George Elger’s songbook (1621), with its inspiring and musically diverse songs, is an exciting and nearly unexplored page of Latvian cultural history, which helps us understand how our identity has been shaped through the centuries. Fabella Ensemble opens a colourful sonic adventure, where the listener will encounter not only the early Latvian language, which was still forming in the 17th century, but also the numerous musical interpretation possibilities offered by this material.
The spiritual songs transcribed by George Elger is performed by Fabella Ensemble: Agnese Pauniņa – soprano, Rūdolfs Bērtiņš – tenor, Guntars Prānis – bass, hurdy-gurdy, Ieva Nīmane – recorder, Ilze Reine – organ), musicians who has approved themselves as experienced performers in Historically informed performance. field.
Musicians perform ancient melodies in a manner that enclose the recitation principle characteristic of medieval antiphons and psalmody, the dance-like elements typical of Renaissance songs, several examples of Renaissance vocal polyphony corresponding to specific melodies, as well as elements of ground bass and improvisation found in early Baroque music.
Ieva Nimane 