POMERIUM

[Pomerium's Most Recent CD Reviews]

Spring 2000
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Carolus Maximus, Music in the Life of
Charles V
Pomerium, Alexander Blachly, director
by David Vernier

Here is a recording that announces its greatness within the first seconds of the first track--and it never lets up. It's a convergence of great music, exceptionally accordant singing, and lucid, luminous sound that must be heard by all who love choral music. This very experienced, expertly directed choir of 16 mixed voices does all the right things to enable each of these 16 pieces to show its full impact, of vocal color, of spinning melodic lines, and streams of luscious harmonies. The disc's title is not much help in revealing the specific works and composers we'll be hearing; as Holy Roman Emperor, king of Spain, and duke of Burgundy, Charles' rule extended across most of Europe and his Flemish choir was capable of performing the most sophisticated music. Therefore, we might expect a little Spanish, a little French, a little Flemish--and in fact, that's what we get. Included are multi-part secular pieces, motets, and mass movements by some of the period's most acclaimed composers: Nicolas Gombert, Orlande de Lassus, Josquin Desprez, Cristobal de Morales, Thomas Crecquillon, and Luys de Narváez. The music, most of which is not well known to modern audiences, exemplifies the highest achievements of Renaissance choral composition. Even seasoned listeners may be pleasantly surprised to discover the two works by Crecquillon--especially his five-part Quis te victorem, written "to celebrate Charles' generous treatment of vanquished foes"--or Gombert's Qui colis Ausoniam. In fact, Crecquillon and Gombert nearly steal the show from their more illustrious cohorts, in spite of extraordinary works such as the “Agnus Dei” from Morales' Missa Pro defunctis, or the very moving Morales piece that closes the program, Circumdederunt me, which was performed at a commemorative vigil service for Charles in Mexico City in the year following his death in 1558. But it's hard to choose highlights because virtually every piece and every performance is stunning--thanks in no small part to Pomerium's perfectly matched voices (soprano, countertenor, tenor, bass) and a blend that's often hair-raising. If I have a complaint, it's that the music, in mood and style, has a relentless similarity that might have been broken by at least a few elements of contrast. There are a couple. Along about track five, just when we're ready for a change of pace from the program's opening sequence of rich-textured, deep-hued choral polyphony, we hear the sound of the vihuela, which turns out to be Narváez's solo instrumental arrangement of the famous chanson by Josquin, "Mille regretz". Several other vocal treatments of the song (a favorite of Charles V) by different composers also are featured, including Josquin's four-part version. The vihuela returns one more time, but these two instrumental interludes, engaging and well-played as they are by Dolores Costoyas, are not quite enough to balance the full weight of the choral selections. Oh, well; I said if I had a complaint. I would only lodge such a criticism for real if I weren't completely overwhelmed by the sheer beauty and magnificence of these choral masterpieces and their exemplary performances. But I was, so I won't. Listen and you'll see what I mean.

EARLY MUSIC AMERICA

Carolus Maximus, Music in the Life of
Charles V
Pomerium, Alexander Blachly, director
Glissando 779 008-2
72:34 min.

by Craig Zeichner

The Emperor Charles V of Spain (1500-1558) maintained a capilla flamenca (Flemish choir) comprised of singers and composers from France and The Netherlands. The choir was considered one of the finest in the world and rivaled that of the Pope. This recording surveys the music of composers who served in the choir, as well as those who were popular during Charles's reign.

Nicolas Gombert (c.1495-1560) served as the Emperor's maestro di capilla for 14 years. His richly melodic style is represented by two movements from his Missa Sur tous regretzand a remarkable motet commemorating the alliance of Charles and Pope Clement VII, Qui colis Ausoniam. Gombert's successor as maestro was Thomas Crecquillon (c.1490-1557), whose motet Quis te victorem was written in praise of Charles's gracious treatment of vanquished foes. The complexity of Flemish polyphony is daunting to most performers, but the singers of Pomerium triumph, lovingly articulating each line, breathing and phrasing as one in the Crecquillon motet.

Music outside the Flemish circle is represented by the finest Spanish composer of the era, Cristóbal de Morales (c.1500-1553). Although Morales was never associated with the capilla flamenca, he did pay tribute to Charles with a number of works. Morales's six-voice motet Jubilate Deo receives an ecstatic performance that's glowing and grand. The intelligently balanced programming, glorious singing, and elegant packaging make this one of the best recordings of Renaissance polyphony this year.

Spring 2000
GRAMOPHONE EARLY MUSIC

Pomerium
Music from the Vatican Manuscripts
1503-1534
Works by De Silva, Festa, Genet, Josquin,
Mouton and Willaert
Pomerium/Alexander Blachly
Glissando 779 001-2 (67 minutes). Texts and translations included.

By John Bryan

This excellent CD shows just what can be done when benevolent sponsorship, international collaboration and creative talents meet. Recorded in connection with an exhibition on Art and Culture in Papal Rome (1503- 1534), supported by the Vatican Museums and the German government, it has given an American scholar and his choir the opportunity to bring to light the splendours of sacred music from the Vatican in the first third of the 16th century. Alexander Blachly's choice of pieces shows just what an important musical melting pot the Roman chapel was under Popes Julius II, Leo X and Clement VII, including motets by two very different generations of Flemish composers (Josquin and Willaert) who rub shoulders with their native Italian contemporaries (Costanzo Festa) and those from France (Elzéar Genet and Jean Mouton).

Apart from the Josquin, all this material is new to the CD catalogue, and some of it is a revelation. In particular Festa's virtuosic eight-voice Marian motet Inviolata, integra et casta catches the ear with its contrasting low and high choirs working in strict canon to creat a lavish velvet texture. In contrast Festa's Pater noster, simultaneously setting the Lord's Prayer and the chant of Ave Maria, provides a poised, pensive reflection on the texts. Another outstanding piece is Andreas de Silva's Omnis pulchritudo Domine for Ascension in which fervently oscillating vocal lines intertwine to create some unexpectedly forward-looking harmonies.

The 14 singers of Pomerium give polished and highly committed performances of all this varied repertory. They have a distinct sound that favours the lower voices, founded upon a deeply sonorous bass section (in contrast with some English choirs that often seem soprano-dominated). Just occasionally the tenors sound a touch tight and the usually pure sopranos sometimes 'swoop' across wider intervals, but overall there is a warmth and richness that match the radiant sonority of this luxurious music.

The recorded sound is not unduly resonant, and the ambient sounds of birdsong and monastery bells don't interfere with the clarity of the often dense contrapuntal vocal lines. This is the first recording on the new Glissando label master-minded by Dr Peter Czornyj, formerly with Archiv Produktion. It's beautifully presented, with a well-designed and illustrated booklet-note, and deserves the heartiest of welcomes.

December 1999
EARLY MUSIC REVIEW

Musica Vaticana: Music from the Vatican Manuscripts (1503-1534) Pomerium, Alexander Blachly dir 66'46"
Glissando 779 001-2
Carpentras Lamentatio Jeremiae; C. Festa Conditor alme siderum, Inviolata integra et casta, Pater noster/Ave Maria; Josquin Benedicta es, Virgo salutiferi; Mouton Tua est potentia; de Silva Omnis pulchritudo Domini; Willaert Enixa est puerpera

By D. James Ross

Issued in association with the exhibition 'High Renaissance in the Vatican', this disc provides a fascinating cross-section of papal music from the first third of the 16th century. Mainstream repertoire such as Josquin's Benedicta es, popular throughout Europe and which even found its way into the repertoire of the Collegiate Church at Lincluden in the West of Scotland, rubs shoulders with less familiar music by Genet (Carpentras) and Costanzo Festa. From their very first manifestation on disc, Pomerium have maintained the very highest standards of performance, recording and presentation, and this latest recording is no exception. The standard of the singing is consistently excellent, the recorded sound is rich without sounding too plushy and the production looks absolutely gorgeous, the beautifully illuminated opening of the chant Rex pacificus from a Sistine Chapel manuscript gracing the front cover. Another powerful illustration of what can be achieved by a generously funded arts project, the resulting disc is a delight from start to finish and a valuable contribution to our picture of music-making in the Vatican at the height of its powers.

Congratulations to Peter Czornyj, formerly of Archiv, where he was responsible for some very distinguished recordings, on his new venture of Glissando. We hope that the label flourishes.

October 1999
KLASSIK HEUTE

Musica Vaticana: Music from the Vatican manuscripts by Josquin, De Silva, Mouton, Carpentras, Festa and Willaert, 1503-1534
Pomerium; Alexander Blachly, director. Glissando 779-001-2.

By ÉVA PINTÉR

As previously in recordings of works by Guillaume Du Fay (DGA CD 447 772-2 and DGA CD 447 773-2), the ensemble Pomerium—founded in 1972—captivates once again by means of a subtly diversified palette of sounds, from closely sonorous to crystal-clear, transparent musical moments. The vocal homogeneity and outstanding articulation of the texts are already well-known positive features of Pomerium. In this recording these are joined by a spiritual mode of expression, which shows the works of Josquin, Festa, Willaert, or de Silva in their diversity. One finds, on the one hand, elaborate counterpoint, and, on the other, a feeling for tonal colors and bold chromaticism: Willaert's Enixa est puerpera fascinates through its glorious opulence of sound, and Costanzo Festa's Inviolata, integra et castathrough the successful contrast of bright and dark vocal timbres. The absolute highlight of the recording, however, is the interpretation of the Lamentationes of Elzéar Genet (Carpentras), a rendition, which, in its intensity, inspires comparisons with the famous Lamentationes of Thomas Tallis.

Fall 1999
EARLY MUSIC AMERICA Magazine

Musica Vaticana: Music from the Vatican manuscripts by Josquin, De Silva, Mouton, Carpentras, Festa and Willaert, 1503-1534
Pomerium; Alexander Blachly, director. Glissando 779-001-2. 66:46 min.

By CRAIG ZEICHNER

Popes Julius II (1503-1513), Leo X (1513-1521), and Clement VII (1523-1534) provided lavish support for the arts. Julius II brought Michelangelo Buonarroti to Rome to portray heavenly glory in visual medium; the music in the papal choir books captures this sacred grandeur in sound. The sumptuously illustrated choir books are comprised of grand polyphonic masses, magnificats, and motets for four to eight voices. This recording by New York-based Pomerium presents eight motets and a chant antiphon.

Particularly fascinating are the composers who wrote specifically for the papal choir, Costanzo Festa (c.1490-1545) and Andreas De Silva (c.1475-c.1530). De Silva's "Omnis pulchritudo domini" features some forward-looking harmonic shifts, while Festa's "Pater noster" offers the Lord's Prayer over a cantus firmus proclaiming the "Ave Maria." On more familiar ground is the music of Josquin Desprez (c.1458-1521), a member of the papal choir from 1489 to 1494.

Pomerium sings with an exquisitely rich and balanced sound. There are purity and light in the high voices and rock-solid sonority in the low voices. No other ensemble offers such a mix of warmth and clarity in their singing. This disc on the new Glissando label is an offering worthy of a Renaissance pope. The booklet and tray card feature lavish color illustrations and enlightening notes by Pomerium's director, Alexander Blachly. This is another jewel in Pomerium's crown—I hope that they record the masses from the choir books very soon.

May 1999
GOLDBERG, 7

MUSICA VATICANA: MUSIC FROM THE VATICAN MANUSCRIPTS (1503-1534): DESPREZ, DE SILVA, MOUTON, CARPENTRAS, FESTA, WILLAERT, ANON.
Pomerium. ALEXANDER BLACHLY. Glissando 779 001-2, 1998. 66:46 min.

By JEROME F. WEBER

Three popes fostered the arts in Rome between 1503 and 1534, Julius II, Leo X and Clement VII. Eight choir books written for the Sistine Chapel during their pontificates and still preserved there contain all ten of the selections heard on this disc. Most of the music is not available on disc, and only the first Lamentation for Tenebrae of Carpentras (the longest work on the disc) has been much recorded.

This program, which Alexander Blachly edited from the manuscripts, was prepared in conjunction with an exhibition on art and culture of this period in Bonn, Germany. The American ensemble, which recently made several fine discs for Archiv, recorded it in Regensburg as the first release on the new German label Glissando, founded by Peter Czornyj after he also left Archiv.

Josquin des Prez and Costanzo Festa account for half of the pieces, but Andreas de Silva, Jean Mouton and Adrian Willaert each contribute a selection (there is one chant antiphon, reproduced on the booklet cover). The polyphony calls for four to eight voices. Festa's eight-voice Inviolata, integra et casta is remarkable for the homogeneity of the group's singing. Josquin's six-voice Benedicta es caelorum regina (still available in David Munrow's performance) is a superb example of his motet writing. This disc is a promising beginning for new early-music label.

EARLY MUSIC AMERICA Magazine, Vol. 4, No.
4 (Winter 1998-99)

Creator of the Stars
I guide you with confidence to Creator of the Stars: Christmas Music of the Middle Ages and Renaissance [Archiv 4498192], a sublime recording by New York's Pomerium under the direction of the ever-adventurous Alexander Blachly. The disc explores various aspects of the Christmas story with music familiar and unfamiliar, always treated in a unique way.... I must make special note of the inclusion of a wonderful motet by Cipriano de Rore (c.1515-1565), Quem vidistis pastores a 7. First we are presented with a 12th-century plainchant version of the tune, and then to de Rore'sx unspeakably beautiful motet about the shepherds and the angels. Listen to how perfectly the voices mix, and you will hear why I think Pomerium is the finest ensemble performing this music today.
—Craig Zeichner

AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE, Vol. 61, No. 5
(September/October 1998)

A Musical Book of Hours
DG Archiv 289 457 586-2 — 75:40

Traditional liturgical observance is suggested by a bit of plainchant (Sarum Rite), and chant is partly involved in Dufay's alternatim setting of the Ave Maris Stella. Otherwise, we have nine motets by masters major and minor. England is represented by Biteryng and Richard Hygons, but above all by John Dunstable—whose Veni Sancte Spiritus/Veni Creator Spiritus is given its most beautiful rendition on records...The Franco-Flemish tradition is represented for the 15th Century by Johannes Ockeghem (his famous Intemerata Dei Mater) and x Antoine Busnoys, the 16th by the unknown Hilaire Penet. But the dominant figure is Josquin Desprez, who weighs in with three major contributions. For this program, Blachly fields an ensemble of 14 mixed voices, which he leads in beautifully blended and stylishly sensitive singing, atmospherically recorded. The album booklet contains not only his annotations and the full texts with translations, but also a number of handsome and appropriate illustrations derived from volumes in the Morgan Library's collection. In all, a jewel of early-music presentation!
—John Barker

FANFARE (September/October 1998)

A Musical Book of Hours
Alexander Blachly, cond; Pomerium Archiv 289 457 586-2 — 75:45

Pomerium's renditions match the high level of their recent discs. The music all comes from the same century except the chant antiphon Venit ad Petrum, inserted before Richard Hygons's Salve Regina, which is based on the same cantus firums as the three famous "Caput" Masses. The booklet includes illuminations from eight manuscripts in the Morgan collection, four of them in color. This is one of the more imaginative collections of Renaissance music on CD, and the performances do full justice to the concept.
—J.F. Weber

[Reviews of recent Pomerium CD's in the
new international early-music magazine Goldberg]

Du Fay - The Virgin & the Temple: Chants & Motets

Five Gold Stars [out of five]

Pomerium's vocal diction, elegant performance, perfect combination of voices and ductility result in an extraordinarily luminous performance. . . .
—Maricarmen Gómez

Creator of the Stars - Christmas Music of the
Middle Ages & Renaissance

Five Gold Stars [out of five]

Impeccable interpretation. What a wonderful idea to frame the Magnificat (so wedded to Christmas) with one of the "O" anthems in its monodic version and in a polyphonic repetition. Highly recommended.
—Juan Carlos Asensio

December 1997 L'ACTUALITÉ (Montreal)

"Creator of the Stars"
Christmas Music of the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Pomerium directed by Alexander Blachly.
ARCHIV 449 819-2

From the first note, the listener is transported, like the stars, to the heavens.
—François Tousignant

CONTINUO

"Creator of the Stars"
Christmas Music of the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Pomerium directed by Alexander Blachly. ARCHIV CD [DDD] 449 819-2

Throughout, the singing is both highly expressive and polished, with heart-melting phrasing and word-pointing at nearly every turn. . . . Waste no time in procuring this disc. It is clearly the finest Christmas choral CD of 1997.
—Christopher Brodersen

CONTINUO

"The Virgin & the Temple: Chant and Motets"
Pomerium directed by Alexander Blachly. ARCHIV
CD [DDD] 447 773-2

The fifteen voices of Pomerium sing very simply, with excellent blend. There are none of the mannerisms that mark the singing of many English or continental choirs in this repertoire; it is merely very fine singing. And that's saying a lot.
—David Klausner

STEREO REVIEW

"The Virgin & the Temple"
Chant and Motets. Pomerium, Alexander
Blachly, dir. Deutsche Grammophon Archiv
447 773-2 (60 min.)

Five Stars (out of five)

The Virgin & the Temple, a recent DG Archiv CD by the New York-based choir Pomerium, gathers together some of Du Fay's exquisite Marian motets and chants. . . . Perhaps Brunelleschi had Solomon's Temple in mind when he conceived his cathedral. . . . It really doesn't matter when we have such a satisfying performance of [Nuper rosarum flores], and of the other chants and motets on the CD. The fifteen voices of Pomerium meld and bloom with clarity and warmth.
—Jamie James

November 1997 DIAPASON (France)

CD of the Month
"Creator of the Stars - Christmas Music of the
Middle Ages and Renaissance."
Anthems, motets, and hymns by Du Fay, Josquin Desprez, Ockeghem, Rore, Lassus, Byrd, Horwood, Ramsey, Praetorius, Erbach and anonymous. Pomerium, Alexander Blachly. Archiv Produktion 449 819-2 (CD: 168 Francs) - 1995/96. TT 1 h 08' 42".
Tri-linqual presentation. Texts of musical pieces in Latin with tri-lingual translation. TECHNIQUE: 8 - Fine recording DDD

We are hearing angelic voices, one might well exclaim upon hearing this Christmas anthology. And might then respond with fervor: Let us rejoice in honor of the blessed...Pomerium. Mentioned approvingly in the preceding issue (s.v. Du Fay), this ensemble, though founded in 1972, is unquestionably set to become all the rage in the early-music marketplace; one can say without any reservation whatever that it attains here a level of dazzling artistic quality.

This disc, very different from the previous one [The Virgin & the Temple], is addressed to a larger audience, in that it presents a vast anthology of Christmas works from the 15th and 16th centuries in the liturgical context of Gregorian chant. The diversity of the program is learnedly reduced to a unity which finds its essence in plainchant. In this way Blachly puts his finger on the rich tradition of polyphony which indeed constitutes a veritable historic chain from Ockeghem and Du Fay up to the precursors of Bach.

An interesting perspective, rarely proposed, and completely convincing, thanks to an admirable interpretation: sumptuous vocal timbres, suppleness and dynamicism of rhythm, clarity of diction, and especially the poetry and charm of an extremely unified choir which seems to have a passionate predilection for the polyphony of the 15th century.

Finally, we salute a musicologically exemplary package (sources, translations, liturgical considerations) with a remarkable iconographical aspect: there are angels by Dürer and Memling which transport us to the acoustical clouds, closer to the "creator of the stars" and to the music. . . .
—Jean-François Goudesenne

August 1997 DIAPASON (France)

Awarded the "Diapason d'Or"

"The Virgin & the Temple". 4 Motets. Plainchant for x first Vespers. Pomerium, Alexander Blachly. Archiv Produktion 447 773-2 (CD : 168 F) ¯ 1995/96. TT: 1 h 06". Quadrilingual presentation. Texts of the works in Latin and trilingual translation. TECHNIQUE: 9 - Excellent recording, very transparent. Ver beautiful acoustic.

Concerning an earlier disc (Four Diapsons, cf. Diapson no. 428), dedicated to a seldom recorded Mass by Guillaume Du Fay, Roger Tellart observed that the a cappella ensemble founded in the United States by Alexander Blachly had not ceased "to be marked by the signs of a stirring musicality, beginning with a miraculous collective sound..." With this recording, which gives us from the same composer ceremonial and liturgical motets as well as a collection for the feasts of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the miracle is renewed. Let us note first of all the originality and the interest of the programming. If the motet Nuper rosarum flores, composed for the dedication of the cathedral of Florence in 1436, is better known, it is the sonorous fireworks of Ecclesie militantis, a splendid polytextual motet for five voices, of an astonishing complexity, that reveals Pomerium to us.The jubilant efflorescence of melodic lines, the freedom and the ceaseless dynamics that arise from the contrapuntal discourse, raise this work out of time to the summit of a discography still meagre in this genre. Only the final cadence—typical of Du Fay's style—makes us realize that we are only in the middle of the 15th century. The absolute precision of the 15 singers, the suppleness and elegance of phrasing: these qualities also serve well the plainchant for the first Vespers that the remarkable work of Barbara Haggh in Cambrai has permitted to be attributed to the composer. To the modesty that permeates the final Magnificat, Pomerium does not hesitate to oppose the festive and the solemn character of certain motets. A subtle achemy in which the colors of polyphony alternate with the finesse of monophonic line! The listener will be dazzled.
—Jacques Barbier

June 1994 Early Music Review

"Antoine Busnoys: 'In hydraulis' & Other Works". Pomerium, Alexander Blachly. Dorian DOR 90184

In spite of the veritable explosion in recent years of recordings of early choral music, the 15th century court of Burgundy has been surprisingly neglected, and it is a pleasure to be able to review favourably a collection of choral works by the composer of one of the first 'L'Home Armé' masses and possibly of the tune itself. Busnoys is a master of inventiveness and originality and Pomerium negotiate some hair-raising changes of pulse and harmony with great panache to give us a series of impressively confident readings of his quirky motets, chansons and the Mass 'O crux triumphale'. A set of admirable notes give us fascinating information about the music and highlight how much remains to be discovered about the man. Perhaps the concerted cataloguing of Flemish musical archives currently underway will enhance our knowledge.
—D. James Ross