ProgJazz (CL)

LLIBRE VERMELL revisitat - album
Sandrine Rohrmoser : Vocals, percussions
Thierry Zaboitzeff : All instruments
by Claudio 08/07/2025

Thierry Zaboitzeff and ‘Llibre Vermell Revisitat’: An invitation to the Middle Ages

In April 2004, the talented French avant-garde figure Thierry Zaboitzeff, best known for being a key member of Art Zoyd, whom we interviewed here, and singer Sandrine Rohrmoser gave a special performance at the Schauspielhaus in Salzburg, interpreting a series of medieval pieces known as the Llibre Vermell de Montserrat. This is a famous 14th-century manuscript, rescued from a fire at the Montserrat monastery in Spain in 1811.

Now, more than six centuries later, Zaboitzeff revisits this sacred songbook with a modern and experimental perspective, bridging the temporal gap between the Middle Ages and the present.

We will have to pause for a moment to explain what the Llibre Vermell is all about.

The Llibre Vermell de Montserrat, or in English, The Red Book of Montserrat, is one of the most important musical treasures of the Iberian Middle Ages. Compiled around 1399 by monks from the Catalan monastery of Montserrat, the codex brings together songs and dances intended to piously entertain the numerous pilgrims who came to venerate the Black Madonna of Montserrat. Its nickname, “Red Book”, comes from the red velvet binding that was added in the 19th century.
Ten songs from its pages have survived to this day; anonymous pieces of a religious nature that combine elements of hymns and popular songs, some monodic and others polyphonic, and even canons or rounds to be sung in a circle. They are compositions with simple melodies and dance rhythms, designed to keep the fervour alive during the long nights of vigil. As an example, pieces such as Stella Splendens, Los Set Goxts and Ad Mortem Festinamus invite both devotion and movement.

It is not surprising that this repertoire has enjoyed a second life in the modern era, being performed by renowned early music ensembles (such as Jordi Savall with Hespèrion XX in 1978) and becoming one of the most recorded and studied medieval songbooks.

In April 2025, Zaboitzeff decided to rescue the recordings of that 2004 concert, remastering them with the new technology available. The result was released a few weeks before writing these lines as ‘Llibre Vermell revisitat’, a work that reinterprets these ancient melodies with the creative freedom characteristic of avant-garde music.

Zaboitzeff appropriates this medieval material and fuses it with his own sound universe, where ethnic ritual music, electronic music and contemporary experimentation converge. The monastery chants are imbued with new timbres and unexpected atmospheres, where, far from a purist historicist interpretation, Zaboitzeff expands the horizon of the Llibre Vermell without betraying its essence, maintaining the original lyrics in their three medieval languages and preserving the dual spirit of these pieces, sacred yet danceable, which still fascinate historians today. Instrumentally, the album is practically a grand solo by Zaboitzeff accompanied by Rohrmoser's voice. Thierry deploys his entire arsenal: he plays the cello, electric bass, guitars, keyboards, samplers and percussion, building layers that range from the intimate to the epic.

On that basis, his voice provides a dramatic contrast: in some passages he recites with a deep spoken chant, almost a guttural growl that would not be out of place on any Death Metal album, and in others he adds positively dark melodic lines. At his side, Sandrine Rohrmoser, a mezzo-soprano, shines both in her interpretation of liturgical chants and in her incorporation of vocal eccentricities. She contributes improvised, humorous, even bizarre twists that at times break the solemnity to remind us of the festive nature of these medieval dances.


Her expressive range is remarkable: she can evoke the purity of Gregorian or Renaissance chant, then shift to registers of romantic intensity or pure vocal experimentation, as each piece requires.

This dual vocal dynamic – the grave and earthy Zaboitzeff versus the flexibility and height of Rohrmoser – gives the work a fascinating theatricality, as if we were watching a small drama company recreating an ancient ritual with contemporary eyes. A journey to 15th-century churches Llibre Vermell revisitat retains the fundamental structure of the original compositions; their ancient modal melodies would be instantly recognisable to any fan of medieval history, but they are surrounded by a purely avant-garde sound palette.

In pieces such as ‘O Virgo Splendens’ or ‘Mariam Matrem,’ the rhythmic base may come from tribal-style percussion or minimalist electronic loops, while the cello traces dark drones reminiscent of both sacred music and experimental rock. The monodic choirs are enriched with bold harmonisations or ambient effects, as if it were pseudo-cinematic chamber music.

Another highlight of the album is ‘Ad Mortem Festinamus’, whose meaning ‘We hasten towards death’ takes on new life in this version. Here, the duo achieves a fusion of medieval folklore, progressive rock and pagan ritual that is as strange as it is striking, with results that are extremely interesting to the ear.
The rhythmic introduction invites a frenetic dance, but the dissonant harmony and unusual vocal twists take the piece into uncharted territory, emphasising both the morbidity and the vital energy that coexist in the text. It is as if in this interpretation the Middle Ages meet modernity without losing their mystery.

When listening to this work, it is inevitable for this editor to make comparisons and references. The mixture of elements is reminiscent of the aesthetics of Art Zoyd, especially in the incorporation of sounds from contemporary classical music. Those who enjoy the dark and experimental atmospheres of Art Zoyd will feel at home with this ‘Llibre Vermell’.

On the other hand, the playful and performative touch of some passages may evoke avant-prog projects such as Art Bears by Fred Frith, Chris Cutler and Dagmar Krause, although here the tone is perhaps more relaxed than in those ultra-serious proposals.

A review worth visiting
We could place this work in line with certain explorations of early music fused with the misnamed world music, at times reminiscent of groups such as Dead Can Dance in their medieval facet, or even initiatives by ensembles such as Sarband that reinterpret ancient songs with contemporary arrangements. All this without forgetting the long influence of Art Zoyd.

Nevertheless, Zaboitzeff manages to give ‘Llibre Vermell revisitat’ a personality of its own. It is neither a concert of ancient music as if performed by cosplayers, nor simply an avant-garde album or a kind of medieval proggy; but a true crossroads between eras and styles without a label of its own.

When you close your eyes, as those ancient Latin verses play over electronic bases and distorted cellos, you can almost imagine the pilgrims of Montserrat dancing under the stars, surprised and ecstatic, just like us, by the boldness of this type of music.

Music only for those who like to dive into truly unknown waters.

If you enjoyed the album, we suggest you purchase it through Bandcamp (it only costs £10), as it is fairer to the artists' earnings than typical streaming platforms, or alternatively, get a physical copy from your trusted record store.

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