Add to playlist: the cliche-correcting medieval music of Idrîsî Ensemble and the week’s best new tracks
The group reimagines Corsica’s ancient music for modern female voices with fresh spiky arrangements that remain heavy with the pain of the past
From London via Corsica/Occitania
Recommended if you like Arooj Aftab, Maria Callas, the choral tragedy of Prioritise Pleasure-era Self Esteem
Up next New single Dieus Sal la Terra out now
Idrîsî Ensemble are a useful corrective to the stereotyping of medieval music as smooth, pious and sleepy. Hearing the howls of this London-based group – sometimes powered by up to 19 members – you’re reminded of song’s inexhaustible capacity for conjuring fresh pain.
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© Photograph: Kate Peters

© Photograph: Kate Peters

© Photograph: Kate Peters