{"product_id":"machaut-ballades-1","title":"Machaut: Ballades","description":"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003eMACHAUT \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12b\"\u003e11 Ballades \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"BULLET12b\"\u003e•\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e Lucien Kandel, dir; Ens Musica Nova \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"BULLET12b\"\u003e•\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003e AEON AECD 0982 (75:17 \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12\"\u003eText and Translation) \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003eDe Fortune. Dame se vous m’estes. Esperance. Phyton le mervilleus. Se quanque amours. De triste cuer\/Quant vrais\/Certes. Il m’est avis. Sans cuer m’en vois\/Amis dolens\/Dame par vous. Amours me fait desirer. Quant Theseus\/Ne quier. Je ne cuit pas. Hoquetus David \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"COMPOSER12\"\u003eANON \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ARIAL12bi\"\u003ePour vous revoir. Sois tard tempre \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eWe have never had a collection devoted only to Machaut’s ballades on a disc until now. While the motets have had more attention recently than any other form, including a set of discs by this same ensemble on another label (\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eFanfare\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e 28:1), there are fewer of them than the 42 ballades, the longest list of Machaut’s compositions in any form. (He wrote 235 ballades, the rest not set to music.) Only four of them remain to be recorded, and while that short list has not been further reduced here, the program does give us a few works that needed more satisfactory versions. Only \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eAmours me fait desirer\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e and \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eQuant Theseus\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e (along with the instrumental hocket, which is not a ballade) have been much recorded in the past, and both of them, along with \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eEsperance\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e, have been recorded very nicely on an Ensemble Gilles Binchois disc (not reviewed here). \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eDe Fortune, Se quanque amours\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e, and \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eJe ne cuit pas\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e are all on a superb Orlando Consort disc (22:5). \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eDame se vous m’estes\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e is on the recent Gothic Voices disc (30:4), while \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003eIl m’est avis\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e is on a fine Ferrara Ensemble disc (also not reviewed here). The disc concludes with two anonymous virelais (one instrumental) that show Machaut’s influence on the next generation of composers. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eSo apart from these pieces, there are still three ballades that needed these new interpretations. The four singers and four players render this collection in varied ways. Set for two to four voices, some use a solo voice with instruments on the other parts, others are a cappella vocal renditions, and still others are vocal performance with instrumental doubling. All of the ballades are given with all three strophes. \u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan style=\"font-style:italic\"\u003ePhyton\u003c\/span\u003e \u003cspan\u003e, sung by a cappella voices, is a notable gain, replacing David Munrow’s incomplete version with one voice and two crumhorns. The other two that are marked improvements over anything up to now are both triple-texted ballades, a different text in each voice. Both are given elegant a cappella performances. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan\u003eThe last decade or so has seen one Machaut disc after another receiving favorable reviews. This is partly due to the performances that preceded those that we hear in this new era, a range that too often dipped sadly below an acceptable level of interpretation. It is also due to the exceptional level that current interpreters have attained. At the rate we are going, it will be some years before we have the complete Machaut, but perhaps it will eventually be satisfactory as well as complete. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cspan style=\"font-weight:bold\"\u003eFANFARE: J. F. Weber \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Aeon","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":49742197293336,"sku":"3760058369821","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0687\/4346\/3192\/files\/1588631_71a9b4ac-80fe-4195-ab3e-dde66c3454aa.jpg?v=1777801840","url":"https:\/\/hbdirect.com\/products\/machaut-ballades-1","provider":"HBDirect","version":"1.0","type":"link"}