Les Jongleurs de la mandragore

It was a sunny afternoon. I closed the drapes and, in the dim light a door opened between my speakers and I entered the 12th centhury. Much more effectively than images, sound can bring memories back to life and carry us to faraway times.
Barbarossa refers to the time of Friedrich 1 of Germany who ruled over a kingdom reaching from the North Sea to the Mediterranean until his death in 1190. Several of the pieces are from the original Carmina Burana German manuscript, there is an icelandic traditional piece, and an excerpt of the Laon Maniscript dating from the France of around 930.
None of these, however, prepares you for the presence of the multitalented group called Les Jongleurs de la Mandragore ("the Mandrake jugglers"). Infused with an uncanny energy and joy, they recreate the atmosphere of medieval times, blending superb voices and instruments, giving life to dusty and brittle texts. Interestingly, an Oud, the direct ancestor of the European lute, is used by Andrew Wells-Oberegger, and his playing is refined and expressive. The midrange sound of the instrument is richly modulated. François Taillefer is a wizard with percussion instruments, especially the large duff and smaller darbuka. All those instruments, of Persian or Turkish origin, were introduced to Europe by the Moors through Spain, and brought back with the return of the Crusaders.
It becomes fascinating to hear the flavor of those Eastern sounds combined with those of the Traverso (wooden flute), the Cittern and Hurdy-Gyrdy (also known as the Wheel Fiddle). Don't miss the great duff solo on track 2 and the lovely composition by Hildegarde von Bingen on track3; watch for the intricate harmonies of the flute with Ingried Boussaroque's warm soprano, and see how her voice rises, pure as a flame, floating away at the end.
On track 4, the traditional Icelandic instrumental piece sounds almost modern with its oud and duff duo. Listen carefully as the percussion builds and rises to a frenzy, and later, on track 8, a composition by Adam de la Halle. You'll be surprised by the bass impact, just before the male voices appear in 3-D. Suddenly, much too soon it seems, with what sounds like a distant bell in the fog, the music stops. I slowly walked over and opened the drapes again.
René Laflamme of Fidelio has done a magnificient recording job with this ensemble. The high, deep space of th echurch where it took place and the natural sound of voices and instruments are sweetly reproduced using XtractHD process, avoiding most computer manipulation. They even designed their own wooden sphere microphone system and installed it in a binaural configuration, as you'll see on the CD back cover photo. - UHF (Ultra High Fidelity Magazine), issue no 73

Reconnue comme l'une des plus festives formations de musique ancienne du Québec à cause de la place prédominante qu'elle accorde aux rythmes et percussions, la Mandragore n'en a pas moins exploré des manuscrits du XIIe et du XIIIe siècles pour Barbarossa, un 3e album qui surfe librement sur les musiques du royaume de Frédéric 1er et qui s'étendait de la mer du Nord à l'Italier. L'approche n'a rien de puriste: esthétique originale très actuelle, voix célestes, choeurs masculins, instruments arabes, clins d'oeil au sud, improvisations débridées. Malgré des passages plus calmes qu'auparavant, la Mandragore parvient encore à faire swinguer le Moyen-Âge comme peu savent le faire. 8.5/10 - ICI (13-19 octobre 2005)

...Les Jongleurs de la Mandragore se démarquent du courant médiéval "puriste" par une présence nettement festive et des arrangements qui empruntent éventuellement aux musiques du monde. "C'est vrai que nous sommes moins "classiques" que d'autres, et certains puristes nous le reprochent un peu, explique Ingried Boussaroque, mais l'objectif principal reste d'obtenir un son qui nous plaise et qui soit vivant. Nous avons beaucoup joué dans des festivals, des fêtes ou des mariages, pour faire danser les gens, alors évidemment, ça se reflète dans notre musique. Cependant, notre 3e album est peut-être un peu plus calme." (...) - Voir, 8 septembre 2005, Réjean Beaucage