A Star in the East: Medieval Hungarian Christmas Music
Anonymous 4 has explored some pretty unusual repertoire over the years, but medieval  Hungarian Christmas music has to be one of the more exotic regions and one of the least familiar to  Western audiences. And yet, on closer inspection this music has close ties to Christian chant that  flourished in France, Germany, and Italy--distinguished by later alterations and embellishments  inspired by local influences. Gradually, a specific Hungarian character emerged in this music,  which can clearly be discerned in the repertoire on this program. Indeed, we can hear variations on  traditional Latin chants such as the Advent hymn "Verbum supernum prodiens" as well  as the application of different words to standard chant melodies. Ultimately, this music invokes the  same spiritual precepts and representational images of the Christmas story experienced by more  distant European congregations. And these performances bear the mark of Anonymous 4's  established standard of excellence.--David Vernier