Neidhart (von Reuental): Vale Of Tears (Naxos Audio CD)  

NEIDHART (fl ca 1215-1230) • A Minnesinger and his
‘Vale of Tears’: Songs and Interludes
Els Janssens-Vanmunster, voice • Baptiste Romain, vielle & bagpipes
Ensemble Leones • Marc Lewon

Neidhart was one of the most popular Minnesingers – or “poet-musicians” – of the late Middle Ages. His songs deal with rustic, erotic and violent topics mediated, however, through court culture, which gives them a stylised, ironic sense of detachment. His division of songs into “summer” or “winter” adds another layer of complexity, with melancholy or dance-orientated topics prevailing, depending on the season. The instrumental music carries a rural character. The “Frankfurt Fragment” manuscript has never been recorded in full, and is here performed by one of the most outstanding ensembles in the field.