Volume 2 of Cut Circle’s complete Josquin cycle, gloriously sung, includes motets from the 1480s and the ‘smutty’ Missa L’ami baudichon. Director Jesse Rodin’s startling approach to Josquin moves away from that smooth Anglican-style choral sound. The five-voice ensemble makes a satisfying new argument for how this polyphony might have sounded.

From the Publications Director: On the research side, A.I.’s skill in gathering and summarizing information opens boundless possibilities. But the interpretation of facts is an art all its own, not to be casually handed over to a bot. It’s crazy to have to say this, but here we are: Writing is as much an art as playing the viola da gamba or the crumhorn.

This reassessment of musical culture — particularly religious music — in 15th-c. Bohemia tries to look beyond the nationalist agendas that have previously colored scholarly work on this topic. As a rare holdout for monophonic chant and an area undergoing theological reform in the late Middle Ages, the region provides rich topics for this collection of essays written through an updated lens.

From a tribute sent by Stanley Ritchie’s family to EMA: “Liberating” is the term he used after switching from modern to Baroque violin, adding, “After playing so many years professionally as a [modern] violinist, I found playing Baroque violin akin to driving a sports car!” A memorial celebration is planned for April, 2027.