Perotin, Anonymous, Paul Hillier, Charles Daniels, David James, The Hilliard Ensemble, John Potter, Rogers Covey-Crump, Gordon Jones, Mark Padmore - Perotin / The Hilliard Ensemble

It would be impossible to adequately describe the inherent haunting beauty of Perotin's music, or to fully detail its far-reaching influence in latter-12th-century France. The opening "Viderunt omnes" is a perfect illustration of the surprising vitality and highly charged sense of forward motion that can be obtained with relatively simple rhythmic impulses and harmonic devices. The male voices of the Hilliard Ensemble generate an electrifying resonance that vibrates everything in the room that's not solid or nailed down. You can literally feel this music, ringing with natural harmonics and set to body-moving rhythms. Yes, it's religious music, intended for lofty cathedral spaces; but it moves, and it's moving, and this recording gives it to you full blast. --David Vernier Amazon.com essential recording

Absolutely stunning!

I am a musical novice. I was brought up listening to Pink Floyd, Santana, Joni Mitchell, and so on. I could not read music to save my life. Then someone introduced me to some Josquin Des Pres Rennaissance Polyphony - Missa L'homme arme sexti toni, Agnus Dei, to be specific - and I was totally hooked.

A few years later, someone introduced me to this CD, and I was even more taken. For some reason, I really like the Perotin-composed pieces - tracks 1, 3, 5, 7, 8 and 9. The Beata viscera (track 8) is other-worldly, and quite possibly one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard in my entire life!

You don't have to be a musical scholar to enjoy this - it's simply beautiful! June 24, 2005

The Best Perotin Recording.

Perotin was a 12th century composer in Paris at the Cathedral of Notre Dame. We know almost nothing about him. Perotin (which is a diminutive of Peter) is described by a mid-thirteenth century student identified today as Anonymous IV who states that Perotin was the greatest composer of discant and better than another composer, Leonin, who came before him (it's not even 100% clear that they were at the Cathedral of Notre Dame). Now you know literally everything there is to know about Perotin.

Perotin composed organum--multi-voice compositions which move quickly over the traditional Gregorian chant which has been stretched out so that each note is very long. How long are they stretched out? Well, to give an example, the first track is over 11 minutes long!

The great thing about this music is that it takes you to another world--it is not supposed to be "emotive" or self-expressive. It represents pure, solemn, inspiration.

The Hilliard Ensemble has done a tremendous job in this recording. They make medieval music come to life, and their precision is fantastic.

Before organum, European music was essentially Gregorian chant--one melodic line with no rhythm or harmony. But with multiple voice parts, rhythm is necessary to keep the parts together. This also led to the creation of harmony. One can only imagine the wonder as the common medieval man wandered into the enormous Cathedral at Notre Dame, marveled at the stained glass, and heard this music. It must truly have been an inspiring occasion. This recording helps us partially reconnect with the wonder of this early music.
June 15, 2005

Magnificent

This is a great recording. Anyone who has the least interest in serious music should be familiar with Perotin's works, just as they would with all the "greatest" composers. This music is profound, sublime and truly beautiful. And, I might add, diametrically opposed and far superior to much of the "minimalist" music of today with which it is sometimes compared. The Hilliard Ensemble is incomparable. January 27, 2005

the Perotin cd

I think tihs is simply the best Perotin cd you can have. The vocal quality is much more fluid (& knowledgeably middle-agey) than any other Perotin recordings I've heard. April 10, 2003

An imaginative, sensitive recording.

Smooth, expressive, at times exquisite singing illuminates the music's richness and diversity. Music which is vast, erie, mysterious and yet pulsates with vigor and life, even lust for life. Such a marraige between the cosmic and the earthly is typical of the medeival artist and Perotin is one of the greatest. While the three anonymous works naturally show a less drastic and comprehensive spirit, they do reveal a few treasures of the great artistry of Notre Dame. October 18, 2002

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