December 2008

A Quattro Stagione Norwegian Christmas

This male vocal quartet has (since their debut in 1987) established itself as Norway's most prominent ensemble for the performance of a cappella early music--we celebrate their wonderful Christmas disc.

Composer: THOMAS STOLZER (c.1480-1526), WILLIAM CORNYSHE (1468-1523), PEROTINUS (c.1160-1220), JOHANN WALTER (1496-1570), CRISTOBAL de MORALES (c.1500-1553),

CD Info: CD PPC 9052

A Norwegian Christmas

Besides the Trondheim Cathedral Choir which has provided Norwegian families with many Christmas recordings, we hear from both the "Silver Boys" Choir in Oslo and a beautiful recording recreating early Norwegian folk Christmases, with Hardanger fiddle and 'round the fireside singing.

Composer: HANS-ADOLPH BRORSON (1694-1764), KNUDSEN, SAMUEL SCHEIDT, PALESTRINA, MICHAEL PRAETORIUS,

CD Info: Norwave CD NW 422, 2L CD 2L42, MFC 02,

The Hardanger Tradition

Much has been written about this haunting national folk instrument--in a recent recording, Knut Hamre and Bendicite Maurseth perform on the earliest surviving original fiddles from Hardanger, using the 17th and early 18th century repertoire for which these instruments were built.

Composer: Ole Jonsen Jaastad (1621-1694), Isak Nielsen Botnen (1669-1759), Trond Isaksen Flatebo (1713-1772),

CD Info: CD number HCD 7206, Kirkelig Kulturversted CD FXCD 82

Piae Cantiones

This collection of late-Medieval popular Scandinavian music was first collected in 1582--the Oslo Pro Musica Antiqua (and, in one of their first recordings, the Trio Medieval) give us a wonderful rendering of these once popular pieces--many in theme with the Christmas season.

Composer:

CD Info: CD number PSC 1203