This release is the ninth in a series devoted to the complete works of
Machaut
by the
Orlando Consort
, who face a difficult job. The Mass and the polyphonic motets and songs of
are among the most often recorded works of the medieval period, but much of
's output was monophonic and in forms such as the long narrative poem that are far from the present in time and musical space. This release landed on classical best-seller charts in early 2023, and the reason seems to be that the
has brought this difficult music to life. The group presents excerpts from the
Remede de Fortune
, a 4,300-line poem, a lay of courtly love by
that includes the interpolated songs recorded here. The story centers on a young man who is unable to profess his love for his unattainable maiden and flees the court; he is later talked into returning by a metaphorical Hope figure and begins not only to have more success but to describe the life of the court around him, making the work an invaluable resource for scholars of the medieval era. The interpolated songs begin as monophonic pieces but proceed into polyphonic ballades, a virelai, and a rondeau, a development that annotator
Anne Stone
suggests is symbolic of his growth. The monophonic songs are given to several members of the
, who come together in the polyphonic pieces. The singing is beautiful, as usual for this group, but what is most remarkable is that the whole performance comes together in a way that seldom happens in this repertory. One can foresee an audience for this release not only among fans of the
but in the future among students in university classes, for this is a release that really delves into what
and medieval French song were all about. ~ James Manheim