Album cover for Beneath a Pale Moon by BLOCK4 Recorder Quartet

Beneath a Pale Moon

BLOCK4 Recorder Quartet

About the album

Welcome, weary travellers. Come close, and gather to the fire. This is a time for tales old and new, told by only the light of the pale moon as we wait for the crow of the cockerel and the dawning of another day. Come close, and listen to the tale I will tell, one full of magic and mystery. You see, not far from this fire there is a path, and not far from that path there is a field, and not far from that field there is a forest. A forest so tall the trees seem to touch the sky, a forest so deep it seems to stretch all of Christendom, a forest so green and lush that it seems to whisper to you with its very leaves. Everyone knows that a forest is a place of Magicks; a place of transformation and treachery; of lovesick wandering and charmed romance. In the woods, all are equal: prince and peasant boy, it is all the same to the trees and those who live amongst them.

Come close, and I will tell the tale of four travellers just like yourself: Draec, Ealric, Rowara and Veric.

All were brave. All were bold. All were loyal. All were true. But only one of them was heartbroken.

Tracklist

Anonymous

Watkins Ale, FVB 1801:36
Lumps of Pudding2:51
Stella Splendens in monte4:03

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina

Deh, or foss'io, PdPWV Mad0012:48

Matthew Olyver

My Last Breath5:16

Francisco Guerrero

O Domine Iesu Christe3:27

Anonymous

Stella Splendens in monte3:49

Michael Praetorius

Bransle de la Royne, TMA 171:00
Courante de M.M. Wüstrow, TMA 1312:54
Volte, TMA 2101:54

Andrew Crossley

Bardo No. 1 (Layers)7:57

Tarquino Merula

La lusignuola, Op. 1 No. 25:44

Michiel Mensingh

Wicked6:21

Anonymous

Stella Splendens in monte4:47

Wojtek Blecharz

Airlines10:36

Francisco Guerrero

Alma Redemptoris Mater4:14
Total playing time1:09:17

Artists

Composers

The excellent playing of these four musicians [...], the well-crafted arrangements, the extraordinary instrumentation (details are given in the booklet) and the beautiful recording.

Aart van der Wal, Opus Klassiek

The music and the story support each other beautifully, and the combination of the two stimulates the imagination.

Bernadette Pollen, Blokfluitist Magazine

[...] It’s a great skill to be able to present this music with such clarity, yet without losing the ambience of the resonant Lutheran Church in Haarlem where it was recorded. This is one of the best-captured recorder quartet discs this listener has heard in a long time. Fans of recorder consort music will find much to enjoy on this varied and well-programmed disc, but moreover, those who like their music to take them on a journey – in this case one of magic and enchantment – are in for a real treat.

The Early Music Shop

Credits

Producer, recording & mastering engineerBrendon Heinst
EditorHans Erblich
ArtworkEvie Thomas
StoryEssa Flett
GenreEarly MusicContemporary
InstrumentationChamber
Recording dateApril 2023
Recording locationLutheran Church, Haarlem (NL)
Recording formatDSD 11.2 MHz 1 bit
Mastering formatPCM 352.8 kHz 64 bit
Release dateMay 3, 2024
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Technical specifications

MicrophonesJosephson C617 w/ Microtech Gefell MK221 capsulesJosephson C42
PreamplifiersGrace Design m801mk2
AD/DA conversionMerging Technologies Hapi MkIIMerging Technologies AnubisGrimm Audio CC2 master clock
MonitoringGrimm Audio LS1beGrimm Audio SB1Genelec 8030CWAustrian Audio the Composer headphones
CablingPurecable Optimus microphone cablesPurecable Optimus power cablesGrimm Audio TPR microphone cablesGrimm Audio TPR8 breakout cables
Misc.Pura Power Supplies the DodoPura Power Supplies the SauropodaPura Power Supplies the NautilusComputer Audio Design GC3