The Royal Wind Music – Cosmography of Polyphony album review: An exploration into Renaissance music

The Royal Wind Music is an international, 12-member recorder group, founded in Amsterdam in 1997. Their Renaissance-style instruments range from a 15cm sopranino to a three-metre-long sub-contrabass.

The group’s “cosmography” of Renaissance polyphony embraces vocal and ensemble works as well as pieces originally written for keyboard.

María Martínez Ayerza’s 19 arrangements often bring the sound world of the organ to mind, and also include a generous helping of the ghostly cooing which the softly-articulated lower instruments can provide.

Through pieces that are plaintive, mournful, rich, spare, sober and deliciously frivolous, this collection also constitutes a valuable cosmography recorder playing. url.ie/znbg