A Medieval Christmas

On their third album ‘A Medieval Christmas’ the Trigon Ensemble recorded a beautiful collection of 15th and 16th century Dutch Christmas carols founded in various song collections from Utrecht, Tongeren (Belgium), Zwolle and Amsterdam. Religious music, sung by three female singers who, through serenity and precision, give these unknown pieces an excellent new life.

The Trigon Ensemble sing songs from the Modern Devotion period. A movement that arose at the end of the 14th century and gave the people support and comfort. A movement that went back to the basics, to the austerity and simplicity that we also find in the music. All pieces are sung a capella and many are mono-phonic, but the Christmas songs are polyphonic, with lyrics in Latin, Latin-Dutch and Dutch.

The Trigon Ensemble approaches the music from the authenticity and sings the music in its purest form. The vocals are clear, fragile and tender and find with ease their way through devotion and dedication, partly due to the minimal use of vibrato. In addition to the convincing of the Christmas carols ‘Een kindekijn is ons gheboren’ (A child is born) or ‘Jubilemus singuli’ we also find some ‘Maria songs’, including the sparkling ‘Ave Maris stella’ and the ‘Ave Maria’ performed in a subdued way by 2 voices.

In a time in which fast living and economic prosperity become so important, the Trigon Ensemble succeeds to bring the listener back to modesty and reflection. Bravo!