French Renaissance chansons meet songs by Leonard Cohen

Hille, Joel, Emma-Lisa und Domen (Foto: Gregory Wang)

Legendary are the songs of Leonard Cohen like Suzanne, So Long, Marianne or Bird on the Wire, but that they can be combined so perfectly with French chansons of the Renaissance is simply fascinating. Joel Frederiksen's arrangements are more than a tribute to the great troubadour; they show how seemingly effortlessly these different styles can be brought together and combined. Renowned viola da gambists Hille Perl and Domen Marinčič, French singer and lutenist Emma-Lisa Roux, and Echo Prize winner Joel Frederiksen celebrate Cohen's music.

Cohen, a self-described chansonnier, grew up in French-speaking Montreal, Canada. He is appreciated both as a poet and for his sensitivity in combining words with music. This project brings Cohen together musically and poetically with previous generations of songwriters. Orlando di Lasso's famous 16th century chanson Susanne un jour meets Cohen's Suzanne. Josquin des Prez's Adieu mes amours or dances by Pierre Attaingnant (Paris, 1529) combine with Cohen's songs and the eras converge. With knowledge of Renaissance music practices, new diminutions on Cohen's music emerge, including new chordal and ornamental accompaniments for viola da gamba or lute based on late 16th and 17th century models.

Selected CD Reviews:

... a triumph in creative play and thoughtful synthesis ... an extremely rich listening experience. That Frederiksen sings while playing the lute – a confident nod to the troubadour tradition – is at the heart of why many of the performances sound so organic. I desperately wish Cohen could have heard just how beguilingly fabulous his songs sound with two violas da gamba and the gentle plucking of a lute.

Mark Seow, Gramophone, 10 March 2023

It’s intellectual catnip, but it’s also a simple pleasure to hear these arrangements performed.

Olivia Giovetti, Van Magazine, 2 February 2023

CD available on SONY/Deutsche Harmonia Mundi

Musicians: Emma-Lisa Roux – soprano, lute | Giovanna Baviera — viola da gamba | Domen Marinčič — viola da gamba | Joel Frederiksen — bass, lute, direction