by Daniel Hathaway

Apollo’s Fire has recently released two recordings: Sacrum Mysterium: A Celtic Christmas Vespers, recorded a year ago after its first performances in Cleveland (and revived for four performances this month); and Handel, a collection of ceremonial choral works that Cleveland’s baroque orchestra and singers recorded live in concerts here in October, 2008 and February, 2007. Both of these splendid recordings are a must-have for early music fans.

As much of a liturgist as she is a music director, Jeannette Sorrell enjoys placing musical selections within a ritual structure. In Sacrum Mysterium, the floor plan is a 13^th century Vespers preserved in the Sprouston MS in Glasgow attributed to St. Kentigern, the city’s patron — but before, during and after, the program takes detours to explore wonderful Scottish and Gaelic carols, lullabies, folk music and other tunes ranging from medieval chant to 18^th century jigs and reels, creating an irresistible mix of Celtic-inspired music. Apollo’s Fire’s excellent collaborators are Sylvain Bergeron and his Montréal-based Ensemble La Nef, who are well-known for putting together their own programs seamlessly uniting period art and folk music (whose borders are remarkably porous).  [Read more…]