Trio Medieval ready to release new disc of sacred music from 13th century England
Photo: Asa M. Mikkelsen
It's been a while since the excellent Norwegian female a cappella Trio Medieval has recorded a disc. In advance of the release of their latest, A Worcester Ladymass, next Tuesday, NPR is offering a free sneak peak on its website. It's a fantastic mix of great sound, serious scholarship and accessible new music.
The trio -- Anna Maria Friman, Linn Andrea Fugelseth and Torunn Ostrem Osum -- sounds wonderful in this 13th century Mass setting, found at a Benedictine abbey in Worcester. As the introductory article at NPR notes, pages from the manuscript had been removed to bind and repair other books. English composer Gavin Bryars set the missing Credo and the closing Benedicamus Domino.
The original music is a fascinating hybrid of organum (plainsong with an, in this case, moving pedal point/accompaniment) and freer polyphony. Bryars didn't try to mimic the Worcester style at all, but his additions somehow manage to fit in very nicely.
Check it all out here.
You can experience Trio Mediaeval perform the two new Gavin Bryars pieces and the Worchester Ladymass (among others!) at Soundstreams' upcoming concert Trio Mediaeval and The Toronto Consort on March 23rd at St. Anne's Church in Toronto. Visit www.soundstreams.ca for more information!
Posted by: Soundstreams | 03/14/2011 at 01:54 PM