The two volumes of "La Quête du Graal" by La Nef is an ambitious attempt to bring the story of Perceval and the Grail (as recounted by Chrétien de Troyes) to life, with a mixture of original compositions and traditional English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh melodies. The result, for any lover of Arthurian legend or medieval literature, is absolutely delightful. I have here included a sample from it, the "Air des Chevaliers", which dramatizes the moment when the young boy Perceval is stunned by the sight of fully-armored knights riding by in the forest, whereupon he is determined to become a knight.
Both volumes can be found on Amazon and are equally excellent:
Volume 1: http://www.amazon.com/Perceval-qu%C3%...
Volume 2: http://www.amazon.com/Perceval-qu%C3%...
For those unfamiliar with the story of Perceval and the Grail, I would highly recommend reading either Chrétien de Troyes' story or the more complete story of "Parzival" by Wolfram von Eschenbach, whose engrossing tale of chivalry, honor and mysticism of the Grail and the ailing Fisher King provided the material for Wagner's opera "Parsifal".
The lyrics are taken from Chrétien's story, though they have been modernized from Old French into a more recognizable French. The role of Perceval is here sung by the counter-tenor Daniel Taylor:
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Chœur:
Et moult grand noise démenait
Les armes de ceux qui venaient,
Et souvent heurtaient aux armes
Les branches des chênes et des charmes.
Sonnait le bois, sonnait le fer
Des écus et des hauberts.
Sonnait le bois, sonnait le fer
Et les écus frappent sur les hauberts.
Perceval:
Il s'émerveille et dit:
Par mon âme, vrai me dit ma mère ma dame
Qui me dit que les diables sont choses
Plus effrayantes du monde.
Elle dit pour moi enseigner
Que pour eux se doit-on signer,
Mais jamais ne me signerai
Cet enseignement dédaignerai.
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Chorus:
And a great racket was made
By the arms of those who came,
And often against the arms struck
The branches of oaks and hornbeams.
The woods resounded, resounded the iron
Of the shields and the hauberks.
The woods resounded, resounded the iron
And the shields clashed against the hauberks.
Perceval:
He marveled and said:
By my soul, my lady mother spoke true
When she told me that devils are
More frightening than anything in the world.
She instructed me to make
The sign of the cross to ward them off,
But I never cross myself
This teaching I disdain.
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Thank you,
Rex Falsus
Disclaimer: All the music and images in this video belong to their rightful owners and creators, to whom all credit goes. I am not making a profit from this video, but intend it purely for educational purposes and to expose more people to these wonderful works. I do not intend any copyright infringement and will gladly remove this video if asked to.
