Category: Recording

[Julia] Lezhneva soprano, [Franco] Fagioli countertenor, [Diego] Fasolis, I Barocchisti, Coro della Radiotelevisione svizzera
59:16
Decca 00289 483 3874
+Nisi Dominus, Nulla in mundo

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]here is much to enjoy here; the choral singing is excellent, the instrumental playing first rate, and – be you a fan of the two super-star singers or not – amazing singing. There is a problem, though; ‘Two soloists in Vivaldi’s Gloria?’ I hear you ask… Well yes – why hire a second soprano for the duets if you have the “distinctive and almost feminine sound” of Franco Fagioli in the room? It seems to me a cruel irony that these words were chosen from the reams of critical acclaim the man has had to tag on the back of a CD of music that was written for a woman. In these days of rows over non-Latino singers taking the lead role in West Side Story  and cultural misappropriation when an American high school girl wears a Chinese dress to her prom, countertenors need to watch their step. His performance of Nisi Dominus is very convincing though, even if his box of tricks does not include a convincing trill. Julia Lezhneva’s contributions are almost flawless as usual, even taking time to subtly colour repeats of phrases (without OTT ornamentation or ostentation!) and the final Alleluia of her motet is the perfect close to a fine CD, even if there was plenty room for another contribution from the choir.

Brian Clark

Athesinus Consort Berlin, Klaus-Martin Bresgott
74:24
Carus 83.488
[+Schwemmer]

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]here are eleven fabulous two-choir motets by Scheidt on this CD, which were published in 1620; seven are scored for equal SATB groupings, the remainder in what I think of as the Venetian standard, SSAT in one choir and ATBB in the other (the seventh voice in C4 clef but lower than the other two tenors). What I must confess to not expecting was the extraordinary quality of Scheidt’s music – if I’m honest, he’s always been overshadowed by Schütz (as I suspect he has for many people), and while I’m beating myself up in public, I have to admit to not being a great fan of his either… The handling of the four voices of each grouping, and the juxtaposition or combination of both is expertly done, with echoes and building dynamics (by stacking up the number of voices, not marking the pages with a pencil!) In this respect, too, the Athensius Consort Berlin is exemplary – no nonsense, just honest, clean singing, serving the music not making it fit anyone’s vision for it. If the composer’s own choirs were anything like as disciplined (and full of such easily balanced voices!), his sumptuous music must have resounded around the chapel in Halle. These are all premiere recordings, and there are another 15 such works in German and 12 in latin still to come. The music is also available from Carus Verlag in typically beautiful and practical editions. The other music on the CD (specially composed for the choir by Berlin composer, Frank Schwemmer) is beyond the scope of my review. Let’s just say that – although I didn’t dislike it to the extent of being forced to reach for the remote control – the following Scheidt came as a balm to my soul.

Brian Clark