Interview: Joel Frederiksen fuses the songs of Leonard Cohen with music of the French Renaissance

The vocalist and lute player Joel Frederiksen is internationally recognized for his interpretations of early music, a term that refers to the repertoire of music from the Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque periods.

He’ll be performing in Indiana with the Ensemble Phoenix Munich on July 11 and July 13 as part of the Indianapolis Early Music Festival.

The July 13 date will feature music from Frederiksen’s album "A Day With Suzanne; A Tribute to Leonard Cohen." That album combines Leonard Cohen's songs with music of the French Renaissance.

WFYI’s Kyle Long recently spoke with Joel Frederiksen.

This interview has been edited for style and clarity.

Kyle Long: You've dedicated so much of your life to performing music of the Renaissance period and Baroque music. What about this music spoke to you so deeply at a young age?

Joel Frederiksen: I don't know exactly what it was, but I know that I was drawn to singing, and then sang in choirs and in ensembles. When I was a pretty young guy. I mean, I think at the latest, like about 15 or 16, I was singing in a madrigal ensemble, and I was also playing the guitar, and I was playing some ballads and I started to get into some some early ballads and things like that. I just loved to tell a story. I think that was one thing that really attracted me.

Long: You've taken a very creative approach in interpreting early music. Your concert here in Indianapolis will feature songs from your 2023 album "A day with Suzanne; A Tribute to Leonard Cohen." This album features the songs of Leonard Cohen interpreted through the lens of French chanson, a tradition of French song. Tell me about the connections in this music and what initially sparked the idea in your mind that this is something you wanted to explore.

Frederiksen: It all kind of started with the song “Suzanne,” as it also did with Leonard Cohen. You know, this was one of his first big things. It was on his first album. It was an important song for him. Judy Collins recorded it and it became a very important and emblematic song for him.

So I thought about that song at different times and I decided, very consciously, to try to connect Cohen with something. I wasn't sure how to do it. I wasn't sure with whom I would do it, but I just started working on it and started finding songs that would connect directly or indirectly with early music sources or songs that I knew.

It occurred to me right away, that the five voice motet from Orlando di Lasso, a super important composer in the late Renaissance, is piece, “Susanne Un Jour” just seemed to combine thematically. So I started trying to put them together and and I think I managed to find something interesting, and also, like you said, creative.

My hope is always with this project, that maybe people would hear in this concert, something new with early music, something new with the chanson of Orlando di Lasso and also something new with Leonard’s songs, maybe a line, or a certain phrase, or something that people can hear in a different way, with open ears, you know. that's what I would hope for.

Long: Thank you so much, Joel, for taking a few minutes to tell us about your music today. I really appreciate it.

Frederiksen: Thanks a lot, Kyle, it's great to be here.

This interview originally aired on WFYI's Cultural Manifesto.