Le Jeune, Ensemble Clement Janequin, Dominique Visse - Missa Ad Placitum

Published Tuesday 17th February 2015
Le Jeune, Ensemble Clement Janequin, Dominique Visse - Missa Ad Placitum
Le Jeune, Ensemble Clement Janequin, Dominique Visse  - Missa Ad Placitum

STYLE: Choral
RATING 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
OUR PRODUCT CODE: 155588-26887
LABEL: Musique D'Abord HMA1951607
FORMAT: CD Album
ITEMS: 1

Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

Claude Le Jeune (1528-1600) was a French Huguenot composer and important in the music of his time and place for his attempts to follow in his settings the principles of classical versification. He wrote both sacred and secular music and was particularly known for his many psalm settings based on the melodies of the Genevan Psalter and for various numbers of voices. On this reissue of a disc first released in 1997 we hear Le Jeune's "Missa Ad Placitum" or "Mass As It Pleases" of 1607, his setting of the Magnificat and two motets, "Benedicite Dominum" and "Tristita Obsedit Me". The nine voices of Ensemble Clement Janequin blend together very well indeed, aided by the small band of period instrumentalists. If we want a brief and superficial comparison, Le Jeune is not unlike Josquin des Prez (c1440/55-1521) with an Italian flavour and marks a step away from Renaissance polyphony towards early Baroque. If this makes Le Jeune sound obscure it is meant to. My reaction to this disc is that the singing is excellent but the music was less memorable. It is, though, priced to sell and those whose interests tend towards early vocal music may well get something from this release.

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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