The Attaignant Consort – Le Parler et le Silence: Music for flute consort and lute from the late 16th to the early 18th centuries (2013) [Official Digital Download 24bit/88,2kHz]

The Attaignant Consort – Le Parler et le Silence: Music for flute consort and lute from the late 16th to the early 18th centuries (2013)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/88,2 kHz | Time – 01:08:33 minutes | 1,11 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Ramée

This recording is the sequel to The Attaignant Consort’s first disc – Madame d’amours (RAM 0706) – and the third and last ina series of three recordings presenting the art of the Renaissance flute, both as solo instrument (RAM 1201) and as a consort instrument from the late fifteenth century until the middle of the seventeenth. This disc places the accent on the musical transition of the seventeenth century, and shows how the consort of flutes adapted to the new styles of composition, which pushed it to the very limits of its possibilities. This recording illustrates the repertory for flute consort from its beginnings, including examples of the first instrumental fantasias, of airs de cour in four voices, a suite of English songs, bicinia, and finally French airs enriched with Baroque ornaments from the early eighteenth century.

The ATTAIGNANT CONSORT was co-founded in 1998 by Kate Clark, Frédérique Chauvet, Marion Moonen and Marcello Gatti. Mathieu Langlois joined the ensemble in 2008. Drawn together by a fascination with the renaissance flute, they have collaborated over many years with the Italian flute-maker Giovanni Tardino, exploring the sound world of this, until now, little-known instrument. The ensemble’s work has been greatly enriched by their long-standing collaboration with distinguished English lutenist Nigel North, begun in 2007. Each of the musicians in the Attaignant Consort has a multi-facetted musical career independent of the Consort: above all performers, their combined portfolios comprise outstanding achievements in the fields of teaching, conducting, ensemble direction, editing, writing and musicology. They come together for performances as the Attaignant Consort, sharing a deep love of the poetry and music of the Renaissance and early baroque. The Attaignant Consort works from facsimile editions of original part-books rather than scores, and performs as often as possible from memory, mindful of the aural tradition of learning in which many sixteenth-century instrumentalists were educated. The ensemble not only performs written diminutions from the period, but also those composed specially for it by Kate Clark. The ensemble’s first CD Madame d’amours was released on the Ramee label, to broad critical acclaim, in October 2007.

The Attaignant Consort wisely refrains from explaining what they mean by “Speaking and Silence.” Is it the music that speaks, the notes preceded and followed by silence? The tradition of polyphony that would shortly give way to the primacy of homophonic music? The fantasias and arrangements of vocal works, soon to give way to more thoroughly structured works composed for winds? The Renaissance and Baroque flutes (heard here in instrumental families styled after 16th and 18th century models) that would be stilled with the advent of newer models? Regardless, the Attaignant Consort supplies a fascinating program to illustrate the subtitle of their latest release.

As with their earlier albums, Le Parler et le Silence follows the modern practice in many live performances of forming discrete groups of selections that espouse some form of common identity along with internal and external contrasts. An example is the three Sweelinck arrangements—two witty bicinia or teaching pieces, each in two parts, based on French texts, followed by a learned but sweet five-part setting of Psalm 9. These three pieces, with their high order of imitative art, in turn lead into a section of five English works, the break of continuity illustrated by leading off with an arrangement of Francis Pilkington’s strictly homophonic madrigal My choice is made . The English pieces are in fact a microcosm of secular Elizabethan English music media, presenting madrigals, lute songs, and consort fantasias with variations in diminution. Each succeeding section in turn reveals careful attention to programming for formal diversity and central ideas, whether by nation, individual composer, or (as the program ends with a sonata da chiesa by Boismortier) increasingly formalized structure. In short, this isn’t one of those albums that sports an undifferentiated-four-recorders-as-one sound, but a program of diverse origins, thoughtfully explored by anywhere from solo instruments to full ensemble.
The Attaignant Consort appears not to have been reviewed in these pages, before. It was formed in 1998. Three out of four of their original members are still in the group. While recorder consorts aren’t exactly rare, this ensemble brings both a textural variety and touch of class to everything they do. Lutenist Nigel North’s eloquent performances contribute to the former; unpressured tone and sculpted phrasing, to the latter. The engineering is reasonably dry, close and balanced, with the lute never getting lost behind the Attaignants. Highly recommended. –Barry Brenesal, FANFARE

Tracklist:
01. The Attaignant Consort – Pulchra es amica mea (04:07)
02. The Attaignant Consort – Fantasia (02:05)
03. The Attaignant Consort – Canzon decima (01:59)
04. The Attaignant Consort – Fantasie (02:24)
05. The Attaignant Consort – Canzon settimadecima (03:19)
06. The Attaignant Consort – Fantasia seconda (04:38)
07. The Attaignant Consort – L’enfant amour (01:51)
08. The Attaignant Consort – Yeux qui guidez mon ame (03:07)
09. The Attaignant Consort – Psalm 9 (03:17)
10. The Attaignant Consort – My Choice Is Made (01:30)
11. The Attaignant Consort – La Tortorella (02:05)
12. The Attaignant Consort – Galliard (01:17)
13. The Attaignant Consort – Fantasia (01:23)
14. The Attaignant Consort – Fantasia (03:04)
15. The Attaignant Consort – Première entrée (01:19)
16. The Attaignant Consort – Si le penser de mon ame (01:35)
17. The Attaignant Consort – Si c’est un crime que l’aymer (01:13)
18. The Attaignant Consort – Esprits qui soupirez (01:13)
19. The Attaignant Consort – O destin par trop rigoureux (01:02)
20. The Attaignant Consort – Si le parler et le silence (01:05)
21. The Attaignant Consort – Chaconne des harlequins de Mr Lully (02:57)
22. The Attaignant Consort – Ma bergère (02:01)
23. The Attaignant Consort – Si c’est un crime que l’aymer (02:11)
24. The Attaignant Consort – L’amour, le seul amour (02:55)
25. The Attaignant Consort – Prelude (01:49)
26. The Attaignant Consort – Chaconne (01:52)
27. The Attaignant Consort – Fanfare (01:03)
28. The Attaignant Consort – L’amant le plus fidelle (01:13)
29. The Attaignant Consort – Air anglois (00:53)
30. The Attaignant Consort – Sonata No. 1 in G Major, Op. 34:Sonata No. 1 in G Major, Op. 34: I. Adagio (02:48)
31. The Attaignant Consort – Sonata No. 1 in G Major, Op. 34:Sonata No. 1 in G Major, Op. 34: II. Presto (01:53)
32. The Attaignant Consort – Sonata No. 1 in G Major, Op. 34:Sonata No. 1 in G Major, Op. 34: III. Adagio (01:41)
33. The Attaignant Consort – Sonata No. 1 in G Major, Op. 34:Sonata No. 1 in G Major, Op. 34: IV. Allegro (01:31)

Personnel:
The Attaignant Consort:
Marcello Gatti, Kate Clark, Frédérique Chauvet, Mathieu Langlois, Renaissance and baroque flutes
Nigel North, lute

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