Piffaro captures the joy of a decade of holiday concerts on Drive the Cold Winter Away, a compilation of live performances, released in December 2013 with the help of a wonderful community of supporters including Terry and Cindy Tobias, Deborah Malamud and Neal Plotkin, and Anthony Elitcher and Kathryn Taras.
Artistic directors Joan Kimball and Bob Wiemken have selected the choicest performances of music from 16th and 17th century Germany, England, France and Mexico, all brought to life as only Piffaro can, with its unique combination of Renaissance recorders, sackbuts, bagpipes, dulcians, shawms, lutes, guitars, harp and percussion.
Piffaro is pleased to be joined by soprano Laura Heimes, soprano Julianne Baird, tenors Philip Anderson and Stephen Bradshaw, baritone Brian Ming Chu, and two fantastic choirs – Choral Arts Philadelphia and The Rose Ensemble.
Further enhancing the wide-ranging sonic landscape are guest instrumentalists Annette Bauer (recorder, dulcian), Martin Bernstein (recorder), Bryan Duerfeldt (recorder), Kris Kwapis (trumpet), Larry Lipnik (viol), Liza Malamut (recorder), Danny Mallon (percussion), Scott Metcalfe (violin), Rosamund Morley (viol), Mack Ramsey (sackbut), Erik Schmalz (sackbut) and Charles Weaver (guitar).
Our thanks go out to all our guests, including Matthew Glandorf, conductor of Choral Arts Philadelphia, and Jordon Sramek, conductor of The Rose Ensemble, for giving us permission to include their performances on this new CD.
Joyous and reflective, sacred and profane, mass movements and dances, some familiar tunes and some new discoveries – this is music that will refresh and delight your ears.
Contents
1. Dies est laetitiae/Psallite/In dulci jubilo – arr. Piffaro, after chorale settings by Michael Praetorius (c.1571-1621)
2. Frohlock o tochter – Praetorius
3. Es ist ein Ros – Praetorius
4. Intrada & Gaillard – Isaac Posch (c.1591-1623)
5. Frölich zu seyn – Posch
6. Ivy chefe of treis – anonymous, late 15th c.
7. Puzzle canon – John Lloyd (c.1475 – 1523)
8. Ivy is gode – anonymous, late 15th c.
9. Green growth the holly – Henry VIII (1491-1547)
10. Time to pass – Henry VIII
11. Noe noe, psallite noe – Jean Mouton (c.1459-1522)
12. Tant que vivray – noel set to chanson by Claudin de Sermisy (c.1490-1562)
13. O dulcissima Domine Jesu respicere – Philippe Verdelot (1475-1552)
14. Agnus dei from Missa “Voulant honneur” – Sermisy
15. Ilz sont bien pelles & Gentil pastoureau – Anonymous theatre chanson and noel based on that melody (c. 1500)
16. As I sat on a sunny bank & I saw three ships – anonymous, arr. Piffaro
17. Drive the cold winter away – anonymous, 16th c.
18. Fabordones I tono – Philippe Rogier (1561-1646)
19. Psalm 147: Lauda Jerusalem – Manuel Matco de Dallo y Lana (fl. late 17th c.)
20. Concertado à 3 – Dom Teotónio da Cruz (17th c.)
21. Avejuela que al jazmín – Manuel Machado (c1590 – 1646)
22. Villançico: Convidando esta la noche – Juan Garcia de Zespedes (1619-1678)