Art Of Love: Music of Machaut

Art Of Love: Music of Machaut - Deutsche Grammophon - DGG B001391202 - 02894741952

Label: Deutsche Grammophon
Catalog No: DGG B001391202
Format: CD
Release Date: 2010-03-02
Number of Discs: 1
Running time: 52 min.
Mono/Stereo: Stereo
UPC Code: 028947419525

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Notes & Reviews:

These songs of the 14th century are drenched in the sounds of Brazil, Africa and jazz. This extraordinary array of contemporary artists reinterprets and reinvents the music of the great 14th century French composer and poet Guillaume de Machaut. Grammy winning producer and arranger Robert Sadin conceived this unique album which blurs boundaries and crosses centuries.

A forgotten Baroque composer given a modern twist, and interpreted by the big pop voices of today. Contemporary artists like Natalie Merchant and Madeleine Peyroux reinvent the music of France's great 14th century composer and poet, Guillaume de Machaut Brilliant conductor and Grammy winning arranger-producer, Robert Sadin, conceives an album that blurs boundaries as it crosses centuries and cultures, drenching songs more than 600 years old in the sounds of Brazil, Africa, and jazz.

Notes & Reviews:

Robert Sadin has had an eclectic career as a conductor in both the classical and jazz worlds; a member of the faculty at Princeton; and an arranger, instrumentalist, and Grammy Award-winning producer. Art of Love: Music of Machaut uses a variety of his talents; he conceived, produced, and served as mixer for the album and arranged the music and texts of the songs by Guillaume de Machaut, as well as singing and playing clarinet and organ on some of the tracks. Although they were certainly meant to be accompanied, the melodies and lyrics are all that remain of Machaut's 14th century songs, and virtually nothing is known about how exactly they were meant to be performed. Sadin brings an unambiguously modern sensibility to his arrangements, which include both vocal performances and instrumentals, and even though the arrangements and improvisations use a variety of jazz techniques and styles, on almost every track he presents the melodies themselves absolutely faithfully. He assembles an array of outstanding performers from numerous traditions to collaborate on the pieces, including singers Milton Nascimento, Natalie Merchant, and Madeleine Peyroux (who recites rather than sings the lyrics); John Ellis on winds; guitarist Romero Lubambo; violinist Mark Feldman; cellist and guitarist Charles Curtis; pianist Brad Mehldau; and percussionist Cyro Baptista. Improvisation plays a major role on every track; for "Force of Love," Sadin provided Curtis, Mehldau, and Baptista only with the melody, giving them complete freedom to develop the piece. The performers tend to emphasize the melancholy longing of Machaut's modal melodies, so the general tone of the album is gently evocative, but at the same time many of the arrangements have an Afro-Brazilian rhythmic undercurrent. Every track effectively provides a distinctive setting for Machaut's music, which is sometimes heard straightforwardly and sometimes woven subtly into a rich improvisatory fabric. Each of the songs featuring Nascimento is exceptional for its depth of feeling, and other standouts include Merchant's wordless vocalese; "Doux Visage" with singer Celena Shafer; and the dancelike "Douce Dame," perhaps Machaut's most familiar tune, and the album's perkiest piece. The album includes two tracks by other composers, "Brad's Interlude," Mehldau's improvisation on a tune by Solage, a contemporary of Machaut's, and "Evocation," a soulful original vocal solo by Nascimento. Deutsche Grammophon's sound is immaculate with a warm intimacy. This beautifully executed CD should appeal to fans of jazz-classical crossover. ~ Stephen Eddins



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Works Details

>Sadin, Robert : Love without End, song
  • Performers: Jasmine Thomas (Voice); John Ellis (Ocarina); Milton Nascimento (Voice); John Ellis (Piano); Robert Sadin (Electronics); Charles Curtis (Guitar); Brad Mehldau (Piano); Cyro Baptista (Percussion)
  • Running Time: 5 min. 11 sec.
  • Period Time: Contemporary

>Sadin, Robert : Douce dame, song
  • Performers: Robert Sadin (Electronics); John Ellis (Piano); Mark Feldman (Violin); Seamus Blake; Cyro Baptista (Percussion); Charles Curtis (Cello); Hassan Hakmoun (Voice)
  • Running Time: 3 min. 22 sec.
  • Period Time: Contemporary

>Sadin, Robert : Natalie's Song
  • Performers: Natalie Merchant (Voice); Romero Lubambo (Guitar); Cyro Baptista (Percussion); Robert Sadin (Electronics)
  • Running Time: 3 min. 36 sec.
  • Period Time: Contemporary

>Sadin, Robert : Python, song
  • Performers: Cyro Baptista (Percussion); John Ellis (Ocarina); John Ellis (Piano); Robert Sadin (Clavinet); Lionel Loueke (Guitar); Robert Sadin (Electronics)
  • Running Time: 4 min. 59 sec.
  • Period Time: Contemporary

>Sadin, Robert : Amour me fair désirer, song
  • Performers: Mark Feldman (Violin); Charles Curtis (Cello); Robert Sadin (Electronics); Cyro Baptista (Percussion); Hassan Hakmoun (Voice); John Ellis (Piano); Dan Weiss (Frame Drum); Anthony Burr
  • Running Time: 5 min. 11 sec.
  • Period Time: Contemporary

>Sadin, Robert : Tu, meu sonho vivo, song
  • Performers: Seamus Blake; Milton Nascimento (Voice); Robert Sadin (Electronics); Charles Curtis (Cello); Charles Curtis (Guitar)
  • Running Time: 5 min. 38 sec.
  • Period Time: Contemporary

>Sadin, Robert : Comment, for ensemble
  • Performers: John Ellis (Ocarina); Robert Sadin (Electronics); John Ellis (Piano); Dan Weiss (Frame Drum); Lionel Loueke (Guitar); Robert Sadin (Organ); Cyro Baptista (Percussion); Dan Weiss (Tabla); Matt Shulman (Trumpet)
  • Running Time: 5 min. 31 sec.
  • Period Time: Contemporary

>Mehldau, Brad : Brad's Interlude, for organ
  • Performers: Brad Mehldau (Piano); Robert Sadin (Electronics)
  • Running Time: 1 min. 16 sec.
  • Period Time: Contemporary

>Sadin, Robert : Dame, si vous m'êtes lointaine, song
  • Performers: Brad Mehldau (Piano); Matt Shulman (Trumpet); Graham Haynes (Cornet); Robert Sadin (Electronics); Charles Curtis (Cello); Cyro Baptista (Percussion); Romero Lubambo (Guitar)
  • Running Time: 5 min. 3 sec.
  • Period Time: Contemporary

>Sadin, Robert : Force of Love, for cello, piano & percussion
  • Performers: Cyro Baptista (Surdo); Robert Sadin (Electronics); Charles Curtis (Cello); Brad Mehldau (Piano)
  • Running Time: 4 min. 3 sec.
  • Period Time: Contemporary

>Sadin, Robert : Doux visage, song
  • Performers: Mark Feldman (Violin); Celena Shafer (Soprano); Charles Curtis (Cello); Brad Mehldau (Piano); Cyro Baptista (Percussion); Robert Sadin (Electronics)
  • Running Time: 3 min. 29 sec.
  • Period Time: Contemporary

>Sadin, Robert : Hélas, for cello & guitar
  • Performers: Romero Lubambo (Guitar); Robert Sadin (Electronics); Charles Curtis (Cello)
  • Running Time: 3 min. 34 sec.
  • Period Time: Contemporary

>Nascimento, Milton : Evocation, song
  • Performers: Milton Nascimento (Voice); Robert Sadin (Electronics)
  • Running Time: 1 min. 10 sec.
  • Period Time: Contemporary