NEW RELEASE
early music Ensemble
Leones
The Cosmopolitan Songs by Oswald von Wolkenstein
Ensemble Leones Marc Lewon CHR 77379 Oswald von Wolkenstein: politician, diplomat, Lord of Hauenstein-‐castle, Knight of the Reign and bon vivant... these were his "main professions" and they took him to nearly all regions of the world known in his time. Today, he is most famous for his most important "hobbies": he was a master poet, musician and composer, a fine singer and player of diverse instruments and, ostensibly was fluent in around ten languages. From no other poet-‐composer of the Middle Ages has such a multifaceted repertoire been handed down: he wrote not only popular songs and simple, monophonic narrative songs, but also complex polyphony with refined, intricate part writing. Almost everything that was in vogue during his time can be found in his personal manuscripts, but none of the music in his collection can compare to the strange yet fascinating sounds that came from his own pen. For the CD "The Cosmopolitan—Songs by Oswald von Wolkenstein", Marc Lewon has compiled a programme with his Ensemble Leones that does justice to Oswald's versatility as poet and musician. Alongside rarely heard pieces, they present a series of premiere recordings ranging from multilingual "macaronic" Lieder and travel descriptions to true musical gems. Since the songtexts could not be included with the CD-‐booklet, our online tracklist on www.leones.de contains links to the website of the "Oswald von Wolkenstein-‐Gesellschaft", where all of Oswald's songtexts are online. Marc Lewon 10 Ain gút geboren edel man (instrumental) 11 Nu rue mit sorgen 12 Wer ist, die da durchleuchtet 13 Ich klag (instrumental) 14 Mit gúnstlichem herzen 15 Herz, prich 16 Wol auff, wir wellen slauffen (instrumental)/ Bog de primi was dustu da
tracklist 1 Do fraig amors 2 Stampanie (instrumental) 3 Freu dich, du weltlich creatúr (instrumental) 4 Durch aubenteuer tal und perg 5 Gar wunniklich hat si mein herz besessen 6 Es seusst dort her von orient 7 Ach senliches leiden 8 Wes mich mein búl ie hat erfreut (instrumental) 9 Wol auff, wol an
total time: 79:45
Ensemble Leones Els Janssens-‐Vanmunster voice Miriam Andersén voice·∙ harp ·∙ cow horn ·∙ rattle Tobie Miller voice ·∙ hurdy-‐gurdy Baptiste Romain vielle ·∙ bagpipes Liane Ehlich (guest) [Tr. 10, 13, 16] medieval transverse flute Marc Lewon voice ·∙ plectrum lute ·∙ cetra ·∙ vielle ·∙ direction
Ensemble Leones Ensemble für Frühe Musik | Ensemble for Early Music Künstlerischer Leiter | artistic director: Marc Lewon
www.leones.de
Management Gabriele Elisabeth Lewon Lörracher Str. 36a | D-‐79639 Grenzach-‐Wyhlen tel: +49 (0)7624 -‐ 20 90 70 | e-‐mail: gabriele@lewon.de
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early music Ensemble
Leones
more CDs by Ensemble Leones:
COLOURS IN THE DARK The Instrumental Music of Alexander Agricola CHR 77368, 2013
NEIDHART A Minnesinger and his ‘Vale of Tears’ NAXOS 8.572449, 2012
5 Pizzicato
Listening to this attractive, evocative recording and gra-‐ dually taking on board its many facets are fresh musical experiences well worth having. Gramophone Die Musik lebt -‐ und man spürt, wie sie die Hörer ihrer Zeit absolut gefesselt haben muss. MDR Figaro They are all played here with palpable joy. Sunday Times ...eine der wichtigsten im Bereich der Renaissancemusik der letzten Jahre. Weitere Aufnahmen dieses Ensembles sehe ich mit Neugier entgegen. Toccata Cette superbe production nous plonge directement au cœur de la Renaissance… une œuvre riche en emotions et taillée en un magnifique tissue contrapuntique. …toujours captivant et envoûtant. Pizzicato
LES FANTAISIES DE JOSQUIN The Instrumental Music of Josquin Desprez CHR 77348, 2011
Die Rettung des Minnesangs…Endlich ist eine CD erschienen, die den Minnesang als raffinierte, reflektierte, vielschichtige Kunstform ernst nimmt. BR KLASSIK Peerless musicianship. This superb CD proves that time travel is possible…listen to these outstanding performances by Ensemble Leones of Neidhart’s beautiful music and witty, sophisticated, some-‐ times outrageous poetry…the songs are compellingly evocative and utterly con-‐ vincing. Everyone who cares about that heritage should hear this recording. MusicWeb International Eine Schatztruhe früher Musik …stilkundig, einfühlsam, differenziert und feinsinnig bis in die subtilsten Schattierungen…eine wahre Kostbarkeit für Liebhaber der frühen Musik. Badische Zeitung Spannend. Crescendo …highly enjoyable… Highly recommended. Classical Net
Die Musiker meiden das Deftige und Plakative zugunsten einer sensiblen Aus-‐ formung der Details und einer genau-‐ en Auslotung der Atmosphäre. Fono Forum Hauchig und zart, mitreissend und statisch, durchsichtig und imposant wird gespielt... Tagesanzeiger Zürich Overall, however, this is an album that true Josquin lovers, and especially libraries with Josquin collections, will want to own. All Music Sometimes I wonder: is the music as good as I thought? But a phrase suddenly firmly answers „yes“. [...]. Buy it! Early Music Review Hic sunt leones…Wie oft bei guten Ein-‐ spielungen aus dem Bereich der Histo-‐ rischen Aufführungspraxis erstaunt und begeistert auch hier die vertraute Fremd-‐ heit des Klangbildes…einer hohen und beherrschten Instrumentalkultur, die auch das Zusammenspiel des Ensembles prägt…eine gelungene Einspielung. klassik.com Das Ensemble Leones legt hier seine erste CD vor, und sie ist direkt ein Volltreffer. TOCCATA
Ensemble Leones Ensemble für Frühe Musik | Ensemble for Early Music Künstlerischer Leiter | artistic director: Marc Lewon
Management Gabriele Elisabeth Lewon Lörracher Str. 36a | D-‐79639 Grenzach-‐Wyhlen tel: +49 (0)7624 -‐ 20 90 70 | e-‐mail: gabriele@lewon.de
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early music Ensemble
Leones
Ensemble Leones The high-‐profiled Ensemble of Early Music specialists founded by director Marc Lewon is dedicated to presenting Medieval and Renaissance music. The ensemble’s work is characterised by performances that take into account historical sources to create subtle reconstructions and stylistically informed arrangements, which flow into their inspired interpretations. The ensemble’s signature features are the search for unknown compositions and sources as well as the re-‐introduction of rarely-‐heard instruments into the performance practice of Early Music.
Marc Lewon
With their pioneering work and their reinterpretation of familiar pieces in concerts and on CD productions (often in cooperation with Swiss Radio SRF), Leones set new standards: their debut album “Les fantaisies de Josquin—The Instrumental Music of Josquin Desprez” made it straight to the nominations of the International Classical Music Awards ICMA 2012 and was awarded 5 diapasons. It includes, as a bonus track, the world premiere recording of Arvo Pärt’s composition “Sei gelobt, du Baum”. The ensemble’s second CD (“Neidhart—A Minnesinger and his ‘Vale of Tears’”), which has already earned wide acclaim (Pizzicato ’Supersonic’ and nominated for ICMA 2013), introduces a new and fresh approach to the œuvre of the minnesinger Neidhart and at the same time sets the margin for Leones’ repertoires: on the one hand 13th century monophony (Neidhart) on the other hand instrumental music from c1500 (Josquin Desprez). The third album of the ensemble, “Colours in the Dark” with instrumental music by Alexander Agricola, was published in 2013 (5 diapasons and nominated for ICMA 2014) and documents the ensemble’s matured work on instrumental styles c1500. With its fourth CD-‐production “The Cosmopolitan—Songs by Oswald von Wolkenstein” Leones continue their successful work on German repertoires of the Middle Ages. The ensemble has performed to great success on the stages of renowned festivals such as the Stockholm Early Music Festival, the Heidelberger Frühling, and the Niedersächsische Musiktage. The musicians performing with Ensembles Leones met at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, the famous Swiss academy for Early Music, and are well established in the world of concerts, recordings, and broadcasts and also work with individual artists like Andreas Scholl, Dominique Vellard and Benjamin Bagby. www.leones.de | leones on facebook
”Bringing the music of that period back to life is a major concern of Marc Lewon, who has made a considerable reputation for himself in this sector, presenting his discoveries on the inter-‐national circuit with outstanding performers like countertenor Andreas Scholl. Lewon is a specialist in early music and the plectrum lute. His international ensemble features leading musicians in this field, whose familiarity with the variegated and exciting musical styles […] make the concert into an aural experience of a very special kind.“ Heidelberger Frühling 2012
Ensemble Leones Ensemble für Frühe Musik | Ensemble for Early Music Künstlerischer Leiter | artistic director: Marc Lewon
Management Gabriele Elisabeth Lewon Lörracher Str. 36a | D-‐79639 Grenzach-‐Wyhlen tel: +49 (0)7624 -‐ 20 90 70 | e-‐mail: gabriele@lewon.de
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Published on Apr 8, 2014
Christophorus
