Title : Words of the Angel
Author : Trio Mediaeval
Release Date : 20020129
Binding : Audio CD
Regular Price : $17.98
Amazon.com Price : $11.99
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Editorial Reviews : The 14th century 'Tournai' Mass, consisting of a Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei, and Ite missa est, is the first known complete polyphonic mass to come down to us. Its sections were probably written by different composers, and it's a stunning, fascinating look into early polyphony. This performance is combined with other pieces from the same period, as well as a five-minute piece by contemporary composer Ivan Moody, which--though clearly from six centuries later--blends to make this a gorgeous whole. If you like Anonymous 4, you're in for a real treat here. The three Scandinavian women who make up Trio Mediaeval have astonishingly beautiful voices, with individual timbres that nonetheless mingle seamlessly, whether in simple, chantlike moments or in the high-flying Moody piece. And they sing with feeling, depth, and, well, soul. This is a magnificent disc, not to be missed.
Buyer Reviews : This CD was not exactly what I expected, but the fault is mine, not the CD's. I saw that there were a number of Gregorian chants, but was expecting there to also be some songs with harmonies and rhythms more consistent with secular medieval music. There was really very little of that (a few tracks were more musical and less chant-y, but still unmistakably 'church music'), but the music was everything you could hope for in a recording of Gregorian chants.
Beautiful female voices add a different dimension to the music than the more widely-recorded monastic renditions of these chants. The music is very atmospheric, and evoked memories of the quiet stillness of European cathedrals (specifically Reims, in my case, probably because that's the most impressive cathedral I've ever been in). It was definitely recorded in a cathedral-like space, though. The acoustics practically scream of high stone ceilings.
