Description
The fifteenth-century Valois Dukes of Burgundy forged and lost a powerful kingdom (in all but name) that included a wealthy duchy famous for its wine, and much of the Low Countries, including modern Belgium, Holland, and parts of Northern France…. Burgundy has come to embody a time of ruthless intrigue, lavish wealth, and an uncompromising love of beauty and ornament. Some of its greatest treasures lay in its musicians: its singers, composers and minstrels.
Adam Knight Gilbert
Ciaramella plays brilliantly on shawms, sackbuts, bagpipes andrecorders — this is some of the best Renaissance wind playing in the world. Their new recording… includes old favorites like Josquin’s “La Spagna,” along with some brand new 15th-century style improvisations for wind band by Adam Gilbert. The music is sometimes raucous, sometimes sweet, but always compelling.
Maria Coldwell, Early Music America
From their smooth conjuring of the sound of solemn grandeur to their obvious ease with the most wildly virtuosic compositional and improvisational techniques of the day, the members of Ciaramella are masters of 15th-century Burgundian music, earthly, earthy, and divine.
Marsha Genensky, Anonymous 4
Ciaramella offers us Burgundian music both transcendent and baudy. This confluence of spiritual and sexual imagery intrigues the modern listener just as it did fifteenth-century audiences, and informs the rich layers of meaning inherent in the interwoven melodies of the polyphony.
Bob Attiyeh, producer
Richard Davis –
I have to thank Michael Fremer for reviewing, and bringing to my attention their other album, Dances on Movable Ground. And based on that review, I couldn’t resist buying the vinyl, and it was so brilliant, I wound up buying the download (more songs!!). I then bought the CD of Music from the Court of Burgundy… and then the High-def download of that as well.
Both are wonderfully recorded and produced (well done Bob), and the musicianship is outstanding. Highest recommendation possible for both.
Thanks to this introduction to their music, I went on to see Ciaramella perform last month. One of the most outstanding performances I’ve seen in a very long time. Their performance is stirring and mesmerizing. There is a wonderful interplay between the (outrageously talented!!!) members of the ensemble that is truly a wonder, but the playing of Adam and Rotem Gilbert is nothing short of phenomenal. It was completely spellbinding. Glorious all.
So, a big thank you to Bob Attiyeh and Yarlung for turning me on to such amazing music.
Bob Attiyeh –
Richard, what a wonderful review. Thank you. When I read your words just now, I remembered our first meetings about this album while preparing to make this recording. Ciaramella: Music from the Court of Burgundy is Ciaramella’s debut album with Yarlung and “it had to be good.” Adam and Rotem and their three kids are close friends of mine, and I was worried about how friends can progress from family dinners and vacations together to musicians and producer working together in a concert hall. As you can imagine, the chemistry is different. Maintaining this friendship was more important to me than the album (successful as the CD may be), and I fretted about this. I asked Rotem and Adam about how we were going to handle this several times. The final time I asked, Rotem burst into laughter, and exclaimed “What, you don’t think we’re going to do what you tell us?” Soon we were all in hysterics, because that had been one of the concerns I hadn’t quite admitted to myself.
I needn’t have worried. The recording sessions hosted by Rob Cutietta in beautiful Alfred Newman Hall on the USC campus were like family gatherings. Since we used only one stereo microphone and we “mixed” this album on stage (no fussing in post production), I did have a few odd “audiophile requests,” such as asking Adam and Rotem to play standing on chairs to get the balance right for two of the takes. But the sessions proceeded with a great deal of fun and I never had to boss anyone around. You can hear this camaraderie in the album.
Working with members of Ciaramella ensemble is a joy I can highly and unequivocally recommend!
–Bob Attiyeh