Release Date: 12 January 1999
Label: Naxos - Nxc / Naxos Classics
Packaging Type: Jewel Case
No of Units: 1
Barcode: 730099469722
Genres: Classical
Composer/Series: Paschale Mysterium
Description
Paschale MysteriumGregorian Chant for Easter[1] Vexilla regis (hymnus)[2] Domine, exaudi (tractus)[3] Crucem tuam (antiphona)[4] Improperia II[5] Oratio Jeremiae[6] Exultet (praeconium paschale)[7] Cantemus Domino (canticum)[8] Surrexit Dominus vere (antiphona cum psalmo invitatorio 94)[9] Alleluia. Haec dies (antiphonae)[10] Haec dies. Confitemini (responsorium - graduale)[11] Alleluia. Pascha nostrum[12] Victimae paschali laudes (sequentia)[13] Exsultemus et laetemur (cantus responsorialis)[14] Aurora lucis (hymnus)[15] Benedicamus Domino, alleluia (ad dimittendum populum)The liturgical celebration of the mystery of Easter, the Paschale Mysterium,comes at the height of the Christian year, marking the task of human redemptionand the glorification of God. It is both a record and a redemptiverepresentation of the passion and death of Christ, on Good Friday, and of hisresurrection, on Easter Eve and Easter Day. These two celebrations, which haveformed the core of the Easter liturgy since the apostolic age, centre on theCross, the "King's emblem, glowing with mystery ...the wonderful, shiningtree, adorned with royal purple", in the words of the hymn Vexilla regis,written by Venantius Fortunatus, seventh century bishop of Poitiers, theopening of the present release. In the modern liturgy the Vexilla regis issung at Vespers in Holy Week. Its composition presents highly lyrical melodicmotifs and is constructed on an authentic protus mode which has a rangeof a modal fifth (D to A) with the ornamentation of B flat.The liturgy of Good Friday juxtaposes the celebration of two ritual elements,the readings from the Bible followed by the universal prayer (aratio fidelium)and the Veneration of the Cross. The first has its origin in the papalliturgy, celebrated in the Roman Basilica of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem, thesecond, more popular in character, is derived from the presbyterial liturgy.In the first part the readings, songs and prayers alternate, following theclassical pattern of the stational-liturgical synaxes, the archaic mark of whichthey retain. The two readings before the Passion narrative and the directpsalmody of the tracts come from the Gallican liturgical tradition. The chant Domine,exaudi, originally sung on Ash Wednesday, from Psalm CI, contains theanguished cry of the servant of Yahweh that announces the redeeming Passion. Thelast verse of the text, "Rise up, O Lord, take pity on Zion, for the timehas come to have mercy on her" corresponds to the climax of the music, thattouches the dominant G, with Gallican patterns that have also supplied materialfor the creation of the Alleluia modal D tone (1st mode). The tract Dominusexaudi is in plagal protus. The main chord d (opening iubilusat Domine in the first verse) develops its dominant on the upperthird (iubilus of the second verse on ne avertas) and on itsfourth, on g, in the last verse.From the second part of the Good Friday liturgy (the Veneration of the Cross)come the chants of the Improperia
Tracklisting
Dariia Lytvishko
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra; Marin Alsop
Alice Di Piazza; Basel Sinfonietta; NDR Bigband; Titus Engel
Anna Alas i Jove; Miquel Villalba
David Childs; Black Dyke Band; Nicholas Childs
Yaqi Yang; Margarita Parsamyan; Robynne Redmon; Minghao Liu; Frank Ragsdale; Kim Josephson; Kevin S
Vilmos Csikos; Olivier Lechardeur; Manon Lamaison
Tomas Cotik; Martingale Ensemble; Ken Selden
