Antoine Brumel (?1460-?1515)
Nato canunt omnia
Beata es, Maria
Lauda Sion salvatorem
Ave caelorum domina
Missa de beata virgine

The Brabant Ensemble
Stephen Rice, direction

The Brabant Ensemble poursuit sa quête de joyaux cachés de la Renaissance avec cet album dédié à la musique d'Antoine Brumel, célèbre pour sa messe «Tremblement de terre», mais autrement très peu connu aujourd'hui. Le chef Stephen Rice a rassemblé une collection intriguante de pièces incluant la Missa de beata virgine, une œuvre baignée de plain-chant où les voix sont utilisées de façon quasi percussive, faisant du rythme la force motrice du morceau.

The Brabant Ensemble continues its exploration of hidden gems of the Renaissance with an album of music by Antoine Brumel, famous for his ‘Earthquake’ Mass but otherwise barely known today. Conductor Stephen Rice has assembled an intriguing collection of works including the Missa de beata virgine, a work suffused with plainsong but in which the voices are used almost percussively, making rhythm the driving force of the piece. The Christmas motet Nato canunt omnia is one of the most remarkable musical works of the period. The Brabant Ensemble’s performance is polished yet light, flexible expressive and spontaneous, parading the polyphony in all its glory.