Label: Belle Antique – BELLE 8502 Format: Vinyl, LP Country: Japan Released: 1985 Genre: Rock, Pop, Folk, World, & Country Style: Psychedelic Rock, Folk
Glorious under-the-radar euro avant LP that combines medieval troubadour songs with minimalism and subtle electronics
Kay Hoffman is a Swiss musician, who as far as I can tell only produced this one LP. It has a confusing history. Recorded in Rome in 1977-78 it was unreleased at the time. It finally came out on the Japanese Belle Antique label in 1985. Subsequently it has reappeared on the Robot and Guerssen reissue labels. But these copies are from the original Japanese press. It is a dreamlike collection of short pieces based on the medieval song book the Carmina Burana. Just to be clear this is not Carl Orff’s mega famous demonic version, but a different take on the same sources. Apart from Hoffman’s inventive arrangements the key here is the involvement of variously members of Italian chamber prog heroes Pierrot Lunaire. Made around the same time as their amazing Gudrun LP (if you don’t know, check immediately!) it revels in the same jump-cut dada logic and lush surrealism. And most importantly features the gorgeous vocals of English soprano Jacqueline Derby who also features on Gudrun. It puts me in mind of other huge records of the period - The whole Cos/Aksakfamily, magma’s less frantic output, Lucía Bosé’s Lo Pomodoro or the puzzle box aesthetics of ZNR. When you combine that with a heavy dose of early music sonics and time dilating Latin vocals it becomes pure gold. I think Floret Silva ranks alongside the greatest European late twentieth century art music and it’s beyond me why it’s not better known... (NM)
Tracklist A1 Iste Mundus A2 Floret Silva A3 Exorcismus A4 Intermezzo (Chume, Chume) A5 Ich Will Truren A6 Rondo A7 Mai Tanz A8 Quot Sunt Horae A9 Tot A10 Sonus Dulcis Lyrae B1 Ouverture Zum Fest B2 Intermezzo (Fagott Sommer Nacht Promenade) B3 Tempus Instat B4 Langueo (Vacillantis) B5 Chume, Chume B6 Nummus B7 Post Communio Sancti Cyrilli
