Reviews
Reviews: 'Aan het hof van François I'
12.12.2008“At the court of François de Valois, king of the French, it must have been quite a game: shuffling around in stockinged feet, burning with desire, weeping at sweet memories.
This is at least the impression left by the wonderful programme with which conductor Paul Van Nevel and the Nederlands Kamerkoor are touring the country. On offer are 16th-century motets and a mass - material rarely found in everyday concert programmes.”
“This Flemish conductor, who has been the Renaissance conscience of the Kamerkoor for the last 25 years, has once again arranged a fine bouquet. Jean Mouton’s meandering counterpoint could be heard in Illuminare Hierusalem. This composer could also have a foul mouth, judging by the chanson in which he sends Robin’s little sheep (mouton) out to graze in Marion’s bush… Claudin de Sermisy represented the more modern, 16th-century style: voices which prefer to hang around together rather than all doing their own thing.” [...] “A beautiful ending: four singers seated on chairs, eight more standing behind them in a semi-circle. The quartet sings Pierre Sandrin’s Doulce mémoire, that jewel of disappointed love. Pierre Certon wrote a response to it, every bit as sad, which was performed by the group of eight singers. Paul Van Nevel interwove these elements to form a work of rare poignancy.”
By Guido van Ooirschot in the Volkskrant, 28 November 2008
“And you willingly accompany him on his journeys. Wherever he gets hold of his composers, dug up from old libraries, he presents us with dishes filled with pearls. The high point was – as so often – an Agnus Dei, yesterday evening by Claudin de Sermisy (ca. 1490-1562), from his Mass Fremuerunt gentes. A work of great intensity. As well as the musical expression, the sublime colour of the sound, which are things we actually take for granted with the Nederlands Kamerkoor, there was also yet again the subtle choreography. As always the choir stood in a circle, in constantly changing combinations, varying from four to sixteen singers.The diminutive conductor then stood at all four points of the compass in succession, so that everyone in the audience got the chance to look him in the face. He determines precisely who stands where. In this way he moulds the sound he wants from the choir. If the Kamerkoor is still granted some time to continue singing, let us hope that will provide us with many more musical journeys with Paul Van Nevel.”
By Dingeman van Wijnen in the Friesch Dagblad, 4 December 2008.
“The songs by court composers Mouton, Sermisy and Sandrin were performed with obvious pleasure by the Nederlands Kamerkoor. From the start the sound was amazingly beautiful in its sonority: all the voices were as one in the polyphonic laments, fugues and love songs. It all exuded musical restraint, tranquil beauty, calm civilization. That was something very special, and the listener felt able to participate in this beautiful polyphony from centuries ago.”
By Minke Muilwijk in the Dagblad van het Noorden, 6 December 2008.
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