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De Vlaamse Polifonie /Currende Consort - Capella Sancti Michaelis /Erik van Nevel |
This set of 10 CDs offers a representative anthology of polyphonic compositions dating from the 15th and 16th centuries, a time when the Low Countries by the Sea played a major part in Western European music. Far across the borders the Fiamminghi were trendsetters in composition, singing and music tuition. They marked both religious and secular polyphonic music with their personal stamp, setting the norm internationally and finding followers everywhere. Kings, princes and dukes, popes, cardinals and bishops vied with each other in attracting the best Flemish polyphonists at their prestigious Renaissance courts. Unique and dazzlingly illuminated manuscripts as well as more mass-produced music prints ensured a wide distribution of the highly-praised art of these Flemings. Their virtuosic composition techniques were legendary. In a European context, their music's expressive power became one of its strongest assets. Through its intrinsical musical qualities and incomparable expressive power, Renaissacne polyphony can also lead listeners of today to an aesthetic experience of the highest calibre.
