Reviewed by Andrew Rolfe

From a biblical viewpoint, Mary was a special lady but clearly said she was only the "Handmaiden of Yahweh" not the Empress or Queen of Heaven. But I'm not here to discuss things ending in "ology" - on with the review. Aachen was the northern capital in the empire of that old "Holy Roman Emperor" Charlemagne. Before he died in 814AD he established the "Schola Palatina", which forms the foundation of the choir at Aachen cathedral. With this album they are reminiscing. They've recorded 14 numbers from their a cappella repertoire with particular emphasis on the golden age of Netherlands and Roman polyphony of the 16th century. The music from this era still forms the basis of the liturgy today. With Aachen being in the land of the forthcoming World Cup, there is wide support on this album for German hymns and German-sounding songsmiths (although rumour has it the home side fields Dutch players in disguise): powering forward relentlessly towards goal is the Empress herself, an anonymous mensch (person) having penned the hymn that provides this album with a title, and 15th century pilgrims with a four-part chant; carving up the left wing Johann Joseph Fux with his heart-wrenching "Tu Solus Qui Facis Mirabilia"; Adrian Willaert sweeps in from the mid-field providing forward support with his "Ave Maria" for four voices; Johannes Mangon's "Terra Tremuit" wears the number 12 coming on at half time to provide a boost to the flagging striker team; old hat "Syt Willekomen, Heire Krist" ("Christ, you're welcome here," the oldest German Christmas carol around) turns out a solid defence. All in all a reasonable game for the home team. But the relentless Italian onslaught proves too much. There're more Latin titles than pepperoni slices on your average pizza and the album simply sports more Italian-sounding composers allowing the away side to field more players: Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina gives an indomitable performance in midfield with his "Terra Remuit" (Offertory from the Easter mass for five voices); his as-equally-Mediterranean-sounding team mates Orlando di Lasso ("Tui Sunt Coeli" - Offertory for the third Christmas mass), Felice Anerio ("Christus Factus Est" - four-voiced Maundy Thursday Gradual mass) and Tomás Luis de Victoria ("Vidi Speciosam" - Motets for the feast of the Ascension of the Virgin) provide so much fancy footwork you'd expect to see their boots in the Vatican museum of relics. The goals just keep coming and the German side is overwhelmed by Italian choral mastery. Final result Italy eight hymns, Germany five, with a Gregorian chant volleyed in the back of the net for good measure. So what does it all sound like? In a nutshell: choirboys par excellence backed up by the bass and baritone of adult men. I'm guessing the only woman is the Mary they sing about. Lilting. Peaceful. Amazing clarity of tone. Ranges off the scale. Blending melodies. Slightly melancholic, but magnificently conducted and executed. A full orchestra of voices and the instruments aren't needed or missed. Don't expect to be able to sing along unless you have above average mastery of Latin or Old German. Waves of vocal perfection build on one another to produce a truly first class choral masterpiece in keeping with the high standards of yesteryear. Charlemagne poached Alucin, founder of the choir school at York, to be the director of his new Saint Mary's cathedral at Aachen, which provided the coronation venue for the next six centuries of German kings. Such a vibrant place of music led the writer Johannes Noppius to report in 1662 that St M's was THE place to be on feast days with more musicians than standing room and such splendour, ceremony and beauty of music that kings' hearts were delighted. And so, he said, it should be, the cathedral was after all the king's seat (probably the only one with a guaranteed place to rest his legs). This album is a digital remastering of a January 1972 recording directed by Dr Rudolf Pohl, with a play time of 40 minutes, made available by Sony BMG Music in Germany. A fine collection of old, high church music for those with a more catholic-oriented view of Christendom.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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