Discantus (ensemble)
Discantus is the name of a French vocal ensemble made up of female voices, founded in 1989 , which interprets and performs music from the Middle Ages . It is under the direction of Brigitte Lesne .
The Ensemble Discantus concentrates on sacred, monophonic or polyphonic works. His repertoire ranges from Gregorian chant of the 11th century to Ars nova . The pieces are usually performed by six to eight female singers, with solo and polyphonic passages alternating in the interpretation.
Publications and concerts
By 2006, the ensemble had released twelve CDs, most of which received at least one of the highest accolades from a French classical music magazine ( Diapason d'or , CHOC du Monde de la Musique , 10 de Répertoire and others). The first eight CDs were released by the record label Opus 111 , later by Jade among others .
Some of the performances took place in collaboration with the Ensemble Alla Francesca . In the older recordings in particular, the ensemble sang exclusively a cappella , later an instrument was occasionally used to provide acoustic support.
Concert tours have taken the ensemble to several European countries, the USA, Morocco and Australia.