The stunning cover alone is reason enough to purchase the CD Henricus Isaac, In the Time of Lorenzo de' Medici & Maximilian I, 1450-1519 The expertly curated and remarkably diverse recording of Henricus Isaac's music transports the listener to the court of Maximilian of Austria or the wealthy Medici family. A musical journey through the life of composer Henricus Isaac.
Hesperion XXI is undoubtedly one of the most renowned ensembles specializing in Renaissance music. Their authentic wind and string instruments, combined with percussion and the voices of La Capella Reial de Catalunya under the direction of the experienced Jordi Savall, create a heavenly combination. The CD recounts the major events in his life and his many travels through Europe in seven parts.
Part one describes the first quarter century of Isaac's life: his birth with a festive fanfare, the death and succession within the Medici family with a motet, and the instrumental La Morra and the end of the Hundred Years' War with a four-part motet. La Morra is one of the most striking passages on the entire CD: the use of a delicate bell between the interplay of viols da gamba gives this instrumental work a distinctive character.
In parts two and three, we follow Isaac's departure from Innsbruck to work in Florence for Lorenzo de' Medici, where he marries a Florentine woman. Lorenzo dies in 1492, the year Columbus discovered the New World and Granada fell. La Capella Reial de Catalunya delivers a fantastic performance of the German song Innsbruck, I Must Leave You. It rings out wonderfully clear and, with the exception of certain harmonic structures, even recalls a chorale by Bach, anachronistic as that may be.
The festive carnival song Hora e di maggio stands out for the joyful interplay of tambourine, flute, lute, and string instruments combined with singers clearly specialized in Renaissance music. This starkly contrasts with the instrumental battle song that follows, where brass instruments and shrill woodwinds accompanied by a snare drum sing of a skirmish between the Florentines and the Genoese.
Parts four through seven describe the final quarter century of Henricus Isaac's life. His stay at the court of Emperor Maximilian of the Holy Roman Empire is celebrated with two complex motets (the first of which again features the distinctive bell and the second is for six voices). This is followed by his return to Italy with a richly orchestrated and sung motet. The end of Isaac's life is again commemorated with a German song titled O World, I Must Leave You It's strikingly reminiscent of the song that described his departure from Innsbruck.
The final track on the CD celebrates with the motet Christus, filius Dei in six voices the coronation of Charles V, the new emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. At the same time, the longest work on the CD, with a length of 12'21". A magnificent achievement by Hespèrion XXI and La Capella Reial de Catalunya under the expert direction of Jordi Savall, a must-listen for anyone who enjoys immersing themselves in an early 16th-century court.eHenricus Isaac, In the Time of Lorenzo de' Medici & Maximilian I, 1450-1519
- WHATLa Capella Reial de Catalunya and Hespèrion XXI conducted by Jordi Savall
- WHO: Alia Vox Records (AVSA9922)
- EDITION: Klassiek-Centraal.be » A journey through Renaissance Europe reactions feed
