Azahar

Description

After The Tempest (Alpha 208), the first highly acclaimed Shakespearean album (Diapason d'Or), La Tempête presents "Azahar," which means orange blossom in Spanish, reflecting and intertwining the polyphony of Machaut with the poetry of Spanish cantigas and the era of Stravinsky and Ohana: "I love the idea of disorienting the listener across different time periods," says Simon-Pierre Bestion, founder of the La Tempête company. Stravinsky wrote his mass after discovering Machaut's; as for Ohana, his Cantigas de Santa Maria refer to those of Alfonso the Wise and to popular songs. There is an extraordinary freedom to be taken with the famous Mass of Machaut; its music requires a way of singing that is quite full and direct—like Corsican or Basque polyphonies. I chose singers familiar with early music, powerful, direct voices with little vibrato, who could also sing Stravinsky and Ohana. The orchestra was arranged in consorts for the early repertoire and in mixed stands for Ohana and Stravinsky. The choir was placed in a circle all around, in a single row. I love sharing this experience of feeling the sound physically.