Bayard 308 475.2
bayardmusique.com
Requiem. Johannes OCKEGHEM · Pierre de LA RUE —
Diabolus in Musica
[19.6.2018]
Bayard 308 475.2
bayardmusique.com
Les deux premiers Requiem polyphoniques de notre histoire, deux œuvres éblouissantes aux sonorités graves et profondes magnifiées par les voix d’homme de Diabolus in Musica.
Ces deux Requiem de Johannes Ockeghem (+ 1497) et Pierre de La Rue (1518) développent des sonorités profondes grâce à une utilisation stupéfiante et inédite des registres graves, et des audaces musicales peu communes (ambitus, jeux rythmiques, contrastes saisissants, expressionnismes inhabituels...). Les deux grands musiciens y font preuve d’une maîtrise et d’une virtuosité étonnantes, toujours au service de l’émotion.
En cette aube de la Renaissance, la sensibilité religieuse se modifie et l’“ars moriendi” (art de bien mourir) prend une place fondamentale dans la dévotion et ses manifestations artistiques les plus spectaculaires. Les messes pour les défunts, jusqu’alors traditionnellement chantées de façon sobre et retenue en plain-chant, sont désormais mises en polyphonie, comme toutes les autres messes.
[19.6.2018]
medieval.org Remarks
http://www.medieval.org/emfaq/cds/remarks.html
18 August 2018
Todd M. McComb
———
When I first heard that Diabolus in Music was doing a
Requiem program devoted to Ockeghem
& La Rue, of course I wanted to hear what they had done with
these pieces, but I also wasn't sure. After all, these are "war
horses" in some sense, at least relative to repertory of this
era, this being the 18th complete recording of the Ockeghem cycle
& 12th of the La Rue.
I also felt as though the Ockeghem cycle
is fairly well "plumbed," so to speak, and indeed I don't
think that Antoine Guerber & company show anything new about
the piece, but they do produce an outstanding performance, and
that's always welcome. I was even surprised that they incorporated
some cadential ornaments, perhaps as a nod to Ensemble Organum, but
as stated in the comments on
my personal list,
it works well.
My misgivings on the La Rue arose from the notion
of pitch & how the piece has typically been transposed to fit
into a smaller overall range: Extreme
Singing by the obscure Vox Ensemble was the first to perform
it at pitch, and I found the result compelling. (Indeed, the 11th
recording of the piece, that by Cappella
Pratensis, appeared — together with the 17th recording
of the Ockeghem! — shortly afterward, and despite its strengths,
I wasn't really able to appreciate the transposed performance.)
But Diabolus in Musica adopt this approach as well, so perhaps it
is or will be generally accepted... it sounds correct to me.
(Perhaps I should also note, somewhat indulgently, that they do not
address my suggestion from a couple of decades ago that the
"lost" Dufay Requiem is actually embedded in the beginning
of Ockeghem's cycle.... Perhaps such a suggestion is simply
unanswerable, or was disproven somewhere I didn't notice: As my
center of gravity has shifted to more contemporary activities, I
don't notice the non-recording literature to the degree that I once
did....) Altogether then, as I remark in the other comments, this
isn't a groundbreaking album, but it's quite welcome nonetheless.
Now I suppose I should wonder (or worry) why the Bayard Musique
label isn't more widely distributed....
———
Requiem - Ockeghem / La Rue
Diabolus in Musica - Antoine Guerber
Bayard Musique 308
475.2
This is not a groundbreaking album, but it's a very enjoyable
interpretation of two long-time favorites: I can't say as I've
ever fetishized the Requiem genre the way that some may have, but
there's no arguing with the quality of this music. Ockeghem's
reputation remains unchallenged today, and the Requiem is
one of his most austere & enduring works. The transition from
an earlier style to more elaborate counterpoint of the period also
seems to mark something of the medieval twilight.... La Rue has
been the most generally compelling composer of the next generation
for me, and his Requiem is a virtuoso tour-de-force of low
lows & high highs, not to mention the contrapuntal intricacy
that La Rue developed to a level of subtlety like no one else....
The two performances, although by the same ensemble from the
same sessions, emerge from somewhat different histories: The
Ockeghem Requiem entry from Ensemble Organum was one of the
oldest on my list, and no one had really moved the needle for me
since then, so to speak. However, Diabolus in Musica simply bring
a new level of mastery to this music, based on their now extensive
experience not only with earlier medieval music but e.g. with
their earlier Ockeghem-themed program.
They even retain some "trembling" cadential ornaments,
presumably inspired in part by Organum, which are performed to
splendid effect. The singing is strong, and this is a highly
compelling performance of music that has received many quality
performances. There's a "finish" & satisfaction here
that remain rare in interpretations of this repertory.
For the La Rue, the most important precedent is the earlier
Extreme Singing (released in 2011 — I was surprised
to realize that it's been so long!) album that was the first to
sing his Requiem at written pitch, rather than transpose it
into a narrower range. Diabolus in Music also take up this challenge,
and although details of the low parts can be a little murky at
times, generally pull it off with a little more sophistication than
the sometimes stiff Vox Ensemble (who have nonetheless secured
themselves a place in this performance history). It's great to see
performing at pitch taken up by a prominent European ensemble, and
as I've said before, it transforms the piece into something even
more striking. In this case, Diabolus in Music actually take every
movement (especially Sanctus) more slowly than did Vox (or
indeed the rather punchy Ensemble Clément Janequin performance
I had preferred prior to the availability of these more contemporary
approaches), and so invoke a more ceremonial character. I do think
that the slowness can be overdone, though (and these impressions
of grandeur are hard to balance). So I would say that this cycle
can still be performed better, but this is a valuable step toward
continually improving command of the piece....
Together, the two cycles & interpretations make for a very
recommendable album. And they seem a natural pairing.
(Note further that I have duplicated this entry under both
Ockeghem & La Rue headings, for obvious reasons. I would prefer
not to duplicate albums on these lists, but felt no choice in this
case, given the stature of each Requiem.)
To renaissance sacred list.
Todd M. McComb
[22.8.2018]