Trio Mediæval: An Old Hall Ladymass Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		5.0

Trio Mediæval: An Old Hall Ladymass Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 25, 2023

Ladymass is a somewhat generic term used to describe masses in honor of the Virgin Mary, and perhaps surprisingly there have been relatively few of them recorded for posterity's sake, at least during the CD and/or audio Blu-ray era(s). The absolutely fantastic female quartet Anonymous 4 has offered listeners both An English Ladymass and Lammas Ladymass, and if my Google Machine is responding correctly, it appears that in addition to this really appealing new recording on 2L, Trio Mediæval, a female vocal ensemble with (obviously) only three members, also recorded a Worcester Ladymass for the venerable ECM label (I'm pretty sure that Anonymous 4's Lammas Ladymass offers some pieces from the same Worcester source). The history of this particular Ladymass is documented on the back cover of this release, which states:

The exquisitely decorated 15th century choir book known as the Old Hall manuscript was lost to history for the best part of 400 years until its reappearance in a Catholic seminary at the end of the 19th century. The largest surviving colleciton of medieval motets and mass movements, it immediately became the most celebrated source of English music of the period. It was written in the first instance by a single scribe to ensure that the music of his fellow singers was not forgotten. Many of them are known only from this manuscript, and on this album they find their voices again after more than half a millennium of silence.

The back cover goes on to credit Anna Maria Friman, Linn Andrea Fuglseth and Jorunn Lovise Husan, the singers, along with Catalina Vicens, who plays the organetto. But perhaps the most salient piece of information in terms of some stylistic variances on tap here is the fact that this recording also offers newer, more contemporary sounding, compositions by David Lang and Marianne Reidarsdatter Eriksen.

A lot of this recording, or at least the "archival" pieces, might be virtually interchangeable with some of the Anonymous 4 Ladymass recordings in terms of basic sonorities (expected uses of unison or open voicings and the like), as well as even certain melodic tropes. The sound here is absolutely resplendent one way or the other, with beautiful, almost sine wave like, timbres from the women, and with appealing accompaniment at times by Vicens. While some of the historical pieces certainly dabble in more "developed" harmonic ideas featuring more colorful intervals like thirds and sixths, it's the pieces by David Lang (from 1957) and Marianne Reidarsdatter Eriksen (from 1971) that can exploit more modern sensibilities.

Trio Mediæval: An Old Hall Ladymass Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

While there is an AVC 1080 video component to this release, it's really just a standard menu. A few "moving parts" are included, with the track titles changing and a complete tracklist also available, along with a credits pop up informational screen. You can control which audio codec you prefer via the colored buttons on your remote and so really don't need to have a monitor employed to enjoy this release.

Trio Mediæval: An Old Hall Ladymass Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

2L continues to offer audiophiles really sumptuous listening experiences, and for anyone who is, like I unabashedly am, a proponent of Blu-ray audio will be treated to a beautifully spacious and fluid listening experience courtesy of any of the codecs provided on the Blu-ray disc. Along with 7.0.4 Dolby Atmos (48 kHz) and 7.0.4 Auro-3D (96 kHz) options, there is also a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.0 track (24/192) and an LPCM 2.0 track (24/192). I can't fully describe the wonderfully natural hall ambience that both the Atmos and Auro-3D tracks in particular provide, but there's a really air filled ambience (for want of a better term) in those options in particular that I personally found amazing. The "standard" surround and stereo tracks are absolutely excellent in their own regard, and while those without the setups to handle Atmos and/or Auro-3D may indeed be missing a bit of the ambience, they certainly will still get a more than worthwhile experience with superb fidelity. Dynamic range is admittedly a little limited here due to the material, but there are certainly spikes and valleys, and the addition of the organetto gives some extra energy at times.

Trio Mediæval: An Old Hall Ladymass Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

While there is no on disc bonus content other than mShuttle availability, 2L also includes a CD and a really nicely appointed insert booklet with complete texts and more information on the songs.

Trio Mediæval: An Old Hall Ladymass Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you're a fan of Anonymous 4 or even more "contemporary" riffs on that sound like that offered by Mediæval Bæbes, my hunch is you will find this recording a really rewarding listening experince. 2L's technical merits have been consistently superb in the time I've been reviewing the label, and that certainly continues with this elegantly recorded Ladymass. Highly recommended.