Customer Rating: 
Summary: Favorite Medieval/Renaissance album
Comment: I've bought a few period albums lately, and this one gets the most play. I tend to be a purist, and like authentic instruments on these albums, but I like the music on this one so much, it really doesn't matter. My personal favorites are the very emotional tracks #5, and #9. I highly recommend this album.
Customer Rating:
Summary: If you're looking to "try" some Ancient Music, this CD is great
Comment: If you're just "getting into" Renaissance, Ancient, or Celtic music, you should add this one to your collection. It was one of the first I bought, and I still listen to it frequently. One of my very favorites is "Si Je Perdais Mon Ami" by George Winston...it's the haunting theme-music to the great Masterpiece Theatre "Elizabeth R" starring Glenda Jackson. And of course the bawdy final song about remaining chaste ("My Thing is My Own" by Nancy Wilson) is terrific. All in all, it is a CD with great variety and quality and it will "spur you on to" more Ancient/Celtic/Renaissance music, helping you "decide what you like" so you can start building your collection.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: A delightful surprise
Comment: I had a few qualms about picking this one up. Being a Windham Hill release, I was wondering if I was going get a lot of synthesized New Age mush. But this is a wonderful album. Some of the pieces are played pretty straight on traditional instruments, while others stretch the boundaries (Hawaiian guitar, Peruvian flutes). Even when a synthesizer makes an occasional appearance, it doesn't intrude. Although purists may disagree, the performers very much capture the spirit of Renaissance music.
Among the highlights are the previously mentioned piece using Native American and Indian flutes, "O Vos Omnes", by Barry Stramp; the Hawaiian guitar piece, "If My Complaints Could Passions Move"; George Winston playing guitar instead of his usual piano on the French "Villanelle"; and the late Michael Hedges's "Fantasia", which gets a slightly harsh, jazz-rock feel which actually works.
There are only two vocal numbers. David Arkenstone and his wife provide some absolutely stunning vocal harmonies to Claudio Monteverdi's devotional prayer "Domine ad Adjuvandum". The concluding track, the baudy "My Thing is My Own", is arguably the weakest thing here. Performed by Ann and Nancy Wilson, the vocal melody is a bit outside of Ann's singing range. But it's fun.
A relaxing, entertaining CD recommended for everyone.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A lovely combination of old and new!
Comment: When I first saw this CD in the New Age rack of a local bookstore, I thought it had been mis-filed from the Classical section. Then I took a look at the combination of modern and early music performers listed in the credits and realized I had discovered something delightfully new. For centuries musicians have been drawing inspiration from Renaissance and medieval music, reinventing it to suit their own eras. And today, ensembles seeking to authentically recreate early music sometimes choose to stretch their boundaries as well, exercising their own creativity and appealing to modern sensibilities. So why not combine the two on one recording? Windham Hill's "Renaissance Album" brings together "straight" early music offerings from esteemed groups like Piffaro and the Baltimore Consort with whimsically inventive modern interpretations from New Age artists like the Angels of Venice, Lisa Lynne, Liz Story and David and Diane Arkenstone. The selections fit quite well together, weaving a tapestry across the centuries that is quaint, courtly, delicate and at times lively and even humorous. Lovers of both ends of the spectrum will find something to enjoy here, and will have a chance to discover a variety of artists whose work they may wish to explore further. If you enjoy Windham Hill's "Rennaissance Album", you may also like another of their compilation albums, "Celtic Christmas 3"; not necessarily either Christmassy or Celtic in tone, it nonetheless features some of the same artists as "The Renaissance Album", and in some ways sets a similar tone.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Hearty and Pleasant
Comment: I listen to this CD at work A LOT! It seems to transport me to another time and place. The music is light and upbeat. There is a wonderful vocal that concludes the CD by Ann Wilson from Heart. Simply awesome!
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