This is a fine selection of laude from the Cortona collection, illustrating the principal events in the life of Christ. Although subtitled a “Medieval Mystery”, it is not a liturgical drama in the true sense, or a mystery play, but wherever dialogue occurs, different singers are introduced to represent the various protagonists, enhancing the sense of drama and relieving what might have become monotonous – the endless strophic repetition characteristic of these songs. There is a subtle distancing, too; when for example Gabriel addresses the Blessed Virgin, this slight remoteness makes the point, even though the voices of the narrator and of Gabriel are strangely alike.
For this recording, Ensemble Organum have increased their numbers by the addition of a small group of Corsican singers with whom Peres has been working for several years. They approach the Cortona repertoire with the technique and practical knowledge of their own folk music, and this includes a striking type of voice projection, often in the lower ranges, and a traditional style of ornamentation. It all seems to marry very happily with the popular genre of the laude, provided that one remembers that these singers originate, not from Tuscany or Umbria, but from Corsica. Still, this is a good many steps nearer to Assisi than Mount Athos! To my mind, therefore, the input of these singers, and particularly that of Patrizia Bovi, is an added bonus to the ensemble. Italian accentuation has successfully guided the rhythmic interpretation.'