On An Overgrown Path

'That inner spirit has been embodied very vibrantly in Benedictine monastic life and liturgy. This helps to explain the paradox of a music which when sung really expresses the spirit of silence; which with almost wordless vocalization really attempts to express the very word of God; which with the action of singing really is meant to be a vehicle of contemplation' - Abbot Marcel Rooney, O.S.B. The glories of Gregorian Chant, or "the mysticism of the octave" as Abbot Rooney describes it, have drawn me back again and again to the Benedictine L'Abbaye Sainte-Madeleine at Le Barroux near Avignon in France. The monastic community at Le Barroux are orthodox Catholics who celebrate the Holy Offices eight times a day in plainsong which respects the scholarship of Solesmes . This glorious liturgy is one of the reasons why I have stayed at the Abbey as a guest of the monks quite a few times over the years despite my discomfort with other aspects of Catholicism . As a resul...

So the French referendum has rejected the EU constitution, and the pieces of the jigsaw that make up Europe are once again thrown up into the air. Political bloggers such as Clive Davis are better qualified than me to analyse the implications of the "No" vote, but I cannot let the result pass without some personal comment. In a few days time I depart for my annual extended stay in France. It is a country I love, but also find deeply puzzling. The "No" vote seems to be more of a vote of no confidence in the Chirac government than a rejection of the new EU constitution. France is a fascinating mixture of traditionalism and extremism, and this is nowhere better illustrated than in the French attitude to religion. Although the national constitution makes France a secular state, Catholicism is still a strong force in society. I had written the post below a few days ago ready to upload while I was on the road south to the Vaucluse next weekend, but I am posting it today ...

In his Syrian travelogue The Street Philosopher and the Holy Fool Marius Kociejowski celebrates the two characters in the title as "non-mainstreamers". While others have appointed themselves as cultural commentators I prefer the roles of street philosopher and holy fool, so, accordingly, my recent travels enthusiastically embraced the non-mainstream. For the 1500 mile round trip to l'Abbaye Sainte-Madeleine in Provence I chose to travel by train rather than plane or car, which, thankfully, cushioned me from the kind of French driver captured in the header photo And my journey was rich in distinctly alternative experiences including the concert seen below; while I also took the distinctly non-mainstream decision to disconnect myself from the internet for the entire ten day trip. One of the many benefits of train travel is the non-mainstreamers it brings you into contact with. Seen below are the two delectable young ladies who sat next to me on the four hour high spe...

A disturbing condemnation of religious tolerance comes in the latest French newsletter from the Benedictine abbey of Sainte-Madeleine at Le Barroux, France which talks of "the double threat posed in the world today... the menacing invasion of atheism and Islam". The writer is a monk at the abbey and to make his point he misappropriates the passionately open minded and deeply moving film Of Gods and Men which provides my header image. Yesterday Decca's CD Voices - Chant from Avignon , recorded by the nuns of Notre-Dame de l'Annonciation which is the sister house of l'Abbaye Sainte Madeleine, was nominated for the Album of the Year in the 2011 Classical Brit Awards . More on that album and gods, women and music here . Also on Facebook and Twitter . Any copyrighted material on these pages is included as "fair use", for the purpose of study, review or critical analysis only, and will be removed at the request of copyright owner(s). Report broken links, mi...

This is the artwork for the forthcoming Decca CD from L'Abbaye de Notre-Dame de l'Annonciation du Barroux with added ornaments to reflect the topical playlist for my Chance Music programme on Sunday, August 1. 1. Titi Robin - Kali Sultana, troisième mouvement 2. Lady Gaga - Poker Face 3. Monks of l'Abbaye Sainte-Madeleine du Barroux - Gregorian antiphons and responsories 4. Bells of l'Abbaye Sainte-Madeleine du Barroux 5. Xavier de Fourvière, Te Saludan - Jean Coutarel (organ) and Jean-Sébastien Bressy (galoubet) 6. Jonathan Harvey , Mortuos plango, vivos voce for eight channel tape 7. Titi Robin - Kali Sultana, septième mouvement and épilogue Titi Robin's daughter features on vocals on the opening track. My daughter will be talking about the Lady Gaga track as she was at the diva's O2 gig in London a few months ago and, I have to confess, I wasn't. But is it art or entertainment , or is it just quick and dirty media ? Does it matter? As broadcaster a...

In 1968 pianist Jean-Rodolphe Kars was awarded first prize in the Concours de Piano Olivier Messiaen . During his international career Kars recorded Debussy and Delius for Decca and an LP of Schoenberg's solo piano music for EMI. As well being acclaimed for his interpretations of Ravel and Debussy Kars established a reputation as a Messiaen specialist. He has recorded Messiaen , has lectured and written about the mystical aspects of the composer's music, and considers Messiaen to be his 'first spiritual father'. But despite this Kars, who lives in France, is virtually unknown today. Jean-Rodolphe Kars' parents were non-practising Viennese Jews who fled to India following the Anschluss in 1938. Kars was born in 1947 and the following year the family moved to France. From 1967 onwards he followed a career as an international concert pianist. But, influenced by the faith of Messiaen and by a religious epiphany, Kars converted to Catholicism in 1977. Two years later h...

John Cage's 26'1.1499" for a string player became a signature work for cellist and icon of the avant-garde Charlotte Moorman . She embellished Cage's original score by adding a section in which she set her instrument aside and played the body of a half-naked Nam June Paik as if it were a substitute cello. Considering Cage's reputation as an iconoclast, it is surprising to learn that he disapproved of Moorman's embellishments. In her definitive life of Charlotte Moorman , author Joan Rothfuss describes how "Cage and some of those in his immediate circle began to dismiss her interpretation - and her work in general - as overly concerned with self-presentation", and quotes Cage as saying "Paik's involvement with sex, introducing it into music does not conduce towards sounds being sounds". Today, classical music will try almost anything to reach new audiences, as can be seen from my header photo; a PR stunt for the 2014 BBC Proms so...

For Ascension Day , the story of Armenia Sacra , the CD that nearly got away. I had read about the beauty of the Armenian Liturgy , but had never come across a recording of it until I was staying at the Benedictine L'Abbaye Sainte-Madeleine in Provence last December . The excellent shop run by the monks had the CD of Armenian liturgical chants on the French Jade label seen above , but it was a whopping 22€ for a single CD. So I didn't buy it, thinking I would find it far cheaper on the internet when I returned home. But I was to be punished for my infidelity. Not only wasn't the CD available at a lower price, I could not find a copy at any price. So I emailed one of the Brothers at the monastery and confessed my sin. He arranged for me to buy the CD, and it arrived faster than an Amazon delivery (Godspeed?). In AD301 Armenia became the first country to adopt Christianity. In the fifth century the Armenian Church broke away from the Orthodox Church, as did the Coptic Chur...

This sketch shows the Chapelle de la Madelène outside Bedoin in Provence. The earliest parts of the chapel date from the 11th century. In 1970 a Benedictine community of monks was established in the grounds of the chapel. As the community grew in numbers it went on to build the magnificent L'Abbaye Sainte-Madeleine five miles away at Le Barroux. The new monastery, which was consecrated in 1979, occupies a 75 acre site. It is built in a mock-Romanesque style and takes its visual cues from the chapel at Bedoin where the community was founded. Mock-Romanesque was not the most adventurous architectural style to adopt, particularly when the Benedictines at La Tourette to the north had retained none other than Le Corbusier and Iannis Xenakis to create their new monastery . But the conservative aesthetics of their new monastery are in line with the traditionalist views of the community at Le Barroux - let's not forget this is the religion that brought us Ferdinand and Isabella . I c...

Authentic performance is conventionally defined as played on original instruments and in an original style (without vibrato etc), but performances in 'authentic' surroundings can add an equally valid frisson . Norwich Priory became a Benedictine Monastic Priory five years after its foundation in 1096, and the Norman groundplan is the most authentic of any English cathedral. Among many glories the cloisters, which unusually for a dissolved house remain intact, are outstanding. They were burnt down in 1272, and subsequently rebuilt with an unusual covered upper story for the monks to use for work and contemplation in winter. (It is a common mistake to think cloisters were simply used by monks walking in silent, contemplative circles. Together with the Chapter House and church they were a central point for the monks, used for working, reading and writing. When I arrived to stay in the Benedictine L'Abbaye Sainte-Madeleine du Barroux I didn't know the etiquette of monast...