CD ECM Records Trio Mediaeval: Words Of The Angel

2001

Anna Maria Friman - voce
Linn Andrea Fuglseth - vocel
Torunn Ostrem Ossum - voce

Debut of an exceptional female trio from Norway singing music from the Messe de Tournai, plus motets and songs, as well as a collection of Laude, and the contemporary piece by Ivan Moody that gives the album its title. Formed in Oslo in 1997, the Trio Mediaeval studied intensively with the Hilliard Ensemble and shares the English group's sense of adventurousness and equal interest in early and new music. Their recording was produced by Hilliard singer John Potter.

***

Editor’s Choice, Gramophone
Recording of the Month, Stereophile
Recommandé, Repertoire
Ausgezeichnet, Crescendo
Tip, Neue Musikzeitung

Trio Mediaeval was founded four years ago in Oslo, and this is their first recording. Their voices are clear, firm and highly attractive. The three women can sing so alike that in the rondellus passages of "Salve mater misericordie" it is almost impossible to tell which voice is on top, so magically do they match colour and the slightest details of articulation. But they can also sound quite different from one another in the "Messe de Tournai", where the three voices have clearly different structural functions. Their intonation is also astonishingly pure. ... The "Messe de Tournai" forms the backbone of the disc, the six movements separated as they would be in a celebration of the mass, but filling the gaps with two other early repertories: monophonic Italian "laude" from the Cortona manuscript, and English sacred polyphony from around 1300, including some astonishing pieces from the recently discovered Berkeley Castle fragment. Ivan Moody's "Words of the Angel", written specially for Trio Mediaeval and making superb use of their voices, adds a nice touch of something slightly different before the end.
David Fallows, Gramophone

This is the debut CD from the three sopranos of Trio Mediaeval, and it is exciting. Clear voices, good intonation and superb musicianship make this a recording which deserves to do well. … It is fascinating to see how contemporary this repertoire sounds, and how comfortably it sits beside the modern music on the recording. Ultimately the CD is a fascinating journey with music of timeless beauty.
Mark Argent, Early Music News

These three women have astonishingly beautiful voices, with individual timbres that nonetheless mingle seamlessly, whether in the simple, chant-like moments or in the high-flying Moody piece. And while Anonymous 4 can occasionally sound faceless, the Trio Mediaeval sings with feeling, depth, and – dare I say it? – soul. This is a magnificent disc, exquisitely recorded with no artificial ambience, and not to be missed.
Robert Levine, Stereophile