The Second Circle: Love Songs of Francesco Landini [IMPORT]

Francesco Landini (Composer), Anonymous 4 (Performer)

Product Details

• Performer: Anonymous 4
• Composer: Francesco Landini
• Audio CD (September 11, 2001)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Harmonia Mundi Fr.
• ASIN: B00005M164
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #107,115 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars How can anyone make Landini boring? Anonymous 4 does!, November 7, 2001

By	hinducats "hinducats" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

There is no doubt that Anonymous 4 is a highly skilled ensemble. The combination of exceptionally beautiful voices with technical perfection has attracted attention for them from all over the world. As Francesco Landini is my favorite composer of all time, I was quick to purchase this album. However, as with all Anonymous 4 albums, I was totally dumbfounded by the fact that every one of the tracks sounded just like all the others. They sound very pretty, very sweet, totally perfect - but unfortunately, also very boring.

Now we're not talking here about Gregorian chant. This is meant to all sound alike, as its purpose is not to entertain, but to raise the consciousness of the listener. We're not talking about French motets, either - which need to be interspersed with troubadour and trouvère music or other genres of song if they aren't going to eventually sound all the same. This is Landini - a powerful and intense composer whose compositions range in mood from fierce anger to passionate and painful obsession to black despair to sheer joy. But I found more of Landini's power in Gothic Voices' rendition of one song, Nessun ponga sperança, than I heard in this entire album.

It is only Landini's genius that keeps this album from sounding totally insipid. I'm sorry, maybe I am too Hollywood, but I prefer the sounds of groups like Micrologus, Alla Francesca and La Reverdie. Their voices may not be quite so gorgeous, their vocal skills not quite so technically perfect. But they come from a deep intuitive sense of what Landini was trying to express through the song, and, frankly, are fine performers as well as singers.

As a director of a vocal ensemble that is trying to master Landini, I'll listen to this album again and again to get ideas for songs to use in future concerts. But Anonymous 4 need never worry that we'll try to imitate their performance technique. I recommend this album for diehard Anonymous 4 fans, Landini enthusiasts and beginning-to-intermediate students of early music.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Perfect, but boring, October 30, 2001

By A Customer

Anonymous 4 has perfect intonation,perfect phrasing, but all this perfection saps the life out of some of this 14th century music. Of course, we will never know what Landini had in mind, but most other early music groups approach this music with a bit more earthiness. I have never been bored with "Ecco la primavera", but was here. Too perfect, lacking, well- spring. Unfortunately, there are few recordings of Landini available, and this one includes many previously unrecorded songs, so an early music aficionado may have to obtain this CD for this purpose.

13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Francesco von Bingen???, September 16, 2002

By	Aage Nielsen (Boise, Idaho United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Anonymous 4 specializes in perpetuating the myth that all Medieval music sounds alike. I really wish they would narrow their focus even more by only doing sacred music. They recorded an exquisite CD of Hildegard von Bingen, but with Second Circle they sanitized Landini. I cannot put in to words how stiffly they performed the potentially raucous Ecco la primavera! Simply put, I and my colleagues were livid.
Landini is my favorite composer to perform and listen to, so I am reluctantly grateful that Anonymous 4 has brought his name to renewed attention. Unfortunately, they did so as a way for insomniacs to spend (Money) on a relaxation CD. Alla Francesca, Camerata Nova and even Judy Collins put more passion in to Landini. I wish that Sequentia did material this late. Ben Bagby and company are much more sensitive to balancing style and text. Particularly when Barbara Thornton was alive, Sequentia was much more convincing with both sacred and secular music.