Editorial Reviews

The early recordings of Sinfonye and its British-Australian female director Stevie Wishart in the late '80s first brought medieval songs of courtly love alive for many listeners. Bella Domna purports to be an examination of "The Medieval Woman: Lover, Poet, Patroness & Saint." Really it is just a sampling of the works of several different composers of the troubadour/trouvère era, each of whom casts the unattainable lady of medieval love songs in a slightly different light. The distinctive feature of the traditions showcased her is that the woman is mostly represented in the first person. In the Galician-Portuguese "cantigas de amigo" of Martin Codax, she is a girl longing for the return home of her knight errant, a stylized portrait of melancholy. The French "chansons de femme" are seemingly lighter tales of love gone wrong, represented here by track 16, the anonymous "Lasse, pour quoi refusai" (Alas, why did I refuse him?). The most compelling tune here is "A chantar m'er de so qu'ieu non voiria" (I must sing of that which I would rather not), by one of the few known female troubadours, the shadowy Comtesse de Die. In this reading by vocalist Mara Kiek, it is a passionate outpouring of bitterness -- an extraordinary starting point for the Western concert tradition of secular music by women. Kiek's performances were and remain among the strongest points of this recording, for she distinguishes among the traditions by means of her performing style: the Codax songs are full textured, throaty, down to earth, and a bit Iberian, while the French examples are more lyrical; the song by the Comtesse de Die is almost operatic. The rather sparse instrumental accompaniment by Wishart on fiddle and the hurdy-gurdy-like symphony, Andrew Lawrence-King on harps, and Jim Denley on percussion drops out on several more personal-seeming numbers to leave Kiek singing alone. Wishart assigns dance rhythms to some songs, leaving others unmeasured, and instrumental dances are interspersed throughout. Later performers have delved more deeply into this repertoire; Spanish ensembles have reflected on the unique multicultural nature of the Iberian peninsula, and other groups, including Sinfonye itself, have drawn more detailed musical portraits of the culture surrounding the court of Eleanor of Aquitaine. But for a budget-priced recording of medieval song with lots of direct musical appeal, this is still a great place to start, and it is a recording to which most later performances owe a great deal. James Manheim, All Music Guide

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