1000: A Mass for the End of Time
Remember all of the year-2000 nervousness in the latter part of 1999?  That was nothing. As the year 1000 approached, people all over the Christian  world were convinced that the Apocalypse--as depicted in the biblicalBook of Revelation--and the end  of the world were at hand. In one of the more interesting musical program ideas  to be inspired by the turn of the calendrical odometer,Anonymous 4revisits the original  "millennium madness" with a disc of chant from around the year  1000--specifically, a Mass for the Feast of the Ascension, one of the few  occasions on which the liturgy included readings from the Book of Revelation. This  is the oldest written Western music to have survived, and it's difficult even to  decipher (the original notation has no staff lines or clear indications of  rhythm), let alone perform. Yet, the challenges involved seem to have done these  ladies good: not only is their performance both assured and confident, but one  can hear new facets in their vocal sound--a sound that, however beautiful it  might be, some listeners find monotonous. (One new facet is Jacqueline  Horner, the quartet's newest member, for whom this is the first recording.) The  singers experiment with interpretation of ornaments that are indicated in the  manuscript sources (there's a fascinating little trill that sounds rather like a  cooing dove); in some of the chants, they add an additional line in accordance  with the principles of improvising polyphony that were laid out in 10th- and  11th-century treatises. The entire program seems thoroughly considered, as well  as immaculately executed. If you count on the consistently pure, silky tone and  meditative quality that has made Anonymous 4 world-famous, you'll definitely  find it here; if you've gotten bored with them, you might find this disc a  fascinating surprise.--Matthew Westphal