Sunday morning music

 

Courtesy of a link at 357 Magnum, I was introduced to the music of German group Qntal.  They're an oddball ensemble, starting with musicians trained in the classical tradition but with a great deal of influence from what the group calls "Electro".  Their Web site says:

When Qntal first appeared on the scene with their previously unheard, bold mixture of medieval melodies and Electro back in 1992, they took the world by surprise. Of course people had heard medieval music before and were fairly familiar with electronic music, too. Combining them, though, was an unexpected novelty. To this day, Qntal are forerunners of a genre they themselves helped establish...

. . .

Sometimes, a start indeed is something magical. Something strange. Just like back then, all these years ago, when Syrah, Michael Popp and Ernst Horn founded this band. A truly unique project was born whose debut “Qntal I” already propelled the trio, exclusively coming from the serious shores of classical music, into a scene that back then didn’t even know it existed. Things are radically different today, of course. And still, Qntal remain the genres’ founding pioneers who managed to extract something truly original from two musical realms – a thoroughly unique voice.

I've selected a few of their songs at random this morning.  I'm still learning more about the group, so I can't claim these are representative of their best - they simply appealed to me.  We'll start with the song linked at 357 Magnum, "Monsieur's Departure".  If you need them, lyrics may be found here.

This one's titled "Before The World Was Made".

And here's "Nox Aeterna".

And finally, from their latest album, "Quis Est Deus?"  Lyrics are here.

An interesting collection.  I can't yet say for sure that I really like this group, but I certainly find their work interesting, particularly their blend of classical and electronic music traditions.  They've been hard at it for over two decades, which speaks to their staying power and fan base.

Peter