08-12-2009, 01:14 PM
I’m listening to the new album “Pugnate” by Musica Romana.
Ten or even five years ago it was hard to believe that it would be possible at all – CD with… the organ music of the Ancient world. But – here it is. A little miracle for me.
Before that we could hear hydraulis only on rare tracks of record by Atrium Musicae de Madrid, on video about Diona organ founded in Greece, rare soundclips etc. (check out this thread) (I don’t mention some lucky persons who could hear it on the concerts of European Cultural Center in Delphi).
Musica Romana gives us unique possibility to enjoy the sound of hydraulis nearly for fifty minutes. (Total time – 52:38, but there are some compositions without organ).
Main impression – it’s the new phase of development of Musica Romana and the new quality of sound.
The concept of the record is the same as on the previous release by the band – authentic pieces (Hymns to Helios and Nemesis by Mesomedes, Seikilos epitaph) plus re-created by Musica Romana music and songs based on Roman poetry (Hymnus Dianae by Catull and Faunus by Horatius). We had heard Mesomedes and Faunus on previous records by Musica Romana – but the new instruments and new arrangements are presented here.
Topic of this record is the gladiators’ fighting. Musica Romana would bring you through the start of the games with the solemn sounds of the winds (tracks 1 – “Pompa Circensis” and 7 – “Tubae Sonant”), waves of organ sound (track 2 “Gladiatores”), mantric singing of “Hymnus Dianae”, moving and rhythmic “Ludi” (track 5), magic “Hymn to Helios" (you could find it nearly on every record of Ancient music – but here – it’s something special – with organ solo part); you would see the comin’ of emperor to the amphitheatre (track 11 “Imperator”) and hear the voices of crying people on funerals of Seikilos (track 21). Listening to this record I want to say: “I believe!”. New record by Musica Romana brings you not the shamanic feeling of Atrium Muscae de Madrid record, but the joy of listening to the music of Ancient world. If you like records by Synaulia or De Organographia (I mean the feeling that performers just returned from ethnographic expedition from Ancient world
- you would like new album by Musica Romana.
The booklet with a lot of information and pictures is in German.
My greatest impression from the experinence of listening to the Ancient World music were the following. This summer I was in Side (Turkey). Early in the morning I came to ancient amphitheatre in Side (I was the first and for some time the only visitor) with CD player and sitting here started to listen to CDs by Ensemble De Organographia and Musica Romana. The theatre and the landscape became alive for me. It was the moment of happiness, moment of new understanding of spiritual culture of Antiquity.
P.S. Soundclips on Musica Romana Myspace page giving very rough impression of the sound of this album.
It’s interesting that Musica Romana presents to us polyphonic (as it seems for me) playing in “Oktokaidekasimos Hydraulicon” (organ piece – track 12) and singing (on the next track – “Hymn to Nemesis”). Is that only a kind of mind game or now researches are sure that the music in Ancient Greece and Rome were polyphonic?
Ten or even five years ago it was hard to believe that it would be possible at all – CD with… the organ music of the Ancient world. But – here it is. A little miracle for me.
Before that we could hear hydraulis only on rare tracks of record by Atrium Musicae de Madrid, on video about Diona organ founded in Greece, rare soundclips etc. (check out this thread) (I don’t mention some lucky persons who could hear it on the concerts of European Cultural Center in Delphi).
Musica Romana gives us unique possibility to enjoy the sound of hydraulis nearly for fifty minutes. (Total time – 52:38, but there are some compositions without organ).
Main impression – it’s the new phase of development of Musica Romana and the new quality of sound.
The concept of the record is the same as on the previous release by the band – authentic pieces (Hymns to Helios and Nemesis by Mesomedes, Seikilos epitaph) plus re-created by Musica Romana music and songs based on Roman poetry (Hymnus Dianae by Catull and Faunus by Horatius). We had heard Mesomedes and Faunus on previous records by Musica Romana – but the new instruments and new arrangements are presented here.
Topic of this record is the gladiators’ fighting. Musica Romana would bring you through the start of the games with the solemn sounds of the winds (tracks 1 – “Pompa Circensis” and 7 – “Tubae Sonant”), waves of organ sound (track 2 “Gladiatores”), mantric singing of “Hymnus Dianae”, moving and rhythmic “Ludi” (track 5), magic “Hymn to Helios" (you could find it nearly on every record of Ancient music – but here – it’s something special – with organ solo part); you would see the comin’ of emperor to the amphitheatre (track 11 “Imperator”) and hear the voices of crying people on funerals of Seikilos (track 21). Listening to this record I want to say: “I believe!”. New record by Musica Romana brings you not the shamanic feeling of Atrium Muscae de Madrid record, but the joy of listening to the music of Ancient world. If you like records by Synaulia or De Organographia (I mean the feeling that performers just returned from ethnographic expedition from Ancient world
- you would like new album by Musica Romana.The booklet with a lot of information and pictures is in German.
My greatest impression from the experinence of listening to the Ancient World music were the following. This summer I was in Side (Turkey). Early in the morning I came to ancient amphitheatre in Side (I was the first and for some time the only visitor) with CD player and sitting here started to listen to CDs by Ensemble De Organographia and Musica Romana. The theatre and the landscape became alive for me. It was the moment of happiness, moment of new understanding of spiritual culture of Antiquity.
P.S. Soundclips on Musica Romana Myspace page giving very rough impression of the sound of this album.
It’s interesting that Musica Romana presents to us polyphonic (as it seems for me) playing in “Oktokaidekasimos Hydraulicon” (organ piece – track 12) and singing (on the next track – “Hymn to Nemesis”). Is that only a kind of mind game or now researches are sure that the music in Ancient Greece and Rome were polyphonic?
