Heinrich Isaac: Motets for Emperor Maximilian I
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CD Details
Composer: Paul HofhaimerComposer: Heinrich Isaac
Composer: Ludwig Senfl
Composer: Gregorian Chant
Composer: Josquin Desprez
Composer: Costanzo Festa
Edition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 1999-12-07
Music Label: Christophorus
Soundtracks:
- Salve Regina
- Salve Sancta Parens
- Virgo Prudentissima
- Christ Ist Erstanden (Instrumental)
- De Profundis
- Inviolata, Integra Et Casta Es Maria
- Inviolata, Integra Et Casta Es Maria
- Innsbruck, Ich Muss Dich Lassen
- Proch Dolor
- Sancti Spiritus Assit Nobis Gratia
- Quis Dabit Oculis
- Christus Surrexit (Instrumental)
Music reviews of Heinrich Isaac: Motets for Emperor Maximilian I
Music Review: Four-Plus, Five-Minus...
Rating: 4 Stars
... but probably the best performance available of this repertoire, the motets of the great German Renaissance composers Heinrich Isaac, Ludwig Senfl, and Paul Hofhaimer. To those names, I would add Thomas Stoltzer, Heinrich Finck, and others -- all scanted by the recording industry.
Ensemble Hofkapelle is an all-male choir of six young Germans conducted by Englishman Michael Procter. Stylistically and vocally, they have many of the same merits as the American male choir Chanticleer. They produce a rich, well-tuned choral timbre, a robust resonance. Their 'weakness' is, however, a king of resonant robustness, in which the polyphonic voices blend artfully but seldom achieve the emotive independence of rhetoric that makes the music more than just beautiful. In other words, there's a bit too much 'evenness' in their style, and on this CD that evenness is amplified by their use of cornetti and trombones doubling or supplanting the voices. Hey, I love the cornetto. I play the recalcitrant little beast. But instrumental doubling was a situational choice in the Renaissance, depending on the acoustic of the performance space, the skills of the chorus, and the magnificence expected by the listeners. It is seldom the best choice for recording in a modern studio.
Another slight weakness of this CD is the 'program', which meanders from instrumental piece to motet and back without quite becoming a unified "concert" of music. It doesn't 'build' affectively; it's just an assortment of extremely fine pieces. Yes, the individual pieces ARE extremely fine, and although two of the motets are by Josquin and one originally by the Italian Costanzo Festa, they do have interesting historical connections to the court of Maximilian I, the Holy Roman Emperor. Those connections are explained succinctly in the program notes.
Here are the items:
Hofhaimer - Salve Regina, for organ
Isaac - Salve Sancta Parens & Virgo Prudentissima, motets
Isaac - Christ ist erstanden, instrumental carmina
Senfl - De Profundis, motet (and a very fine one!)
Josquin - Inviolata integra et casta est Maria, motet
Isaac - Innsbruck ich muss dich lassen, polyphonic German Lied
Josquin - Proch dolor, motet (possibly his last composition)
Isaac - Sancti spiritus assit nobis gratia, motet
Festa/Senfl - Quis dabit oculis (a consummate masterpiece of polyphony; see below)
Isaac - Christus surrexit, instrumental carmina
The "Quis dabit oculis" was composed by Festa as a requiem for the death of Anne of Brittany in 1514. Maximilian and Anne were betrothed but never married. When Maximilian died in 1519, Senfl adapted the text of Festa's requiem, without changing a note, to be performed during the mourning. It's as moving a piece as either Festa or Senfl ever composed, and Ensemble Hofkapelle sings it sublimely well.
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