Walther Von Der Vogelweide: Lieder

Anne Azema, Joel Frederiksen, Vincent Kibildis, Felix Verry

He was the most important German-language lyricist and minnesinger of the Middle Ages: Walther von der Vogelweide. But his musical legacy is as obscure as his biography. Only a few of his melodies have survived. Now the American bass, lutenist and ensemble leader Joel Frederiksen and his ensemble Phoenix Munich present an entire album of Walther's songs reconstructed for the first time. Working closely with renowned musicologists and experts on the music of the Middle Ages, Frederiksen and his fellow musicians have recorded 17 songs that provide a fascinating insight into the vocal music of the Middle Ages. You can hear songs by Walther, but also many a chanson by French troubadours such as Jaufré Rudel (ca. 1100-ca. 1147), whose melodies the minstrel probably adopted and adapted for his own songs. "Sung and made music, we thus come much closer to the strong and sensitive texts of this artist than if they were only read," says Joel Frederiksen. "And in doing so, we immerse ourselves in an early world that doesn't seem so far removed from our own after all." With his "Walther von der Vogelweide" album, Joel Frederiksen once again dedicates himself to a great bard with his unique bass voice. Frederiksen had already recorded songs by Renaissance composer John Dowland and pop singer Nick Drake for his successful album "Requiem for a Pink Moon" in 2012. And he has just released a tribute to a modern troubadour, the great singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen ("A Day with Suzanne"). On the album, Joel Frederiksen and his musicians Vincent Kibildis and Félix Verry accompany themselves on instruments that may have been played by Walther himself. These include the medieval cistern "Citole" as well as harp and fiddle. As exciting and unique as this musical journey into the Middle Ages has turned out to be, Joel Frederiksen gives the Middle High German songs a luminous intensity and beauty that sounds wonderful even in the 21st century when recorded in this way!

Price: $32.98

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