In January, reviewing Blue Heron’s recording of the Remede de Fortune, I mentioned that one of the problems was the way the music began with an enormously long monophonic lai followed by an even longer monophonic complainte: the latter runs to 36 musically identical stanzas, each containing within itself several musical repeats. And I mentioned that a 2009 French recording of the complainte (Eloquentia, 11/09) ran to 44 minutes, whereas Blue Heron cut it down to eight. The Orlando Consort cut it in half, lasting 26 minutes; and Mark Dobell does a heroic effort in trying to keep it alive for that long.

In the meantime I have realised that the Eloquentia recording, though long out of print, is easily available on Spotify (and other online platforms); and I do have to say that the singer there, Marc Mauillon, manages to keep the complainte thoroughly alive. For several stanzas he speaks instead of singing and he has the considerable help of three instrumentalists: a vielle for the first few stanzas, a harp later on, and repeatedly the truly magical recorder-playing of Pierre Hamon. But this is unquestionably a musical event of some power. Mauillon also sings the complete lai, whereas both Blue Heron and The Orlando Consort felt (I thought correctly) that its enormous range needed dividing among three singers. Once again Mauillon scores brilliantly. I would also say that the entire production is bubbling with life and my go-to recording for the Remede.

But that is not to say that the Orlando recording is bad: just a touch dull in places. And we must salute Hyperion, which has apparently recorded the last two albums of what will be the complete Machaut music, all from the same four wonderful singers. We look forward with bated breath to the completion of that project.