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11/30/2025
“Veni Redemptor Gentium”
David Yardley: This Holy Tym Oure Lord Was Born – Vox Clamantis in Deserto ^
Anonymous c. 13: Isiah and Sybil’s Prophecies – Alma redemptoris mater – Ave Regina cælorum/Alma redemptoris mater – Orientis partibus – Alle psallite cum luya – Psallite regi glorie – Dum medium silentium
Anonymous c. 13-14: Gabriel fram Heven‑King
Anonymous c. 14-15: Verbum caro factum est
Anonymous c. 15: Hail Mary, full of grace – Now make me mirth all and sum – Quem pastoris laudavere – Ther is no rose of swych vertu – Be mery, be mery
Anonymous c. 16: Veni, redemptor gentium – Personent hodie
Anonymous c. 19: Kuando el rey Nimrod
Pérotin: Beata viscera
Mikolaj Radomski: Magnificat
Guillaume Du Fay: In Adventu Domini
Concordian Dawn - Ensemble for Medieval Music: Amber Evans, Michelle Kennedy (sopranos), Catherine Hedberg (mezzo-soprano, percussion), Nickolas Karageorgiou (haute‑contre tenor), Thomas McCargar (baritone, percussion), Daphna Mor (voice, recorder, ney, percussion), Niccolo Seligmann (vielle, percussion), Christopher Preston Thompson (tenor, medieval harp, percussion, director)
Recording: Dorothy Young Center for the Arts, Drew University, Madison, New Jersey (April 1‑2 and June 18‑19, 2025) (^ World Premiere Recording) – 64’55
Stereo DDD Avie Records AV2813 – Booklet in English, German and French
 
What exactly is Early Music? Is it an attempt to recreate music of an earlier time as precisely as possible, down to the last neume and hocket? Is Bach’s work Early Music (I’d say no)? Can Early Music be performed on not‑so‑early instruments? And what about attempts to compose music that sounds old, even as composed with the aid of Crescendo and Sibelius (composition software)?
Some of those questions may never have satisfactory answers. And yet, Early Music continues to delight and intrigue new generations of listeners. One of the most recent entrées to the world of this captivating art is the ensemble, Concordian Dawn, based in New York City. Founded in 2022 by Christopher Preston Thompson, Concordian Dawn specializes in two fascinating musical genres. First, music from the Medieval Period through the Renaissance (13th‑15th centuries). And second, selections composed in modern times that use the tools and embody the spirit of Early Music.
Concordian Dawn’s new release is a collection of 20 short works from the Middle Ages plus two brilliant selections composed in the medieval style by Australian-born composer, David Yardley. Yardley’s This Holy Tym Oure Lord Was Born and Vox Clamantis in Deserto are charming, with a touch of that gritty edge that makes medieval and medieval-like music so appealing. In This Holy Tym, Yardley takes advantage of the clear voices of the Concordian Dawn singers and a soufflé of light medieval instruments. In Vox Clamantis, Yardley pays musical homage to the “voice crying in the wilderness” tropes of Jewish and Christian religious texts.
Yardley’s pieces are, for the most part, only a few minutes in length, but rich in expression and a palpable aura of history. They incorporate medieval techniques such as the use of open intervals (providing that “hollow” sound we associate with Middle Ages scores) as well as catchy syncopations. While the album is being released during the Christmas season, the tracks are a mix of secular and sacred, infused with moods that are as often robust as they are ethereal.
Other tracks in this utterly engrossing album include an assortment of sparkling short works by our good friend, Anonymous, as well as by Guillaume Du Fay, whose In Adventu Domini (In the coming of the Lord; i.e., Advent) includes the bright voice of countertenor Nickolas Karageorgiou. The longest work in the album at 7:41 is a Magnificat by the 15th century Polish composer, Mikolaj Radomski, known by his given name, Mikolaj of Radom. What a treasury of great music by composers from Poland and other Eastern European countries await “discovery” in the West! I was not acquainted with this composer, who is credited as being the first Polish composer to be on a par with major European musical creators and intellectuals. In this presentation, a trio of voices cleanly outlines a prayer from an age long past. Their voices meander in unbroken lines that shine like rose petals after a spring rain.
The album concludes with a cheerful Be mery, be mery, great advice in these often‑challenging times that seem to cry out for the clarity, order and good humor of early music.
Linda Holt
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