Five years after their first collaboration, the Hilliard Ensemble and Jan Garbarek returned to St. Gerold's Abbey to, according to singer John Potter, once again explore the unknown. The resulting double album, "Mnemosyne," impresses with its wide stylistic range and a more developed improvisational component compared to its predecessor. The repertoire of this album spans 22 centuries: from Athenaeus' "Delphic Hymn" to Veljo Tormis' "Estonian Lullaby," supplemented by freely interpreted fragments of folk songs from North and South America as well as Spain. In addition, there are works by Tallis, Dufay, Brumel, Hildegard von Bingen, Jan Garbarek, a Russian psalm, a 16th-century Scottish ballad, and many other pieces. "We played exclusively for each other, without an audience—these are unrepeatable performances that will never sound the same again."[1]
