Sad Steps

New settings of Renaissance Poems

Virelai
Catherine King, voice
William Lyons, renaissance flute
Susanna Pell, viol
Jacob Heringman, lute

Introduction, Biographies, Track details, Audio files, Reviews

Virelai
Virelai was founded in 1991 by leading performers in the world of early music with a desire to illuminate neglected repertoire of the late middle ages and early renaissance, a fascination of the juxtaposition of old and new, and in the spirit of exploration and creativity.

Virelai made its Wigmore Hall debut in 1993, and has since performed in Prague Castle, the Manchester Early Music Series, the Magenta Music Festival, on the Dutch and British Early Music Networks, and in broadcasts of both old and new music for the BBC.

Virelai's debut recording, Renaissance Love Songs, was a BBC Music Magazine cover mount CD. This attracted the attention of Virgin Classics, for whom Virelai went on to make a series of highly-acclaimed CDs - Ther is no Rose: Renaissance music for the Christmas season; Chansons Nouvelles, devoted to the marvellous but neglected repertoire of early 16th century Parisian chansons and dances; and Treasures from my minde: Songs and instrumental pieces by John Dowland, which was chosen by Gramophone as one of the Best CDs of 1999.

For the BBC, Virelai has recorded programmes of Dufay chansons, and of contemporary music by Karlheinz Stockhausen and Malcolm Bruno.

The four individual members of Virelai count among the world's most distinguished performers and teachers of early music, all of them performing and recording as soloists and as members of leading ensembles including The Dufay Collective, Fretwork, Gothic Voices and Musicians of the Globe.