Credits:

Almonia Consertada, Maria Cristina Kiehr, John Potter.

Description:

From the 15th century to the 16th century...... was the heyday of Flemish music and the period when the Habsburg-Spanish royal family, which controlled Flanders, was building a world empire at a breakneck pace. Through the Flemish choirs that Emperor Carl V (King Carlos I of Spain) established in the royal household, the Spanish royal family continued to nurture an environment that was richer than any other in elaborate polyphonic music. The vihuela, which resembles a guitar but can also play elaborate polyphonic music like a lute, attracted attention as a connection to the old Iberian tradition. With two players, it can play polyphonic music consisting of four or five voices, and its delicate and diverse sound expression is an excellent match for singing. Two of the best string players in Europe today and the great singer Kiel are able to bring out the best of these qualities. Although widely used, there are very few collections of music for bihuela in existence, and it is only through a thorough knowledge of the techniques used to express the polyphony of the Flemish school of polyphonic music on the bihuela that it is possible to reproduce performances like this that match the realities of the time. The repertoire of the period of the Age of Discovery, when the whole of southern Italy became Spanish territory, is also noteworthy.Both the bihuela duet and the track including the song are worth listening to. Naxos Japan