“A brilliantly vibrant evening of music breathing resounding new life into the sounds of the medieval Mediterranean.”
Even the keenest historians might not expect a recital of medieval Mediterranean music to sell out one of Camden’s most popular venues on a Friday evening in June, and yet, the Idrîsî Ensemble’s recent concert at Koko was packed to the gills with a wildly enthusiastic audience. With a programme of music that they have diligently researched and arranged, they transported the audience through a varied set of Mediterranean cultures and singing traditions, with joyful applause ringing out after every single song.
Opening act Laura Misch began the evening with an ethereally atmospheric set, blending her smooth, full vocals with timeless melodies on a saxophone. She was joined for this performance by the Idrîsî Ensemble’s Konstantinos Glynos on the kanun, an instrument with echoes of the modern lap harp or zither, with a warm, slightly metallic sound. Glynos’s expert arpeggios and ornaments complemented Misch’s creative songwriting beautifully, with shimmering notes adding texture to Misch’s mellow tunes. The saxophone is often boxed into very specific genres of jazz and easy listening, but Misch’s music offers an intriguing alternative.
The Idrîsî Ensemble opened their set with a single singer on-stage, and then one by one, each member of the ensemble joined in to create a stunningly resonant a cappella sound in ‘Congaudeant,’ a pilgrimage song. This is the first known written composition for three voices – a fitting choice to begin the evening. After two unaccompanied pieces, the ensemble was joined by Glynos on kanun, Lucine Musaelian on the vielle (a stringed instrument similar to a viola), and Oliver Dover on the kaval (a traditional Balkan flute) and clarinet. The breathy tones of the kaval,crich warmth of the vielle, and percussive tones of the kanun blended beautifully, and offered a truly varied palette of accompaniment for each different song. Many of the medieval trills and flourishes in these pieces have survived in folk music across the broader Mediterranean area and might sound familiar to listeners of Scottish or Irish folk; other pieces might remind modern listeners of the Arabic influences present in the Mediterranean soundscape as well. Noémie Ducimetière carried the melody beautifully in many of the pieces, with a clear, agile voice, while Dunja Botic lent her powerfully rich tone to other songs, like the hauntingly mournful lament – “Mallorcan Sybil.” For “Alismono,” a Greek polyphonic chant, the entire ensemble moved into a tight-knit cluster at the front of the stage, so they could better hear the tightly-intertwining harmonies. Polyphonic music, with harmonies which dance and flutter around each other, requires real focus and connection within an ensemble, and the Idrîsî Ensemble pulled this off wonderfully.
Other highlights included the Corsican songs “Dieus sal la terra” and “Stabat Mater,” both of which were transcendently beautiful – both in the original melody and in the arrangements for these voices. The last piece of the evening, a Corsican “Tribbiera,” is a traditional wheat-threshing song, in which singing, shouting, and whistling create an enchanting atmosphere that perfectly illustrates how music has woven into the rhythms of daily life for so much of human history.
Director and vocalist Thomas Fournil has pulled together an incredible ensemble of musicians; you can tell that each performer is not only incredibly skilled, but deeply passionate about seeking out and sharing these obscure pieces. The study of early music can often be a frustrating one, with very little documented evidence about so many aspects of medieval sounds and practices. But this ensemble’s dedication to researching and reinterpreting these pieces has clearly paid off, as they’ve created a programme that is connecting viscerally with modern listeners. There are countless voices who question whether medieval music has much modern relevance, especially more ‘esoteric’ music like early polyphony. This evening was a brilliant affirmation that yes, London does have huge, attentive, and joyful young audiences ready to journey through musical history.