This collection delivers exactly what the graphics advertise: an anthology covering the output of the New York female vocal quartet Anonymous 4 from 1986 until the album's release and the group's retirement in 2016. This group enjoyed unparalleled success by putting together well-researched programs of medieval music and performing them with sensuous surfaces that can appeal to any listener. It's testimony to their skills that, even with Anonymous 4's long track record, no one else has really come along to build on what ...
Read More
This collection delivers exactly what the graphics advertise: an anthology covering the output of the New York female vocal quartet Anonymous 4 from 1986 until the album's release and the group's retirement in 2016. This group enjoyed unparalleled success by putting together well-researched programs of medieval music and performing them with sensuous surfaces that can appeal to any listener. It's testimony to their skills that, even with Anonymous 4's long track record, no one else has really come along to build on what they've done. The sensuous surfaces are intact in this compilation, especially with remastering from Harmonia Mundi that effectively smooths out the gaps between recordings dating back to the early days of the CD era. The programmatic coherence suffers, of course, although you do get a text for each work along with a little introduction telling you what the original album was all about, and what appealed to the performers about that particular piece. You might do better, if you're...
Read Less
