Customer Reviews

The Black Madonna

5 star:		(16)
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I picked this up because I am interested in the Black Madonnas of Southern Europe and Medieval history in general. I also like "early music." This CD was an incredible surprise. The quality of the singing and musicianship is amazing. The Islamic influences in early European music are really brought out here. I can't recommend this more highly although it is probably not for the casual listener. But if you are curious, you can't beat the price!

I'm not just some ignorant and rabid fan: I've surveyed hundreds of early music CDs in my time, and have performed a great deal of medieval music. I can assure you that Unicorn -- also known as Oni Wytars and Accentus -- is the best instrumental ensemble performing this repertory. Hands down. They rarely appear on critics' golden lists, but that's because most early music critics (and performers) are desiccated scholars and not impassioned musicians. The only reason this CD isn't perfect (unlike "Codex Faenza", which is flawless in every respect) is that the arrangements are less than historical. In medieval monophonic music, rule no. 1 about song accompaniment is that the instrumentalist must NEVER draw attention away from the voice -- go crazy with preludes and interludes, but be VERY discreet during actual singing. Since Unicorn is concerned primarily with the emotive and evocative capabilities of its instruments, it tends toward the densely orchestrated (but not to the absurd extremes of, for instance, Philip Pickett). Such an approach is not historically justified in most cases, but I'd be a desiccated scholar if I didn't reassure y'all that this CD is one hell of a fun ride.

Having a fair collection of religious and medieval music, this CD really stands out. The voices are superb, the instruments spot on, and by closing my eyes, I can just imagine the pilgrims taking up the refrains, while slowly making their way up the rocky slope to the sanctuary of Montserrat (yes, I've been there, and the Black Madonna is very special). Of particular note is the passion , the fervor and the vigor that is transmitted to the listener. I highly recommend this CD

One of the hidden gems of the Naxos catalog are the series of recordings of Medieval music by the Ensemble Unicorn with Michael Posch. The music they choose to record here comes from the 14th century Llivre Vermell de Monstserrat preserved there in an codex of five parts. The book resulted from an attempt to set contemporary popular music to spiritual texts to help to reach out to a wider audience.

This CD is exemplary in every possible way. The liner notes written by Michael Posch himself are superb. Furthermore, the recorded sound quality is pretty much audiophile grade and runs rings around those produced by major record labels for the fraction of the price. The music making is beautiful, evocative and fascinating with all performances having the intensity and brilliance you can always count on from this superb ensemble.

Very highly recommended.

Aside from the beauty and uniqueness of the material chosen for this recording, the Ensemble Unicorn has amazed me on other recordings as well with their talent and flavor for re-creating early music. The fact that these recordings, "Naxos Early Music", are offered at such low prices should never sway anyone to think less of it. These recordings are among the absolute best in my collection.

I picked up this cd because of a family connection with the Black Madonna of Monserrat. She's an integral part of the religious life of my dad's hometown. I thought the cd would make a good present for my dad but I didn't really expect the music to be anything special. However, I was simply blown away upon listening to it. This is an incredible blend of voice, rhythm and percussion that conveys the earthiness and transcendence of peasant pilgrim experience. I'm not a fan of early music -- I don't dislike it, I just don't know that much about it. Most of the early music I have listened to, however, is nowhere near as textured and intricate as these songs. What's amazing to my ears is that arrangements manage to sound both ancient and startlingly contemporary at the same time. I'm betting that sooner or later, someone will be giving these songs a trance-music treatment -- if that hasn't already happened.

I don't know how I came across this cd, but I am grateful that the gods led me to it. I was very much surprised and pleased by the extraordinary quality of the performances; but, Belinda Sykes' voice and interpretations simply 'floored' me. How can one describe it? One can't! You'd have to listen to it for yourself...and then you'd probably wonder, like I do, why there aren't more recordings featuring this truly incredible and unique singer. This music is a gift.

This is one of the better early music performances I have heard on disc.

The material is pilgrim songs and trouvere material from a manuscript in Catalonia. The performers adapt this music freely, adding instrumental parts; and attack these simple songs in stanza forms with freedom and glee.

Belinda Sykes' voice, in particular, carries this record off. What comes off this disc, mostly, is -enthusiasm-; I haven't heard an early music record that was this much fun to listen to since the Binkley -Carmina Burana-.

Let me add my two cents to the laudatory reviews already given. I bought this CD some time ago when I was developing an interest in early music. The title and the theme fascinated me. Also it was inexpensive, and I know from my experience that NAXOS, even though inexpensive, delivers quality goods. I was not the least disappointed. This is the music of an important era in history brilliantly performed by Unicorn Ensemble and Belinda Sykes. Belinda Sykes deserves to be better known than she is. She has a marvelous voice, and her delivery is without peer. When she sings, I am transported back to the days of those pilgrims whose songs she is singing. This music is not like other music. at times it may seem raucous. Just keep in mind the epoch from which these songs come. Open your mind. I assure you that you will be transformed.

Hard to believe we can buy this precious gem for under $10 -- and what a gem it is! Easily my favourite medieval music CD. This isn't museum music, or a cerebral esoteric dip into European medieval cultures. This music leaps out and grabs you -- recalling images of everything from the still smile of a 13th-century Madonna to the chaos of Breugel and Bosch. Belinda Sykes' voice is alive with earth, grit, heat, and a transcendent beauty that needs to be experienced to be believed. The musicians are magicians: they'll have you dancing, singing, praying -- getting your bare feet soiled in the hot holy dust of a pilgrim's trail: enjoy!