The Ockeghem Legacy
A celebration of Ockeghem’s life and work. His death prompted many elegies, the most famous being Josquin’s Nimphes des bois. Every composer on this disc is said to have been present at his funeral in 1497.
Johannes Ockeghem composer
Antoine Brumel composer
Loyset Compère composer
Pierre de la Rue composer
The Sydney Chamber Choir is acclaimed for its stylish performances of this repertoire. The recording was made in the sumptuous acoustic of the St Scholastica Chapel in Sydney.
The programme opens with Josquin’s déploration on Ockeghem’s death, then three motets by Ockeghem himself, and works by his disciples Brumel, Compère, de la Rue and Josquin.
Reviews
I agonized about slipping this into the composer parade under "Ockeghem", but it really has to be recognized as an anthology, with the achievement and heritage of Johannes Ockeghem as both composer and teacher as its premise.
The program opens with Josquin Desprez's famous Deploration sur le mort de Johannes Ockeghem, which logically offers both the preface and the menu for the rest. The text of its second stanza lists the names, and invokes the grief, of eminent Ockeghem disciples: Josquin himself, "Pierchon" (Pierre Delarue), Antoine Brumel, and Loyset Compere. And so, after offering three impressive and contrasting motets by Ockeghem--representing the honored departed at the services, as it were--we have a motet apiece by Brumel, Compere, and Delarue, plus Josquin's three.
(Within that menu actually lies the germ of another possible one, as conductor Routley points out in his notes: for Compere's contribution, 'Omnium Bonorum Plena', offers another who's-who list. Its text is a prayer to the Virgin for compassion, not only for Compere himself but also for a distinguished list of poets and fellow composers, among them Dufay, Busnois, Ockeghem, Josquin, and Tinctoris.)
Some of these selections will be familiar from other recordings, notably Josquin's Deploration and his beloved Ave Maria, but the lesser-known items include some real winners.
Routley and his choir--22 mixed voices here--first came to my attention in a very enjoyable program of music by Josquin that they recorded for this Australian label in 1993 (054: M/A 1995). Once again, I admire their polished tone and well-balanced ensemble, as well as Routley's careful and stylish direction. I would, of course, quibble that his group is really too big to bring off Josquin's Deploration. And I could point out that there are tighter, leaner, more transparent renditions of some of this material, noting especially Edward Wickham's authoritative Ockeghem recordings for ASV. Moreover, I wish that the recording engineers had miked the choir a good bit closer, for improved clarity.
For all that, though, it is certainly a very welcome and most enjoyable package of early Netherlandish polyphony. Full texts with translations.
Artists
Sydney Chamber Choir
Widely recognised as one of Australia's finest choirs, the Sydney Chamber Choir marked its 25th anniversary in 2000. The Choir continues to inspire and enchant Sydney audiences with its versatility and brilliant performances.
Nicholas Routley
Nicholas Routley is a conductor, pianist and composer who founded the Sydney Chamber Choir in 1975 and has shaped its work in Renaissance polyphony and new Australian choral music.
Tracks
- Nimphes des Bois Déploration for the death of Ockeghem Josquin des Prez 4:40
- Alma Redemptoris Mater Johannes Ockeghem 4:14
- Salve Regina Johannes Ockeghem 8:14
- Intemerata Dei Mater Johannes Ockeghem 6:44
- Sicut Lilium Antoine Brumel 1:55
- Omnium Bonorum Plena Loyset Compère 9:54
- O Salutaris Hostia Pierre de la Rue 2:08
- Ave Maria Josquin des Prez 5:53
- O Domine Jesu Christe Josquin des Prez 11:59
- Veni, Sancte Spiritus Josquin des Prez 6:59
Performers
- Sydney Chamber Choir · choir
- Nicholas Routley · conductor
Composers
Josquin des Prez
Josquin des Prez shaped Renaissance vocal polyphony into something keenly expressive: independent voices that imitate, answer and lock around the text. Masses, motets and chansons still sound alive in the throat.
Johannes Ockeghem
Johannes Ockeghem wrote masses, motets and chansons at the centre of early Renaissance polyphony. Surviving works include canonic and freely composed masses and Marian motets whose independent voices and wide-ranging bass lines shape the Franco-Flemish sound.
Contributors
Liner Notes [Translation]
David Russell
David Russell’s countertenor cuts cleanly through Mozart’s scatological canons with The Song Company, and he takes the solo line in Martin Wesley-Smith’s Who Killed Cock Robin?, turning the falsely accused caterpillar into a soft-shoe turn of real charm.
Liner Notes [Translation]
Natalie Shea
Liner Notes
Nicholas Routley
Nicholas Routley is a conductor, pianist and composer who founded the Sydney Chamber Choir in 1975 and has shaped its work in Renaissance polyphony and new Australian choral music.
Artwork [Cover]
Ross Harvey
Where to listen
The Ockeghem Legacy is available for streaming through Apple Music. It can also be purchased through the iTunes Music Store.
The Ockeghem Legacy is available as a CD. It can be purchased online through Buywell Music or the Australian Music Centre which both offer online ordering.
Product details
- Catalogue number
- TP141
- Total playing time
- 62 minutes 40 seconds
- Producer
- Belinda Webster
- Recording Engineer
- Belinda Webster
- Venue
- St Scholastica's, Glebe
- Credit
- David Russell
Natalie Shea
Nicholas Routley
Ross Harvey - Release date
- 24 May 2000
- Label
- Tall Poppies
- Musical work
copyright - © 2000 Tall Poppies Records
- Sound recording
copyright - ℗ 2000 Tall Poppies Records
- Category
- Great Classics
- Genres
- Early Music, Choral & Sacred
- Barcode
- EAN 9399001114122
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