Edda - An Icelandic Saga - Myths From Medieval Iceland / Sequentia
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Free Music Notes for Edda - An Icelandic Saga - Myths From Medieval Iceland / Sequentia
Free Music Review: Some Thoughts and Square Facts on this CD
Hit: 4 Stars
Having listened now to this CD a fair bit I wish to comment on it. First of all I will say that it is an absolutely beautiful work: the voices, the sound of the lyre and the fiddle, the lyrics themselves (taken from the Old Norse "Elder Edda") are strange and enchanting. Here do not mistake "strange" for a negative comment: part of the beauty of the Norse myths, as with the Finnish "Kalevala", and with Professor Tolkien's "Silmarillion" and "The Lord of the Rings", comes from this sense of strangeness. Perhaps a better way of describing it would be to say that it is Teutonic (as opposed to, say, Classical or Romantic) in tone and feel, which is something altogether unique.
As I said, I find these stories to be exceptionally stirring and beautiful, and this CD provides the same feeling. But some clarity as to the nature of this CD is, I think, required.
For starters, ignore the reviewer who complained that this CD is sung in Latin; it is not. It is in Old Icelandic. (How this person came to this conclusion I can't imagine: a quick glance at the liner notes -- which are excellent, by the way, providing a dual text in Old Icelandic and Modern English -- should make this apparant: lines such as "Surtr ferr sunnan meš sviga lęvi / skinn af sverši sol valtiva" are clearly *not* Latin.)
However, the mistake is perhaps not without cause, for the CD (and this is important to note) is sung in the style of old Latin Gregorian chants. The inflection on the language is Latinate, *not* Norse. The reason I say this is important is because the CD claims it is singing approximately the way the ancient Norsemen would have sung these lays, but this is not so close to the truth as other reviews would imply. The fact is that Old Icelandic (as with all the Germanic languages) is a language of accents and stresses which is wholly distinct from the Romance languages. You can see this evidenced in the alliteration of the actual Eddic text: "*Br?šr* muno *beriaz* ok at *bonum* veršaz", for instance; or "Her stendr *Baldri* of *brugginn* miošr, / *skirar* veigar, liggr *skioldr* yfir."
I was quite disappointed by this, having hoped very strongly to hear a fair-to-good example of what actual Norsemen long ago would have sounded like, chanting these mysterious songs. BUT: as I said before, I find this nevertheless to be a very moving and beatiful collection. The manner in which it is sung, though evoking Latin tradition, still captures something of the feel of these ancient poems. Perhaps it is because that Gregorian chant style simply, in general, evokes something of an older world. (One notices how popular it has been made by film composers such as John Williams in the recent "Star Wars" and "Harry Potter" films, as well as Howard Shore in the "LotR" scores; and, furthermore, has been used with dubious results by a host of other imitators.)
So that's it, then. Old Norse language and text, but sung in an old Latin style; not authentic, but nevertheless evocative of a mysterious and ancient world which I find very beautiful. I recommend this CD to all lovers of medieval-style music, as well as lovers of the Eddic poems in particular. Just know the facts on what you're listening to.
Free Music Review: Great collection but uneven
Hit: 4 Stars
First, I think this is a great collection of music. It captures the mystery and lure of the Norse Myths in a way which is otherwise unheard of with the possible exception of Svenbjorn Beintenssen's recordings from the 1970's.
However, I found the quality of the music somewhat uneven. Some of the longer ones performed by Benjamin Bagby were extremely well done. Some of the others seemed like they were mostly "Gregorian Chant in Old Norse." Bagby's performances seem to be generally well done elsewhere too (I highly recommend his performance of Beowulf on DVD).
All in all, it is a unique CD and one I would highly recommend to people interested in Norse myth.
Free Music Review: Great Teaching Tool
Hit: 4 Stars
I use excerpts from these pieces to reinforce aspects of the mythology and language that are important thematically in my course, Old Norse Literature in Translation, here at Salisbury University. The experience of reading these tales is enriched by listening to their reconstructed performance; students understand better the workings of an oral tradition that precedes the process of transcription. I only wish I could find a performance of Voluspa or Havamal complete and intact. These excerpts are great, but I'd rather have whole pieces from which I could choose excerpts to share with my students.Free Music Review: Nice if you have read the sagas
Hit: 4 Stars
The music and is good, a little mystic and somewhat like celtic music. It is good to know the sagas beforehand, but the music is still very good and different. Close your eyes and listen - and it is like visiting the far distant past.Free Music Review: Pretty Good
Hit: 3 Stars
There are some really awesome moments on this disc. All of the Voluspa segments, especially the final one describing Ragnarok, and The Song of the Mill are very well done. The stark atmosphere serves to not only enhance the singing portion, but really draw you into the song. The booklet that comes with the CD is essential, with beautiful translations of the poems that put Caroline Larrington's Poetic Edda to shame.
But there are also a lot of weak moments. I can't say that there is anything interesting in the instrumentals, which are fortunately few and far between. The Tale of Thrym is ok the first time through, but loses it's appeal very quickly. Odin's Rune Verses lack emotion compared to the rest of the pieces.
I also found the Italian Opera style singing a bit imposing. The rolling of the r's is sometime distracting, and I wondered the first time I heard it if that's what the language really sounds like. Of course, this is my first exposure to Icelandic, so I really couldn't tell you if its right or wrong, but the male singers do it much more than the females. Perhaps it just comes from their background as opera singers.
Overall, this is a good thing to have if you're at all interested in Norse/Icelandic/Viking mythology. If you're not, I think you can skip it.