Ciaramella: Music from the Court of Burgundy Ciaramella Ensemble

• 1Gloria02:16
• 2Urbs beata Jerusalem04:02
• 3A cheval, tout homme a cheval02:17
• 4Una panthera in compagnia de Marte04:09
• 5Doctorum principem02:22
• 6O rosa bella, o dolce anima mia05:06
• 7A l'arme - A l'arme - Tru tru01:59
• 8Plasanche or tost02:33
• 9Comme femme desconfortee01:23
• 10Comme femme01:45
• 11Comme femme desconfortee02:18
• 12Cancon de' pifari dicto El ferrarese I01:21
• 13Je suis d'Alemagne02:35
• 14Roti boully ioyeulx (arr. A.K. Gilbert)02:02
• 15Cancon de' pifari dicto El ferrarese II01:26
• 16Improvisation over La spagna02:22
• 17La Spagna a 503:02
• 18De nachtigaal die zank een lied - La franchoise nouvelle04:14
• 19J'ay pris amours01:15
• 20J'ay pris amours02:05
• 21J'ay pris amours01:25
• 22Romanesca02:50
• 23Fortuna desperata06:36
• Total Runtime01:01:23

Info for Ciaramella: Music from the Court of Burgundy

CIARAMELLA brings to life Medieval and early Renaissance music from historical events and manuscripts. Praised for performing intricate fifteenth-century counterpoint 'with the ease of jazz musicians improvising on a theme,' its members are united by the conviction that every composition conceals a rich story waiting to be unlocked through historical research and speculative performance.

This is an excellent recording; a true joy on every level. Ciaramella is an alta band and, not surprisingly, shawms figure prominently (ciaramella is Italian for shawm). The ensemble carefully mixes and matches the shawms with recorders, bagpipes, vocalists, percussion and brass (slide trumpet and sackbuts), weaving the latter in and out—often exposed to prominence. The performance is excellent on all levels so before commenting on the brass performances, it behooves me to make some general observations.

All of the playing is at the highest level. Blend and intonation are wonderful. Their use of just intonation is obvious and appreciated. I am impressed with their sense of ensemble and especially with their uniform releases. Historic articulations are evident throughout. The playing is always lively, dance-like when applicable, but vocal in approach. There is some wonderfully facile recorder playing on Ciconia’s “Una panthera.”

Though not the featured instruments, the brass work of Greg Ingles and Erik Schmalz is excellent in every way. They support when necessary, but shine forth well when called upon, such as in the opening of the “Plasanch or tost” of Pykini and the “Roti boully joyeulx” arranged by Adam Gilbert. Their intonation is perfect and they each display nimble technique as well.

Numerous composers such as Guillaume Dufay, Ciconia, and Alexander Agircola are represented. The additional works arranged and composed by Adam Gilbert are quite successfully conceived in the style of the period. Chansons are presented with treatments by different composers. This reviewer’s favorite is the classic tune “Fortunata desperate” as treated by Antoine Busnois, Johannes de Pinarol, Heinrich Issac, and Agricola.

This recording is a pleasure. The music is all interesting, performed at the highest artistic level, and done so with obviously joyous spirit. It is a must for members of the HBS to have, not only for the excellent slide trumpet and sackbut performances, but also as a model of style and performance practices of this repertoire. (www.historicbrass.org)

The Ciaramella Ensemble are:
Susan Judy, Soprano
Debra Nagy, Soprano
N. Lincoln Hanks, Tenor
Temmo Korisheli, Tenor
Adam Knight Gilbert, Recorders, Shawms, Bagpipes
Rotem Gilbert, Recorders, Shawms, Bagpipes
Doug Milliken, Recorders, Shawms, Bagpipes
Debra Nagy, Recorders, Shawms
Greg Ingles, Slide Trumpet, Sackbut
Erik Schmalz, Sackbut
Sidney Hopson, Percussion

Adam Knight Gilbert, Director
Rotem Gilbert, Director

Ciaramella Ensemble
Ciaramella are Erik Schmalz, Doug Milliken, Debra Nagy, Rotem Gilbert, Greg Ingles and Adam Gilbert. Ciaramella brings to life Medieval and early Renaissance music from historical events and manuscripts. Praised for performing intricate fifteenth-century counterpoint 'with the ease of jazz musicians improvising on a theme', its members are united by the conviction that every composition conceals a rich story waiting to be unlocked through historical research and speculative performance.

Founded on a core of winds: shawm, sackbut, recorder, bagpipe, and voice, Ciaramella takes its name from the Italian shawm and from a fifteenth-century song about a beautiful girl whose clothes are full of holes. When she opens her mouth, she knocks men flat. Ciaramella's members met as graduate students at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. They first performed together on Christmas Day 2003, in Spoleto, Italy. There they collaborated with musicologist Gioia Filocamo to perform music from the manuscript Panciatichi 27, much of which had not been heard for centuries. In 2004, the group performed in a staged production of the first Hebrew play, A Comedy of Betrothal by Leone de'Sommi (c.1550) at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Ciaramella has since performed for the Bloomington Early Music Festival, Oberlin's Baroque Performance Institute, the Lute Society of America, the American Musicological Society in Seattle, and on early music series in Cleveland, San Francisco, and San Diego. They have performed for Columbus Early Music in Ohio, Seattle's Early Music Guild, and continue to perform in Los Angeles for the Da Camera Society's music series, 'Chamber Music in Historic Sites'. Ciaramella was a finalist in the 2003 Flanders Festival International Young Artist's Presentation and in the 2004 Medieval/ Renaissance Early Music America competition in New York. The group made its debut appearance to sold out crowds at the Tage Alter Musik Festival in Regensburg, Germany in Spring 2007.

The group has performed at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, Early Music Society of the Islands in Victoria, BC, made its New York debut at Music Before 1800 and performed for the Connecticut and Amherst Early Music Festivals.

Booklet for Ciaramella: Music from the Court of Burgundy