Machaut: A Burning Heart
The Orlando Consort
Hyperion CDA68103. 58’58

This is the third of The Orlando Consort’s recordings of Machaut’s secular songs, following on from their ‘Songs of Le Voir Dit’ and ‘The Dart of Love’ CDs. Music like this can be appreciated at many different levels, and perhaps one of the most satisfactory (unless your mediaeval French is up to scratch) is to ignore the programme notes or translations of the text, turn the lighting down and just let the music wash over and through you. Although it might appear disrespectful to the enormous amount of research that has to go into producing a recording like, it really does work as a musical experience.

The Orlando Consort present the tracks on this disc in a way that draws the listener gently into the sound world of the early 14^th century. The opening Continue reading →