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Our Review

Early music aficionados should be all fired up over Noels & Carols from the Olde World, an impressive holiday release by Apollo's Fire, a superb group of early music specialists playing on period instruments (violin, viola, cello, lute, vihuela, cittern, harpsichord, percussion). Although this album is largely instrumental, soprano Sandra Simon lends her fine talents on 9 of the 20 tracks. Many of these "Olde World" tunes are unfamiliar, and that gives this CD excellent replayability throughout the holiday season and beyond.

Three classical tracks feature outstanding violin work by Cynthia Roberts. The strings soar expressively on each; my favorite is the unusual "Mystery Sonata No. 1, 'Annunciation'" by Heinrich Biber. This sonata depicts the angel Gabriel's visit to the Virgin Mary to tell her that she will soon be the mother of the Messiah, and the violin passages impressionistically "flutter" as would an angel's wings. Of Simon's vocal pieces, her soprano is particularly effective on the wonderfully delicate "Noel nouvelet" and the high-energy, syncopated "Riu, riu chiu."

So travel back with Apollo's Fire (and Sandra Simon) to wintry old Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. Noels & Carols from the Olde World is a holiday album that is definitely worth the trip!

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2004)

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From the liner notes:

Sandra Simon, soprano
Apollo's Fire
Jeannette Sorrell, Director

Apollo's Fire:
Cynthia Roberts, violin (tracks 6, 7 & 10)
Cynthia Roberts & Miho Hashizume, violins
Nicole Divall, viola
Rene Schiffer, cello (except 6, 7 & 10)
Allen Whear, cello (tracks 6, 7 & 10)
Daniel Swenberg, lute and vihuela
Mark Cudek, cittern
Jeannette Sorrell, harpsichord
Matthew Bassett, percussion

We invite you to put away your shopping, the search for a parking place, and the daily stock market report, and travel with us back to wintry old Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries--a time when the shadow of mystical experience still hovered over daily life, and man's relationship with the Eternal was the over-whelming subject of contemplation both in art and popular music. While most of the carols we perform here may be unfamiliar to many listeners, they were the popular folk songs of old Europe--as well-worn as "Silent Night" is today.

The English and French carols on this recording are examples of the close interrelationship between sacred and secular life in the 15th and 16th centuries. Several of these carols began as pagan songs in pre-Christian Europe, and were later cloaked with a veneer of Christianity during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. This gradual transformation can be seen most clearly in "The Olde Yeare Now Away is Fled," which begins with noble sentiments of striving to mend our ways and live less sinful lives in the New Year. The final stanza, however, reveals the carol's original character as a drinking song, calling for all "lads and lasses" to drink up and enjoy the good cheer.

Most of these carols have come down to us as melodies only and they could be arranged in innumerable ways. My choice of instrumentation, introductions, and interludes are merely an example of the rich and varied possibilities for performing these little jewels. Like the great classics of art music, these carols have survived the test of time because of inherent quality--and, perhaps, because of a touch of magic that captivates the listener. Joyeux Noel! ---Jeannette Sorrell

Apollo's Fire: Taking its name from the classical god of music and the sun, Apollo's Fire is dedicated to the performance of 17th- and 18th-century music on the period instruments for which it was written. The ensemble unites a select group of early music specialists from throughout North America and Europe. Apollo's Fire was founded in 1992 by Heannette Sorrell, with the assistance of Roger Wright, then Artistic Adminstrator of the Cleveland Orchestra.

Jeannette Sorrell, Music Director: Jeannette Sorrell is widely regarded as a leading voice in the new generation of early music conductors, combining an unusual background as both orchestral conductor and early music performer.

Sandra Simon, Soprano: Sandra Simon has performed in concert and on the opera stage with many of the leading early music ensembles in North America. She has been the featured soprano in many Apollo's Fire productions.