06. Love songs of Guillaume de Machaut: The Orlando Consort

The medieval French poet and composer Guillaume de Machaut was one of the most important artistic figures of the 14th century, and his love songs bear comparison with their counterparts in the romantic song literature. Bringing us full circle to the period of music Brahms might well have encountered in the concerts of Amalie Joachim (see today’s study events), we could ask for no better exponents of this repertoire than the Orlando Consort, whose complete recordings of the works of Machaut on Hyperion Records have received great acclaim. These four singers reveal one of Machaut’s great works, Le voir dit, in the second of today’s concerts at Broughton Castle, by kind invitation of Martin and Pauline Fiennes. We now move to the 14th-century Great Hall, the heart of the original building.

'Hauntingly and mellifluously sung by the Orlando Consort, this music still sounds as flavoursome as it must have done 650 years ago' (The Daily Telegraph).

This concert will be streamed completely live from Broughton Castle. Shortly afterwards, it will also be available to watch again (using the same ticket and link) until 1 November 2020. Click here for further information on how tickets will work this year.

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Watch the members of the Orlando Consort explain why they are captivated by the songs of the great 14th century composer and poet Guillaume de Machaut. His genius for creating enchanting melodies, beguiling harmonies and sophisticated word-setting, and his achievement in arguably writing the first ever song-cycle, mark him out as someone who was truly ahead of his time. By about 400 years!

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