Wedding music from 1568

ALL ABOUT THE ARTS
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One of the intriguing offerings from NAXOS CLASSICS at the start of 2021 is a collection of Renaissance vocal music by one of the most famous composers in 16th century Europe: the Flemish genius Orlande de Lassus, aka Orlando di Lasso.

The CD bears the title Lassus: Le Nozze in Baviera (8579063) and the “nozze” – Italian for wedding – to which the tile refers is the 1568 three-week nuptial bash celebrating the union of Renate of Lorraine and Wilhelm V of Bavaria, for which it is assumed that Orlando contributed a number of celebratory compositions.

Ensemble Origo, a superb early music ensemble brainchild of conductor Eric Rice authentically sings a number of compositions by Orlando that range from the pious to the downright naughty. Thus Te Deum laudamus  the lovely Motet that opens the CD is followed by Gratia sola Dei, a sacred song giving thanks to God, taken from the Cantiones aliquot (songs for several voices).

Then there follows a succession of madrigals, villanelle, and other Renaissance musical forms that utilize a mix of sacred and secular texts in several languages and dialects all idiomatically set by the multi-lingual Orlando and perfectly pronounced and exquisitely sung by the vocalists in the Ensemble Origo

Performing in both vocal and vocal-instrumental settings for 2, 4, 5, 6 and 8 voices and blending the voices with the instrumental ensemble the Ensemble Origo stylishly brings to life the music of Orlando di Lasso, a multi-national 16th-17th century master of polyphony and counterpoint.

Rafael de Acha

Published by ALL ABOUT THE ARTS

Rafael de Acha has enjoyed a distinguished career in the arts as a performer, stage director, producer, and educator. He was born and grew up in Cuba. At the age of 17 he moved to the United States to study Drama at the University of Minnesota, and later Languages at L.A. City College, Music at the Juilliard School of Music, at the University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music, and at the New England Conservatory of Music, from which he received the Master's degree. He has taught courses on the History of Music at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music and at Florida International University, and contributed writings and reviews to Seen and Heard International (www.seenandheard-international.com ) and to this blog. He co-founded the award-winning New Theatre in Coral Gables, Florida, where he produced and staged twenty seasons of classical and contemporary theater, including fifty world premieres of plays that went on to have international and national productions on and off Broadway, including Ana in the Tropics by Nilo Cruz (Pulitzer Prize for Drama 2002 and Tony Nomination 2003.) In 2006 he was presented with a citation from The Dade County Cultural Affairs Council for “trailblazing contributions to the arts in South Florida.”