JAN GARBAREK · THE HILLIARD ENSEMBLE — Officium Novum (2010) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

More than 15 years separate the release of Jan Garbarek's best-selling album Officium from his Officium Novum. The newer release, like the original, features Garbarek on soprano and tenor saxophones and the male vocal quartet, the Hilliard Ensemble. In both albums, Garbarek takes preexisting vocal pieces and embroiders them with his soulful obbligato contributions. The chaste austerity of the men's voices and the reedy plaintiveness of the saxophone make for a surprisingly effective pairing. Garbarek and the singers manage to merge two very different musical worlds without compromising the integrity of either, and that is part of what gives these albums such an impact. The first album used primarily Medieval and Renaissance material -- chants, motets, and liturgical song -- while this second mostly uses more recent source material, primarily from Eastern Europe. In addition to several medieval sources, included are works by early 20th century Armenian priest, musicologist, and composer Komitas; Nikolai N. Kedrov, a Russian composer of the same era; mid-20th century Greek composer Giorgios Sefaris; Estonian Arvo Pärt; and several original pieces by Garbarek himself. Like the first album, this one is suffused with a sense of distant mystery and a profound, powerful melancholy that is given voice with intense feeling. The sound again is spacious and warmly resonant, with an earthy, enveloping ambience. This album will be a must-have for anyone who loved the first one, and it should appeal to any listener with an affinity for meditative Eastern European spirituality, especially when tied to contemporary expressivity and stylistic freedom. Stephen Eddins 
Tracklist :
1 OV zarmanali (Hymn of the baptism of Christ) 4:11
Komitas
2 Svjete tihij 4:14
Byzantine Chant
3 Allting finns 4:18
Jan Garbarek
4 Litany / Otche nash / Dostoino est 13:06
Various Composers
5 Surb, surb 6:40
Komitas
6 Most Holy Mother of God 4:34
Arvo Pärt
7 Tres morillas m'enamoran 3:32
Anonymous, Spanish
8 Sirt im sasani (Hymn for Maundy Thursday) 4:06
Komitas
9 Hays hark nviranats ukhti 6:25
Komitas
10 Alleluia. Nativitas 5:20
Pérotin
11 We are the stars 4:18
Jan Garbarek
12 Nur ein Weniges noch 0:19
George Seferis
Credits :
Arranged By – Jan Garbarek (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 5, 7 to 10), The Hilliard Ensemble (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 5, 7 to 10) 
Baritone Vocals – Gordon Jones (2)
Countertenor Vocals – David James (13) 
Producer – Manfred Eicher
Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Jan Garbarek
Tenor Vocals – Rogers Covey-Crump, Steven Harrold