Secular Songs and Dances from the Middle Ages: Carmina Burana; Music of the Crusades; Dances from England, France & Italy

• This set is a combination of 3 colourful productions of Medieval music. All performed by the Italian ensemble Modo Antiquo, led by Bettina Hoffmann and specializing in early music. These musicians recently played the world premiere of Vivaldi's opera Montezuma. They play on instruments with fantastic names like olifante, citola, tromba marina and hurdy-gurdy. Next to "ordinary" ones like recorders, lute, harp and harpsichord.

• To begin with there are the Carmina Burana: the "real thing" this time: 2 CD's. Of course Carl Orff based his namesake work on some of these songs.

• Then there is a CD with French and English Medieval instrumental dances mainly from manuscripts kept in the British Library and the Bibliothèque National. To complete the set music for the Crusades is included. Much of it written by anonymous composers, some by people with fanciful names like Thibaut de Champagne and Le Chastelain de Couci.

• A set of early music offering the listener an "authentic sound" of a broad selection of instruments in a wide variety of repertoire