Endbeginning - New York Polyphony (2012)

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Endbeginning - New York Polyphony (2012)

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The four members of New York Polyphony here present a programme which explores the themes of grief, loss and mortality. Apart from the work by Jackson Hill on Guillaume de Machaut’s famous 14th century rondeau Ma fin… and two examples of plainsong, all works included on this disc, the ensemble’s first on BIS, were composed by masters of the Franco-Flemish school of polyphony from the first half of the 16th century. Most of this music was partly used liturgically: the two Gregorian chants Libera me and In paradisum both form part of the Roman Catholic burial service.

New York Polyphony was formed in 2006 and is establishing a reputation as an exceptionally fine vocal chamber ensemble.

Composer: Thomas Crecquillon, Jacobus Clemens non Papa, Anonymous, Josquin Des Préz, …
Performer: Craig Phillips, Geoffrey Dunstan Williams, Geoffrey Silver, Christopher Dylan Herbert
Orchestra/Ensemble: New York Polyphony

Reviews: Four years ago, I last wrote about New York Polyphony, the male vocal quartet who here makes its debut on BIS. The recording was a Christmas program and included the following description: "…these are ideally matched, sensitively balanced voices, warm yet vibrant in the tradition of groups such as the Hilliard Ensemble. And the singing is impeccable–the breathing, the phrasing, all of the ensemble work shows musicians at one with each other and with the music at hand.

There's really nothing new to add to that, except perhaps that in the last few years the ensemble has developed even more refined soft singing and–if it's possible–a more vibrant resonance when they want to emphasize a particularly rich harmonic moment or passage. The fact is, however closely you want to analyze the sound and the performance, you'll find nothing but reasons to keep listening–and plenty to support an argument for New York Polyphony's preeminence among today's male vocal ensembles.

This program of mostly 16th-century works from Franco-Flemish composers suits these voices especially well–for me the expressive range and vocal ensemble technique displayed in Clemens' Tristitia obsedit me was a highlight (not to mention the gorgeous music itself), along with Josquin's Absalon fili mi. American composer Jackson Hill (b. 1941) wrote Ma fin est mon commencement for New York Polyphony, and it's described as "a fantasy on Machaut's original"; but whether or not you are familiar with that work, the undulating lines, close-textured, modern/ancient harmonic structure, and the phrases that build purposefully to several climactic points–and fully exploiting that vibrant resonance mentioned above–will keep your full attention while leaving no doubt as to this modern (2009) work's rightful place on the program. This superb BIS production, ideally recorded in a Swedish church, bodes well for what looks like the beginning of a beautiful relationship.