...don't listen to it by yourself in the dark...
Wow! While this piece can initially be beyond comprehension, with a second look it proves beautiful and mystifying. I first heard a few movements of Flamma Flamma during a performance of Agamemnon and, though I found the music disturbing, it has haunted me ever since. The bass and soprano are sublime. I highly recommend giving this recording a first and then a second look. ~Amazon.com
This large-scale work shares the late 20th century's interest in combining diverse musical cultures. It is structured to echo the form of a Requiem Mass, and is set for a classical orchestra and chorus, with six classical soloists, but it also has elements of ethnic music from around the world, especially the use of the "Bulgarian Voices," a folk-based ethnic ensemble that had gained international fame through recordings.
The text is by Herman Portocarero, who chose Latin for its singability, for its direct association with Roman Catholic ritual, and for its sense of timelessness and universality. The composer has written that to him the only thing that makes life bearable is death, or, rather the knowledge that death will bring it to an end. This insight, he says, makes it possible to enjoy life fully. He uses fire as a metaphor for death, and also as the agent that cleanses. He conceived this work as a kind of ritual that united the European classical culture with non-European cultures' magic. The classical soloists represent "six gods or the higher conscience of Man." The ethnic elements revitalize the weariness of European culture.
The text is deliberately shaped to echo the structure of the liturgical Mass for the Death. The instrumental soloists are a player of koto and bass koto, a player of three kinds of flute, a player of oboe and english horn, a trumpeter, four violinists, two percussionists, and a keyboard player. The work includes several other ethnic instruments and a notable use of electronic sounds. ~AllMusic.com
Track listing:
......................... MP3 .. |APE .. |TIME
[01]. Hic Iacet I ....... 216kbps 625kbps .. 5:42
[02]. Hic Iacet II ...... 228kbps 650kbps .. 9:08
[03]. Sumus Vicinae ..... 222kbps 759kbps .. 4:59
[04]. Tegite Specula .... 225kbps 651kbps .. 6:06
[05]. Complorate Filiae . 225kbps 675kbps .. 4:14
[06]. Vale Frater ....... 219kbps 675kbps .. 4:13
[07]. Amice Mi .......... 214kbps 692kbps .. 4:41
[08]. Corpus Inimici .... 238kbps 738kbps .. 5:26
[09]. Deliciae Meae ..... 216kbps 647kbps .. 4:54
[10]. Flamma Flamma ..... 228kbps 740kbps .. 3:19
[11]. Ave Ignis ......... 215kbps 634kbps .. 4:44
[12]. In Corpore ........ 233kbps 756kbps .. 4:59
[13]. Agnus Purus ....... 214kbps 651kbps .. 5:57
[14]. Ardeat Ignis ...... 206kbps 640kbps .. 7:17
AVG & Total ............. 221kbps 675kbps 1:15:46
Including covers (front, back, no CD, no booklet)
EAC Secure RIPped (from the RCA release in 1999)
MP3: Lame 3.98.2 -V0 -------------> mp3 (121mb)
APE: v4.06 Extra High (-c4000) ---> part1 | part2 | part3 | part4 (370mb)
30s sample per track, lo-fi MP3 --> here(amazon)
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