilior, cet «art très subtil» qui déploie des signes de la mesure conflictuels et des rythmes complexes pour mettre en valeur ses traits d’esprit. Ce répertoire exquisément maniéré, qui a d’emblée fasciné les auditoires, soutient sans peine la comparaison avec la plus «difficile» des musiques modernes.

Le greygnour bien ist schlicht eines der geistreichsten zeitgenössischen Musikstücke, das je in Frankreich entstand—und zwar um das Jahr 1418. Es ist ein Höhepunkt der Ars subtilior—jener „subtileren Kunst“, die gegensätzliche Taktvorzeichen und komlexe Rhythmen nutzt, um ihre Kultiviertheit hervorzukehren. Dieses exquisit manierierte Repertoire hat seit seiner Entstehung das Publikum fasziniert und hält jeden Vergleich mit der „schwierigsten“ modernen Musik aus.

Recording details: April 2001
Angel Studios, Islington, London, United Kingdom
Produced by Catherine Bott & Stephen Henderson
Engineered by Steve Price & Mat Bartram
Release date: January 2006
Total duration: 4 minutes 36 seconds

Cover artwork: The Meeting on the Turret Stairs. Frederick William Burton (1816-1900)
The National Gallery of Ireland

Le greygnour bien

Catherine Bott (soprano), Pavlo Beznosiuk (fiddle), Mark Levy (fiddle)

Reviews

Introduction