Cancionero: Music for the Spanish Court (1470 -- 1520) is the first release by the
Dufay Collective for the Avie Records label, which acts as a clearinghouse for artist-made recordings. Cancionero was made in 1997 on the
Dufay's own dime after its relationship with the Chandos label reached the point of no return. That the
Dufay Collective went ahead with releasing this postponed project rather than creating an altogether new package for their maiden voyage with Avie was a risky but advantageous decision, as this is one of their finest efforts. As with previous discs by the
Dufay Collective, Cancionero targets a wide range of repertoire within a specific historic frame, attempting to portray the mood of long-vanished eras in addition to providing expert period realizations of the music. This release focuses on the Spanish Court of Ferdinand and Isabella and the music is drawn from three "Cancioneros," or Spanish songbooks, from the early Renaissance era. There is an amazing range of material presented among the 31 tracks on the disc, from gentle instrumental solos to bombastic courtly dances and even some folksy-sounding secular choral pieces. Although the
Dufay Collective is primarily known as an instrumental group, all of the vocalizing here is splendid, with the singing of Vivian Ellis being particularly outstanding in its ease of delivery and tasteful use of decoration. This recording comes highly recommended.