Taize - Laudamus Te [CD]

For the Taizé Community, prayer together, three times a day, is a vital way to return to the wellsprings, to renew hope, and to get ready to take on practical commitments. This album, like the other recordings made in Taizé, shows how this prayer is renewed while yet remaining constant throughout the years. Many of the songs presented here are new: they were written by brothers of Taizé between 2012 and 2017 and are recorded here for the first time. Others have been part of the community's prayer for many years. A few come from a much older tradition: for example, the hymn O vous qui dans l'obscurité (You who in darkness) comes from the German evangelical churches of the 17th century; the litany O Sagesse (O Wisdom), which calls for the coming of Christ, is based on antiphons of the age-old tradition of the Latin Church. These last two pieces are sung at Taizé especially during the season of Advent. Most of these songs focus on an essential reality that can be internalized more and more deeply, as the words are tirelessly repeated. The simplicity of these repetitive forms makes them easy to sing in many situations; but they can nevertheless achieve great breadth and depth, especially when the voices of a large assembly are united with solo singers and instruments.