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Album review

The Laudario di Cortona is a collection of monophonic laude, dating from the second half of the 13th century but rediscovered only in 1876. They're far from common on recordings, and some listeners will gravitate toward this recording for this reason alone. They will also get much more from director Paul Hillier and Ars Nova Copenhagen, an ensemble that Hillier has honed to a precise edge rivaling that of the legendary Hilliard Ensemble. The Cortona songs are semi-popular praise songs, probably sung by monks in the street, and the singers of Ars Nova Copenhagen modulate their style in a slightly folkish direction, with attractive results. The rest of the program fits exceptionally well with these unusual items. Much of it consists of music by Arvo Pärt, a Hillier specialty, to be sure, but these are late Pärt works from the 2000s and 2010s that have a new simplicity. The segue from the Lauda novella sia cantata to Pärt's Drei Hirtenkinder aus Fátima, a seemingly folkish piece that blooms steadily into a rich polyphony, is delightful. There are also straightforward but entirely original works by Caroline Shaw and Julia Wolfe. The whole album is unusually coherent, even by Hillier's high standards, and it will linger in the mind. Hillier is ably supported by Naxos engineers, working at the Garnisonkirken in Copenhagen; the sound is clear and rich.
© TiVo

Details of original recording : Recorded: 26–27 January 2019 (6–8, 12–14), 24 June 2019 (2, 4–5, 9–11), 8 January 2020 (1, 3) at Garnisonskirken, Copenhagen, Denmark