Machaut: Messe de Nostre Dame

At last! A new recording of Machaut's 'Messe de Nostre Dame' from Björn Schmelzer and Graindelavoix, one of Glossa's long-standing artistic family members.

Following a trio of discs devoted to music in the spirit of the medieval master draughtsman Villard de Honnecourt, the Antwerp-based ensemble has now turned to the first known composer of an integral mass cycle: Guillaume de Machaut, who was a canon at Reims Cathedral in the 14th century. The work, described as a medieval monstre sacré, is performed by an all-male ensemble from Graindelavoix featuring both sharp high tenors and very low basses.

Graindelavoix's continuing and vibrantly imaginative aesthetic is described, with customary imagery, by Björn Schmelzer in the accompanying booklet essay, where he declares his passion for "conjuring up the voices of the past" to describe the performance approach taken by Graindelavoix: one that emphasises the individuality of the singers rather than a homogeneous ensemble sound.

Schmelzer's choice of accompanying Propers for a Lady Mass underscores Machaut's own devotion to the Virgin Mary, as do two of the composer's spectacular motets, which are also associated with the city of Reims.