Blasius Amon: Sacred Works Huelgas Ensemble & Paul Van Nevel

• Blasius Amon (ca. 1560 - 1590): Missa quatuor vocum pro defunctis:
• 1 Amon: Missa quatuor vocum pro defunctis: I. Requiem aeternam / Te decet hymnus 03:56
• 2 Amon: Missa quatuor vocum pro defunctis: II. Kyrie - Christe - Kyrie 03:20
• 3 Amon: Missa quatuor vocum pro defunctis: III. Graduale. Requiem aeternam 03:33
• 4 Amon: Missa quatuor vocum pro defunctis: IV. Offertorium. Domine Jesu Christe 05:40
• 5 Amon: Missa quatuor vocum pro defunctis: V. Sanctus - Benedictus 03:58
• 6 Amon: Missa quatuor vocum pro defunctis: VI. Agnus dei 04:17
• 7 Amon: Missa quatuor vocum pro defunctis: VII. Tractus. Absolve Domine / Requiem aeternam 03:06
• Magi videntes stellam à 5:
• 8 Amon: Magi videntes stellam à 5 02:43
• Tenebrae factae sunt à 4:
• 9 Amon: Tenebrae factae sunt à 4 03:47
• Domine quid multiplicati sunt à 7:
• 10 Amon: Domine quid multiplicati sunt à 7 03:26
• Miserere mei Deus à 5:
• 11 Amon: Miserere mei Deus à 5 05:40
• Parvulus filius à 6:
• 12 Amon: Parvulus filius à 6 02:34
• Total Runtime 46:00

Info for Blasius Amon: Sacred Works

World premiere recordings of exquisite sacred works by Blasius Amon, all of them hidden gems of Renaissance polyphony.

The celebrated Huelgas Ensemble presents Blasius Amon - Sacred Works, a tribute to the 16th century Tyrolean composer Blasius Amon (ca. 1560-1590). A child prodigy trained at the prestigious Hofkapelle of Archduke Ferdinand II, Amon's music blends the intricate polyphony of the Franco-Flemish tradition with the vibrant Venetian innovations he encountered during his studies in Italy. Despite his untimely death at the age of 30, Amon left a remarkable corpus of sacred works that highlight his mastery of counterpoint and stylistic versatility.

This album showcases some of Amon's finest compositions, including the ‘Missa quatuor vocum pro defunctis’, which exemplifies the transparent and linear polyphony of the Franco-Flemish school, and his ‘Sacrae cantiones’, a collection of motets that reflect Amon's ability to fuse his polyphonic roots with the rich harmonic textures of the Venetian style. Huelgas Ensemble brings these works to life with their expert playing, capturing Amon's unique musical ‘tightrope act’ between two of the most influential traditions of the era.

Huelgas Ensemble
Paul Van Nevel, conductor

Huelgas Ensemble
For over fifty years, the Huelgas Ensemble has been one of the most acclaimed ensembles specialising in the performance of polyphonic music from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The ensemble is internationally renowned for its innovative programming, often featuring lesser-known works. The perspectives employed by the ensemble and its pitch precision consistently astonish audiences.

The historically informed interpretations of the Huelgas Ensemble are shaped by a profound understanding of the aesthetic principles of music and vocal practices from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Voices in the press and media repeatedly praise the ensemble's spontaneous vitality and extraordinary clarity in delivering its repertoire, consistently setting new standards. It is precisely these musical qualities that lead more and more contemporary composers to invite the Huelgas Ensemble to perform their works (including Wolfgang Rihm and James MacMillan).

The Huelgas Ensemble performs in internationally renowned venues, including the Lincoln Center (New York), Cité de la Musique (Paris), Berliner Philharmonie, Royal Albert Hall (BBC Proms, London), Wiener Konzerthaus, Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian (Lisbon), Filharmonia Narodowa (Warsaw), BOZAR (Brussels), AMUZ (Antwerp), and Concertgebouw Bruges. The ensemble is also regularly featured at significant early music festivals, where it often performs in its 'natural environment' of centuries-old chapels, churches, and monasteries. In this way, it builds an interdisciplinary bridge between polyphonic music and architecture. ​

In 2019, the Huelgas Ensemble organized its very own 'Pentecost Festival' for the first time; an international festival held in the picturesque Burgundian village of Talant, near Dijon. The ensemble found an ideal platform for musical experiments, performances of entirely unknown outstanding repertoire, new concert forms and variations in concert setup, and musical interaction with the audience. The fact that the event is dedicated to a single ensemble is a new concept in the festival world.

The discography of the Huelgas Ensemble includes over one hundred and twenty recordings of vocal and instrumental works from the 12th to the early 17th century. It features works by Dufay, Brumel, de Rore, Richafort, de Kerle, Ferrabosco, Palestrina, Lassus, and Ashewell, among others. The ensemble has recorded for Seon, Sony Classical, Harmonia Mundi France, Deutsche Harmonia Mundi, Cypres, and ECM. Recent discography includes The Eton Choirbook, The Treasures of Claude Le Jeune, Le mystère de ‘Malheur me bat', L’héritage de Petrus Alamire, The Ear of Zurbáran, Firminus Caron : Twilight of the Middle Ages, The Mirror of Claudio Monteverdi, The Ear of the Huguenots, ET LUX by German composer Wolfgang Rihm for eight voices and string quartet, La liberazione di Ruggiero dall’isola d’Alcina by Francesca Caccini (the first recording of the opera with reconstructed instrumental dances), The Music Prints of Christophe Plantin, The Ear of Theodoor van Loon, The Ear of Christopher Columbus, Simone de Bonefont : Missa pro mortuis, The Magic of Polyphony (3CD box-set, live recording of Pentecost Festival 2019), En Albion (polyphony from 14th century England), The Landscape of the Polyphonists, and Ludwig Daser: Polyphonic Masses. ​

In addition, the ensemble has made numerous radio recordings of concerts broadcast worldwide, as well as film recordings, including complete film productions, concert livestreams, documentaries, interviews, concert introductions by artistic director Paul Van Nevel, and experimental recordings in collaboration with video artists.

Paul Van Nevel and his ensemble have received numerous awards, including several Caecilia prizes from the Belgian music press, Choc du Monde de la Musique, Edison Classical Music Award, Cannes Classical Award for Early Music, Prix in Honorem from the Académie Charles Cros, Carrièreprijs from VRT Klara, a prize from the European Radio Union and the Canadian Radio, Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik, German ECHO Klassik (prizes in 1994, 1997, 2010, and 2011), several Diapason d'Or for various recordings, Diapason d'Or de l'année 2014, and Diapason d'Or de l'année 2015. More recent awards include Choc du mois from the magazine Classica in February 2017, Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik (Bestenliste 1/2017) for the CD recording The Mirror of Claudio Monteverdi, and OPUS KLASSIK 2019, the opera recording of the year award (opera up to the 18th century) for the CD recording Francesca Caccini: La liberazione di Ruggiero dall’isola d’Alcina. In October 2022, the ensemble received a Choc d’or from the magazine Classica for the CD recording The Landscape of the Polyphonists, and the OPUS KLASSIK (Berlin) as the Ensemble of the year 2022 for the CD recording En Albion. Lastly, in October 2023, the ensemble received the prestigious Gramophone Award in the Early Music section for the CD recording Ludwig Daser: Polyphonic Masses.

Booklet for Blasius Amon: Sacred Works