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The Scandinavian "Trio Mediaeval" (Anna Maria Friman, Linn Andrea Fuglseth & Torunn Įžstrem Ossum) sumptuously recreated the Worcester Ladymass in the divine setting of York Minster’s Chapter House.
The Worcester Ladymass is a musical celebration of the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, which remains the most significant piece of Catholic dogma, only completely doctrinally defined in 1950 by Pope Pius XII.
The voices of the Trio blended together in unison, and separated into harmonies and rounds perfectly.
The university music department’s Dr. Nicky Losseff had painstakingly transcribed the songs of the Worcester Ladymass from 59 fragments of manuscript, which make up the only surviving English examples of this style of music from the 13th and 14th centuries. The others were mostly destroyed in the Reformation. In the pre-concert talk she gave, Dr. Losseff expressed her excitement at being able to actually hear the results of her hard work, performed by a group as reputable and talented as the Trio. She would not have been disappointed by the concert that followed.
Simply put, you haven’t properly experienced medieval polyphony or plainchant music until you have seen and heard it in a setting such as the Minster Chapter House (as last week’s Spem in Alium concert will testify to). The stage area was lit in part by candlelight, which created an intimate atmosphere, while the sheer grandeur of the gothic architecture allowed the Trio’s voices to soar upwards.
From the first moment the Trio began singing, the entire audience became transfixed by the pure beauty of the music, which comprised several styles and variants of plainchant, at times incorporating different layers into the melody. At points during the concert, the Trio sang from amongst and around the audience: true medieval surround sound! They also used melody chimes (short metal pipes with clappers) to haunting effect.
The voices of the Trio blended together in unison, and separated into harmonies and rounds perfectly. All three proved their incredible talent, both when singing ensemble, and solo. The audience were initially hesitant about applauding in between pieces, for fear of disrupting the elegant balance of silence and song. The Trio were encouraged back at the end to perform a song from their normal repertoire, and deservedly received a standing ovation from many in the audience.
This was truly an experience to be savoured, and I would challenge anyone, religious or not, to not feel something spiritual, whilst listening to music as divine as this.
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