Lassus., Lotti, Biber and more

[doversoul1]

Welcome back, Early Music Show.

Saturday
A selection of music for Easter by one of the most revered composers of the sixteenth century, Orlando de Lassus.
The music of Lassus is not as well known today perhaps, as that of his Italian contemporary Palestrina, but in the sixteenth century, Lassus was thought the greater master. Catherine Bott looks back on the life and music of this remarkable Belgian with particular reference to some of his highly charged and affecting music for Easter.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01fhxdw

Sunday
Lucie Skeaping introduces a selection of early music for Easter, mixing popular compositions for Passiontide with some lesser-known works.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01fhynb

[John Skelton]

Welcome back, Early Music Show.
Saturday
The music of Lassus is not as well known today perhaps, as that of his Italian contemporary Palestrina
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01fhxdw

I much prefer Lassus, for the little that's worth . The Lagrime Di San Pietro is an amazing cycle. (That's a nice prompt - I'll give Herreweghe's recording a play later).

[Roehre]

I much prefer Lassus, for the little that's worth . The Lagrime Di San Pietro is an amazing cycle. (That's a nice prompt - I'll give Herreweghe's recording a play later).

JS, I do as well. But I cannot actually tell why. Do you?

[John Skelton]

I'm not an expert, so this is probably a caricature: but there's something very polished and assembled about Palestrina. As if he starts from the external rather than externalising something internal. A fancy way of saying that Palestrina's music leaves me a bit cold, perhaps!

[Pegleg]

Nice to have EMS back this weekend. For the unintiated (that's me), someone has posted the entire Lagrime Di San Pietro at that tube place (Harmonia Mundi HMC901483 - Ensemble Vocal Européen director: Philippe Herreweghe). And for a starter, there's a reasonable Wikipedia entry. On the theme of grief, I still hope to catch Palestrina's Stabat Mater on Radio 3 Live in Concert tonight.

[kernelbogey]

Nice to have EMS back this weekend. For the unintiated (that's me), someone has posted the entire Lagrime Di San Pietro at that tube place (Harmonia Mundi HMC901483 - Ensemble Vocal Européen director: Philippe Herreweghe). And for a starter, there's a reasonable Wikipedia entry. On the theme of grief, I still hope to catch Palestrina's Stabat Mater on Radio 3 Live in Concert tonight.

About twenty Easters ago R3 broadcast all of Lassus's Penitential Psalms, over the course of Holy Week, which I found very fine indeed.

Slightly agree about Palestrina leaving me a bit cold. Lassus has more guts.

[Serial_Apologist]

I'm not an expert, so this is probably a caricature: but there's something very polished and assembled about Palestrina. As if he starts from the external rather than externalising something internal. A fancy way of saying that Palestrina's music leaves me a bit cold, perhaps!

I agree, JS. It's probably the reason why Palestrina always used to be taught in academia as being the exemplar of late Renaissance polyphonic methods. Very soothing, mind.

Having never heard Orlando di Lassus's music, I shall be listening.

[jean]

Saturday
[Iwith particular reference to some of his highly charged and affecting music for Easter.[/I]

We certainly heard some highly charged and affecting music, but apart from the first motet it was for Holy Week rather than Easter.

Lassus is a wonderful composer but so varied is his output that one programme can't begin to do it justice. I am longing to hear again the Lamentations of Job which I came across many years ago, but which seems to have disappeared from the consciousness of today's early music specialists. Does anyone know of any recordings?

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

There's this one, jean:

http://www.discogs.com/viewimages?release=2377076

(took me a while: I'd "googled" "Lassus, Lamentations of Bob"!)

[jean]

I had found a scrap of that recording on YouTube, but wasn't very impressed. There doesn't seem to be anything else.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bC2qi_Xwxf0

[Roehre]

We certainly heard some highly charged and affecting music, but apart from the first motet it was for Holy Week rather than Easter.

Lassus is a wonderful composer but so varied is his output that one programme can't begin to do it justice. I am longing to hear again the Lamentations of Job which I came across many years ago, but which seems to have disappeared from the consciousness of today's early music specialists. Does anyone know of any recordings?

It might be you find these CDs of Orlando di Lasso interesting, but no Job in sight I'm afraid

[ardcarp]

Yes, welcome back EMS, Skeaping and Bott. We missed you. Just LA-ed both programmes. If the Beeb decides on another saturation week (Heaven forbid) then they could do worse than the very prolific Lassus who was at home in the many and varied compositional styles of his day. The highlight of the Lassus programme was for me the contribution of The Huelgas Ensemble, especially I'vo piangendo a secular Petrarch setting with instruments, Just fabulous. Otherwise the programme had a disproportinately high percentage of choirs with counter-tenors on top. Not that I've anything against C-Ts (!) but the sound was a little unrelieved at times. But then it was Holy Week......

[DracoM]

Have a wonderful CD of the Huelgas Ensemble doing a number of 40 part motets including Tallis and Striggio.

[Roehre]

Have a wonderful CD of the Huelgas Ensemble doing a number of 40 part motets including Tallis and Striggio.

That's a great one.
But do you know this (cheaper here).
Wholeheartedly recommended.

[ardcarp]

Thanks, Roehre. That's another one on my present list (Christmas, that is.)