Le parfaict danser - Dance Music 1300-1500

Description

"The perfect dancer is memory, measure, manner, body posture, diversity of things, and sharing of space...". This is how one of the earliest dance treatises in history opens, written in the 15th century by the Italian dance master Antonio Cornazzano. Beyond the steps and figures he describes, it also conveys the symbolic role of this art, which aims to unite the earthly realm of men with the kingdom of God. Echoing this universalist vision, this recording follows the thread of the earliest notated dances while also exploring the songs or pieces that sometimes served as their source, as well as the more refined compositions that were inspired by them. Estampies and other forgotten dances of the Middle Ages; aristocratic basse-dances in vogue at the court of Burgundy; saltarelli from the flourishing Italian Renaissance; allemandes and lively branles from the festivities of Francis I... A multitude of varied spaces and aesthetics that Into the Winds joyfully explores, testifying more than ever to the timelessness of this art.