The Troubadour and the Nun

This collection is an essay on the contrasts and similarities between devotional music and poetry directed to both human (secular) women, and - perhaps more importantly - immortal, sacred and philosophical aspects of the feminine principal. Four songs on this CD are praises and prayers directed to the Virgin Mary; another song addresses "The Lady Philosophy" - who is not a mortal woman, but the emblem of wisdom in its feminine version, like "Sophia". Two other songs celebrate purity (i.e. virginity) and unattainability in a mortal woman. This is also a concert programme which has been and will be performed widely in many countries, to audiences who are eagerly awaiting the release of this CD. Evelyn Tubbis one of the outstanding sopranos of her generation, widely admired for her innovative performances. She performed around the world - with the Consort of Musicke and other leading vocal ensembles, and in her partnerships with Michael Fields and Anthony Rooley. Her love for music mixed with drama has led to her performing works ranging from Hildegard of Bingen’s Ordo Virtutum, through Baroque opera, to recent pieces by Peter Maxwell Davies and David Bedford. Evelyn is a professor of singing at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Switzerland. Michael Fieldsplayed folk, rock and jazz in California and Australia, before moving to England to study classical guitar and lute. He has worked with Evelyn since they met at the Guildhall School of Music. He directs the ensemble, Vox Animae, whose recording of Ordo Virtutum by Hildegard of Bingen has received international acclaim. As a gamba player, David Hatcher has performed with his own chamber ensemble, Harmonie Universelle and with the Consort of Musicke and Fretwork. From 1987 to 1996 he lived in Japan, taking part in that country’s thriving early music scene. This trio forms the core of the ensemble Sprezzatura.