Inspired by the timeless beauty and spiritual power of Gregorian chant and Romanesque and Gothic polyphony, these four musicians founded their ensemble with the purpose of combining early vocal music with modern improvisation and experimental sound.
The surviving written music of Western Europe goes back to the 8th century and is to a large extent made up of liturgical music. Ensemble nun. researches this medieval repertoire (up to the 14th century), and using it as their starting point, performs in the here and now, in the singular moment of improvisation.
The two Canadian singers Rebecca Bain and Katherine Hill, internationally renowned interpreters of early music, bring early liturgical song to life according to its original sources. The Berlin saxophonist Gert Anklam and the Weimar guitarist Falk Zenker pick up from there; using their modern instruments but with careful consideration of medieval melody, harmony and composition principles, they improvise on the historical material, relying on their long experience with jazz, experimental and world music. The synthesis of voices, saxophones, e-guitar, and live electronics with its resulting blend of archaic and modern sounds, along with the back and forth between old and new melodies, the uniting of medieval and contemporary improvisation techniques, and the play between the natural acoustics of the hall and electronic duplication via live sampling, all make for a particularly exciting performance.
