From The Court Of Burgundy: Yarlung’s 20th Anniversary Edition [One Microphone Recording] [Pure DSD]

Yarlung Records continues to celebrate its Twentieth Anniversary with another superb release from its analog master tape archives. Now we have another release from Yarlung's archives that has only seen light of day as a Stereo CD - Ciaramella's Music from the Court of Burgundy.

In this album, Ciaramella have chosen music with the rich diversity of the court of the Duke of Burgundy circa 1500. As prevalent in that society, the music here is both transcendent and bawdy, refined elegance and rowdy dissonance.

All the instruments used in this recording are copied from original instruments still extant, or recreated from historical paintings or treatises. This allows for the texture, tonal complexity, and harmonic overtones that are distinctly different from the modern instruments descended from those in use here.

The entire album is delightfully arranged and performed over a diverse set of music. From the graceful, classic dance La Spagna by Josquin des Prez to the sophistication of Gilles Binchois' Comme Femme Desconfortee (performed without words), to the rambunctious Rostiboli gioioso filled with trumpet and drums, this album brings me joy. And the occasional improvisations (as in Gilbert's La Spagna with improvisation) are the cherry on top that make the recital fresh and alive.

The superb sonics of the recording add immeasurably to my enjoyment of this album. Using a single AKG stereo microphone with, as Bob Attiyeh describes it, "a signal path as short as we could make it, with as few electronics between performer and final product as we could manage," the captured sound is transparent, open, and richly detailed. And the lovely acoustics of Alfred Newman Hall at the University of Southern California make this possible.

All captured directly to 2-track 15 ips analog tape and now transferred directly to DSD 256 without any PCM in the mix. It is this attention to detail (and fine sensibilities) that make the recordings from Yarlung Records so very special in my experience. I consistently place their releases at the top of my list of outstanding recordings, and this Ciaramella recording belongs among the best of their catalog.

Superlative work and kudos to Ciaramella and Bob Attiyeh for bringing this to us.