La Bele Marie: Songs to the Virgin from 13th-Century France

The arrival of a new Anonymous 4 album has become as much a fall ritual as the turning of the leaves. However, there's nothing rote about their 12th album for Harmonia Mundi. All 17 selections are in honor of the Virgin Mary, ground familiar to fans of the ensemble's breakthrough first album, An English Ladymass (as well as 1998's Lammas Ladymass). Drawing upon both the Latin liturgy and chansons adapted from the French trouvère tradition of secular love songs, the combination of sources powerfully illustrates how strong devotion to Mary was in medieval France. But even more immediately striking is the New York-based vocal quartet's near-magical ability to enrapture their listeners. Whether they are coursing through a simply elegant monophonic chant such as "O maria o felix puerpera," a dazzlingly florid work like "Mater patris et filia," or the ethereal harmonies of "Mundum renovavit," their perfect intonation and pure tone are sublime. There's a special treat here, too--each of the ladies performs one piece solo. It's a chance to hear each singer's unique contribution to the group's inimitable sound: Marsha Genensky's exquisite smoothness, Susan Hellauer's dark-hued loveliness, Jacqueline Horner's creamy lightness, and Johanna Maria Rose's radiant resonance. It's a record that will transport you to another world, and yet one more star to add to Anonymous 4's constellation of celestially beautiful recordings. --Anastasia Tsioulcas