Capella de Ministrers / Carles Magraner LA SPAGNA Danzas del Renacimiento español

La Spagna reviews the universe of instrumental dances from the Spanish Renaisance by composers such as Ortiz, Milán, Dalza, Negri, Caroso, Capirola, Cabezón, Praetorius, Barbetta, Spinacino, Narváez and anonymous works from the Cancionero de Palacio (the Palace Songbook).

Collegium Terpsichore / Ulsamer Collegium DOWLAND - GESUALDO - MOLINARO - PRAETORIUS Dances of the Renaissance

Unfortunately, Deutsche Grammophon may be striking an all-too-effective blow against its own catalog with this two-disc compilation of Renaissance dances. With just one inexpensive purchase we can acquire some great background music and get a mostly delightful and generous sampling of works “representative” enough of the period to satisfy the most casual listener’s needs or desires. There’s plenty of period instrument color and courtly elegance here, and anyone who has even the slightest notion of Renaissance (and early Baroque) instrumental music will feel in familiar territory. Among the selections are six dances from Michael Praetorius’ famous collection known as Terpsichore and three suites from Johann Schein’s Banchetto musicale. A large portion of the program features works by anonymous composers, and many others may as well be–few listeners will know anything of Hans Neusidler, Joan Dalza, Erasmus Widmann, or Luis der Milán. But in this two-hour-plus program, we do get to hear all of one minute and fifty-two seconds from one of the period’s more illustrious composers, John Dowland, as well as fifty-seven seconds of Orlando Gibbons, and slightly more than two minutes of Gesualdo (even though he’s billed on the disc’s cover).

Although this set may appear ideal for the novice–and for anyone who just wants a little “courtly elegance” in his collection for those occasions when unobtrusive refinement and civility are called for–in actuality it’s more like a musical version of a trip through those international exhibits at Disney World. There, in one authentically inspired but undeniably artificial package we are supposed to experience the true flavor of a time and place hitherto unvisited. And for many, this experience will remain their only encounter–woefully incomplete, somewhat distorted, and misleading, as this sometimes odd array of pieces certainly is. One of the beauties of listening to music of this period is to discover the multitude of ways it can be interpreted and performed–and the multitude of influences on its form and style from country to country. Indeed, we get to hear performances by some fine practitioners of Renaissance-period instrumental music, although even these don’t represent the top drawer artists in the DG/Archiv catalog. The sound, dating back to the 1960s and ’70s, varies from constricted to warm to bright. I’m not sure exactly who this collection is for, but I’d recommend it only as a tiny beginning step in discovering the fascinating, vast, and varied world of 16th/early-17th century dance music. (Classics Today)

Choir of Westminster Abbey / Simon Preston CHRISTMAS CAROLS

At Westminster Abbey there are three Carol Services each year. The first takes place on Advent Sunday (at the end of November), the next on the Feast of St. Stephen (26 December), and the last on the Feast of the Holy Innocents (28 December). On these occasions, Evensong is replaced by a special liturgy which retells the events surrounding the birth of Our Lord. The choir of twenty-two boys and twelve men, led by their choirmaster, begins the service by singing at the west end of the Abbey church. Then it moves in procession throughout the building, performing pieces whose words reflect the Christmas story.

The custom of performing carols in this way dates back to the 15th century. The carol, which was originally a song for dancing to, had gradually become a religious song, and had begun to replace some of the ancient processional hymns which were sung in church on feast days. Because the most important feasts of the church year were those at Christmastime, the carol became particularly associated with that season.

Simon Preston, the Organist and Choirmaster of Westminster Abbey, chooses carols of all types for these services. He is particularly attracted by some of the modern carols which British composers have written in recent years, among them settings of traditional words, but also others with verses by contemporary poets. They take their place alongside arrangements of older carols, as well as some of the medieval settings in their original form. (John Buttrey)