Works for voice and string quartet performed by Trio Mediaeval and the Orion String Quartet.Berkeley Castle, Select Roll 55, England, 14th century: Alma mater/Ante thorum; Benedicta es celorum regina; De spineto nata rosaBeethoven: Quartet in B-flat Major, Op. 130On this episode, we look back and forward, as we consider the historical context for two very different works. We begin with three works of 14th-century English polyphony. Soprano Anna Maria Friman writes: “It is impossible to know what this music would have sounded like in the middle ages...The members of Trio Mediaeval feel that performing medieval music today gives us the freedom to let our imagination and ideas flow, as though we are creating contemporary music.” The idea of finding contemporary inspiration in earlier music is certainly not new. Beethoven’s final works reflect this duality, drawing inspiration from the old in order to create something assuredly new. We conclude the podcast with one of his grandest, and last, works--the 13th String Quartet in B-flat Major.