Requiem for a Pink Moon — an Elizabethan Tribute to Nick Drake (1948-74)
“It’s the real deal.”
A tribute to one of the greatest singer/songwriters of the past 50 years, a requiem to Nick Drake (1948-74), composed by Joel Frederiksen. Drake´s visionary songs speak to the human condition with titles such as “Which will you go for?”, “From the morning”, and “Time has told me”. Under fine melodic lines is a rhythmically driving guitar part which Frederiksen has orchestrated for Renaissance instruments. Parts of the plainsong Requiem Mass interweave with Drake’s finely crafted songs and songs of master songwriters from the English Renaissance, all arranged and adapted by Joel Frederiksen, to form one moving piece in remembrance of this modern day Renaissance Man.
Receiving the Echo Prize in 2013 with Tim Evans (Photo: Wüstenhagen)
Echo Prize 2013
Colin Balzer, Tenor (Photo: Catherina Hess)
“An idea that’s so spot-on it’s a wonder nobody thought of it before.” - NEW YORK MUSIC DAILY
"Every once in awhile there’s a perfect confluence of concept, repertoire and performance in the recording studio, and a kind of miracle occurs. Joel Frederiksen and his Ensemble Phoenix Munich have given us just such a miracle with Requiem for a Pink Moon. The concept works brilliantly and the music will haunt you. I don’t think there’s been a better album this year " - ARIAMA
"A Crossover Album You Won't Want To Cross Back From" / "a new album so beautiful, so moving, that I'm welling up just thinking about it." - WFCR / New England Public Radio
"It's the real deal. Frederiksen sings both beautifully and unselfconsciously, but what makes this recording one of the most affecting I have heard in years is that the interleaving of Drake's songs with Elizabethan laments and parts of a Gregorian-chant Requiem Mass makes such a powerful connection to the universal human experiences of loss and grief, and not just to a particular artist." - STEREOPHILE (12/12)
Musicians: Joel Frederiksen — bass, lute, musical direction / Colin Balzer* — tenor / Domen Marinčič — viola da gamba / Axel Wolf — theorbo
*We welcome Colin to our cast after the untimely passing of our friend and colleague, tenor, Timothy Leigh Evans (1959-2019).