The genie is out of the lamp again. Instruments have staged a convincing come-back in performances of medieval polyphony, following a relative fall from favour during the 1980s. One can only applaud the renewed willingness of ensembles to experiment with an undoubted component of the music of this period: on the whole, the new approach is measured, selective and sensitive to the specific role of instruments within the ensemble.
Occasionally, however, there are hiccups and this disc, I'm afraid, is one of them. The experience and imagination of these musicians is beyond doubt, and many of the performances here are remarkably elegant and polished. Alas, secondary considerations are constantly allowed to override those of Ciconia's music: ill-judged instrumental doublings obliterate contrapuntal logic (Sus un' fontayne), bagpipe drones undermine harmonic logic (Chi vole amar), melodic lines are over-burdened with embellishment (Ben che da vui). Overall, the balance is tilted too heavily in favour of instruments. As the note reminds us, Ciconia's best works are very much text-driven, yet the beautiful O rosa bella is performed instrumentally (as are several motets). Even the sung pieces are marred by a surprising lack of vocal flexibility, and the male singers are not always comfortable with their wide ranges.
Ciconia's modest output now commands a relatively large but uneven discography, including a complete edition by the Huelgas Ensemble on LPs (Musique en Wallonie) which was never distributed in Britain. The Little Consort's programme on Channel Classics was a great disappointment, and the Studio der fruhen Musik's classic recording is unfortunately unavailable after a brief spell as a CD mid-price reissue. Of currently available discs, only the PAN Ensemble comes close to doing justice to the composer's mannerist exuberance. For all its technical merits, this disc falls short.'