Tag: Instrumental music

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La Gracieuse: Pièces de Viole by Marin Marais

Robert Smith gamba, Israel Golani guitar/theorbo, Joshua Cheatham gamba, Olivier Fortin harpsichord
66:13
resonus RES10244

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Virtuoso gambist Robert Smith is joined here by a superb consort in imaginative and supremely musical performances of four of Marais’ suites for viol and continuo. Never one to rush the music he is playing, Smith imbues this wonderfully eloquent repertoire with the time to breathe and the results are truly revelatory. Ever since Gerard Depardieu’s appearance in the film Tous les Matins du Monde brought Marais’ music to a wider audience, it has frequently featured on CD, but not always as well and expressively played as it is here. The continuo ensemble of guitar/theorbo, gamba and harpsichord allows for subtle changes in instrumentation to reflect the mood of the melody. I am less convinced by the employment of a deep drum in some of the more rustic sounding movements – surely Marais would have been using the viol itself to imitate the sounds of a traditional band? I am prepared to overlook this in light of the very imaginative approach taken to Marais’ music, which otherwise sounds utterly convincing to me. The rich resonance of the Lutherse Kerk in Groningen provides a spectacular resonance for Smith’s ringing viol tone and the resonus engineers have done a fine job in capturing the sound so vividly.

D. James Ross

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Of arms and a woman

Cover of the CD Blondel Of arms and a woman

late medieval wind music
Blondel
61:19
First Hand Records FHR69
Music by Bedygham, Binchois, Ciconia, Cordier, Dufay, Landini, Machaut, Morton, Des Prés & Solage

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This CD opens with a wonderfully declamatory account of Dufay’s Se le face ay pale on two soprano shawms, alto shawm, tenor sackbut and tabor, and there are equally stirring performances on the same instruments of other late medieval ‘standards’ such as A cheval, tout homme, a cheval, Lomme armé by Josquin and Robert Morton and the fabulous Files a marier by Gilles Binchois. However, this is a versatile group of players, and the three shawmers are also happy to take to a trio of bagpipes, providing a whole different timbre for engaging accounts of Reveillez vous piccars, Allez a la fougere and two songs by Machaut, Aymi! Dame de valour and Je vivroie liement. I found these Machaut pieces, presented so differently from normal, particularly intriguing. A final permutation is achieved when Belinda Paul, Lizzie Gutteridge and Emily Baines swap their ‘loud winds’ for recorders to give beautiful performances of music by Binchois, Bedyngham, Ciconia, Cordier and ‘Enrique’. As a bonus, the comprehensive programme booklet includes individual commentaries on each piece as well as the original song texts in translation! This is a CD bursting with late-medieval energy and subtlety, and the performers are to be congratulated for their beautifully nuanced performances of a range of well-researched and imaginatively presented music.

D. James Ross

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The Dubhlinn Gardens

Cover of a CD devoted to the Dublin pleasure gardens

Anna Besson, Reinoud van Mechelen, A nocte temporis
69:17
Alpha Classics Alpha 447

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This CD is the pet project of the group’s flautist Anna Besson, whose idiomatic traditional approach to the Baroque flute gives these performances a wonderful authenticity. The music belongs to the vogue for music from the ‘celtic fringes’ of the British Isles, which followed the storming success of The Beggar’s Opera with its use of traditional Scotch and Irish melodies. While many of the instrumental tracks have a suitable twinkle in their eye, the songs are less effective. Belgian tenor Reinoud van Mechelen does his very best, but doesn’t seem to ‘get’ the idiom and struggles with the Irish accent the texts seem to cry out for. Perhaps we would have done better with a singing actor type (as featured in the original performances of The Beggar’s Opera) than van Mechelen’s rather cultivated tone and delivery. This is a pity as much of the selected repertoire is unfamiliar and delightfully lyrical, and the overall idea of the project is an exciting one – the vocal tracks however do tend to labour a little or just to sound a bit worthy. In the slower airs, van Mechelen seems more at home, and his account of “Ah! The poor shepherd’s mournful fate” is lovely, although again the ornaments in the unaccompanied “Eileanóir a rún” sound more like Monteverdi than the subtle inflections of the folk singer.

D. James Ross

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MoZart: Zero to Hero

CD cover of David Behle Mozart Hero to zero

Daniel Behle tenor, L’Orfeo Barockorchester, Michi Gaigg
69:12
Sony Classical 1 90759 64582 6

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This recording of Mozart overtures and tenor arias features the voice of Daniel Behle, the sort of operatic Heldentenor voice I could listen to all day. A selection of much-loved and very familiar arias from Don Giovanni, Zauberflöte and Cosi rub shoulders with the less familiar from Die Entführung, La Clemenza and Idomeneo and the downright unfamiliar “D’ogni colpa la colpa maggiore” from La Betula Liberata. Behle’s mellifluous voice is the ideal guide through these operatic masterpieces, while the Orfeo Baroque Orchestra play with diffidence and stunning precision. I was startled by one or two of the tempo decisions, and remain unconvinced by the rather rushed accounts of “Hier soll ich dich denn sehen” and “Konstanze! Konstanze!” from Die Entführung. My other reservation was the slight lack of definition in the recording of the woodwind contributions – these are referenced in the programme notes, but are not always evident in the recording. Perhaps this is an attempt to recreate the relative balance in an opera-house performance, and certainly the voice is given a pleasingly ‘on-stage’ presence. Notwithstanding these small reservations, this is a very entertaining and rewarding CD. Recommended.

D. James Ross

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Recording

Napoli

Cover of box of CDs called Napoli

At the Crossroads between Popular and Art Music
660:30 (10 CDs in a cardboard box)
Arcana A201

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This bumper box gleaned from the Arcana back-catalogue brings you Neapolitan music from a variety of contexts from the 15th to the late 18th century, although mainly from this later Baroque period. Kicking off with two splendidly dynamic and imaginative CDs of ‘street music’ from through the ages, the consequent programmes occasionally throw in a ‘trad-style’ piece, such as the superb anonymous three-part Stabat Mater on the disc otherwise devoted mainly to Pergolesi. Those who have been following the process of uncovering Naples as the cradle of the classical cello will enjoy the CDs of Neapolitan cello sonatas superbly played by Gaetano Nasillo as well as his CD of Neapolitan cello concertos. Nicola Fiorenza was a name new to me, but a CD of his concertos for violins and recorder have convinced me that he is worthy of more attention, while it is nice to be reacquainted with Alessandro Scarlatti’s striking church music in a magnificent CD featuring his Missa defunctorum, Salve Regina, Magnificat and Miserere. Even more intriguing is a CD of church music by Nicola Porpora, best known as the teacher of the celebrity castrato Farinelli – some surprisingly perky settings for solo voice and strings of the Notturni per i Defunti! This is matched by an equally perky setting of the Notturni for the Mattutino de’ Morti by Davide Perez, another name new to me, who employs the same sort of large-scale orchestrations featured in Neapolitan operas at the end of the 18th century. Finally, and possibly most intriguing of all, a CD of liturgical music by Gennaro and Gaetano Manna and Francesco Feo, all of whom deserve much more attention. I love these huge bumper boxes of treasures, and this one offers consistently high standards of performance and intriguing unexplored material in a wonderful range of styles – all the musical background you need to begin to understand the musical importance of Naples, and just the thing for a month of self-isolation!

D. James Ross

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Recording

Vivaldi: Musica sacra per alto

Delphine Galou A, Accademia Bizantina, directed by Ottavio Dantone
59:47
Naïve OP30569

As the massive Naïve Vivaldi edition starts to reach its later stages – this is volume 59 – it is inevitable that there will be issues that have the feel of tidying-up loose ends. This is one such, a collection of sacred works including two introdutioni, solo motets that lead to a Mass section or Vespers psalm, the Salve Regina, RV 618, a brief antiphon Regina coeli, RV 615 and the Vespers hymn Deus tuorum militum, RV 612. In addition there is the Violin Concerto in D for the Feast of the Assumption, RV 582, composed, like the rest of the programme with the exception of the hymn, for the Pietà. With the exception of the motet Filiae maestae Jerusalem, RV 638, a sombre masterpiece that formed an introduction to the Miserere, none are particularly well known, though all the vocal works were of course included in Robert King’s complete traversal of the sacred music for Hyperion.

It is the two introdutioni, both designed to precede settings of the Miserere (of which there are no extant examples by Vivaldi) sung at Tenebrae in Holy Week, which form the substance of the disc. RV 638 is an especially striking work with a text concerned with the events of the Crucifixion’s ninth hour, with outer accompagnati, one of moving intensity, the other a powerfully dramatic episode depicting ‘shattered rocks’ and the renting of the veil of the Temple, framing a delicate, pain-soaked aria. The performance, as throughout the programme, is outstanding. In the aria Galou, who I continue to think of as an alto, rather than the contralto label Naïve use, sings with fluent ease and evenly produced tonal beauty across the range, displaying real insight and sensitivity for the text, while shaping the cantabile line with the utmost musicality. In the da capo her discreet embellishments are finely turned, while her husband Ottavio Dantone provides admirably well-judged and finely balanced support. In the accompagnati both find the drama inherent in the highly potent text.

Like RV 638, Non in pratis, RV 641 was also written as an introduction to the Misere and also has a text related to the Crucifixion, though the opening plain recitative seems to draw its inspiration from the Song of Songs. Here an accompagnato and extended aria are framed by plain recitatives, the final one being directly addressed to the suffering Christ as a plea for mercy. Again the aria conveys a mood of infinite sorrow, the double string orchestra effectively used to imitate cascades tumbling over each other, perhaps an illustration of the text’s ‘torrent of blood’. In the B section the winding upper strings unsupported by bass convey a sense of being lost in mystery, the playing of Accademia Bizantina absolutely lovely, the singing of Galou profoundly touching. None of the other vocal works match the motets. The hymn is a brief, simple setting for alto and tenor (Alessandro Giangrande) in which Vivaldi set the three odd verses, the even ones of which would have been sung in plainchant. Given that the disc is quite short measure it would have been agreeable to have those to form a contrast.

The finely judged gradual crescendo at the start of the Salve Regina could well be used as a fine example of the care that Dantone brings to all he does, while the long, languid melismas of the opening aria are again beautifully shaped by Galou, whose veiled tone is most effective. Again, ‘Ad te suspiramus’ (iii) turns the focus on the sheer beauty and contrasts of tonal colour of Galou’s singing, while the second and fourth section bring a sense of heightened urgency. The final vocal work, Regina coeli is sung by Giangrande, here ostensibly as an alto, though the awkward break in the voice only emphasises the fact that he is naturally a tenor, rather than a countertenor.

The Violin Concerto in D is a fine work in three movements calling for considerable virtuosity from the soloist, which it here gets from Alessandro Tampieri, whose playing of the florid passage work in the opening Allegro and the capriccio section of the final movement is outstanding. Perhaps more impressive still is the sense of hazy poetic mystery he brings to the central Grave, with its high lying line unsupported by bass and only minimal touches of accompaniment. This is a highly rewarding addition to a unique series, particularly valuable for the two motets.

Brian Robins

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Lucretia Borgia

A blend of history, myth and legend
Capella de Ministrers, Carles Magraner
66:39
CdM1946

Capella de Ministrers (“Minstrels”) is a Spanish ensemble consisting of singers and instrumentalists. It was founded in 1987 by Carles Magraner, the musicologist from Valencia who is still its director. While its focus is on mediaeval Spanish music, on this disc they throw their net wider, towards Italy of the late fifteenth and early sixteenth century. The repertory reflects what one must reluctantly succumb to describe as the life and loves of Lucretia Borgia (1480-1519). She was the daughter of Rodrigo de Borja, subsequently Borgia, a Spaniard who was already a cardinal, and who, in 1492, was elected Pope Alexander VI (1431-1503). Accounts of the lives of both him and his daughter – sordid or spicy according to one’s outlook – are easily accessible, and the contents of this disc, and the accompanying booklet, rightly concentrate upon the musical background to Lucretia’s tumultuous life. Seemingly she was enthusiastic about dancing, and therefore many of the 21 tracks reflect this. Composers represented range from the most famous, such as Josquin, Arcadelt and Isaac, and the significant, such as Tromboncino, Festa and Agricola, to the shadowy Niccolo (composer of Senza te alta regina, the most haunting item on this disc, well chosen to conclude it; an identification of the composer is put forward in the booklet) and the ubiquitous “Anonimo”. The ensemble consists of four singers, of whom the soprano Elia Casanova takes the majority of the solo work; her animated mien in the booklet’s photographs is reflected in her fine performances, with a voice and delivery which are a joy throughout the programme. The five instrumentalists play percussion, harp, flutes, vihuelas and Renaissance guitar. As a vocal ensemble, the singers create a grainy but well-blended sound. The instrumentalists improvise some of their material, and while this might not be to the taste or preference of every listener, their performances are stylish and musicianly, whether accompanying one or more singers, or playing purely instrumental pieces. A few tracks wander into the realm of the mediaeval equivalent of lift music, but the performances, some pensive, others energetic, are never less than engaging and committed. To adapt a modern expression, and not in any derogatory sense, people who like this sort of thing will like this sort of thing.

Richard Turbet

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Recording

H. Praetorius: Motets in 8, 10, 12, 16 & 20 parts

ALAMIRE, His Majestys Sagbutts & Cornetts, Stephen Farr organ, David Skinner
100:25 (2 CDs in a single case)
Inventa Records (Resonus Limited) INV001

The music on this disc unfolded exactly as I had anticipated it would: mainly homophonic, predominantly Gabrielian, with some cute quirks of harmony. For this reviewer, one of the few miscalculations that Stile Antico have made in the course of their recordings is on A Wondrous Mystery: Renaissance Choral Music for Christmas (Harmonia Mundi HMU 807575) where they intersperse the movements of Jacob Clement’s Missa Pastores quidnam vidistis with later German music: the teutonic matter of the latter is entirely the wrong flavour to mingle courses with the refined and piquant Franco-Flemish helpings of Clement (note: please can we dispense with the cumbersome and no longer hilarious moniker Jacobus Clemens non Papa?). The current recording provides a banquet of such Teutonic matter with 16 pieces, including ten motets for from eight to 20 parts, by the Hamburg composer Hieronymus Praetorius (1560-1629), many of them seasoned with historic brass. For variety, there is his complete Missa summum for (mainly) organ with chanted plainsong, two sequentiae similarly for organ and voices, and a couple of motets played by brass alone. For all their differing vocal resources, the motets began to sound much of a muchness, and in fairness to David Skinner, he shuffles the pack to some extent, with usually no more than two similar works adjacent. Nevertheless, not everyone who relishes barnstorming motets full of voices and brass might be enthusiastic about the interspersed movements of the Missa summum with its long passages played on the historic organ at Roskilde. This is performed sensitively by Stephen Farr, but even he cannot make a case for Praetorius’s uninteresting writing for the organ here in the Mass and in the sequentiae. I take respectful issue with David Skinner’s description of this Praetorius (no relation of his contemporary Michael) as a master polyphonist. This reviewer was left desperate for some counterpoint amidst the onslaught of homophony, apart from some passages in the two motets a8 entrusted to the historic brass. One of Praetorius’s motets – perhaps the opening Dixit Dominus a12 – would stand up well on a disc of music varied by genre, period or locality. Together they become monotonous, and the music chosen to provide some variety within this disc is itself undistinguished. The performances are of course excellent, although perhaps inevitably, given the material, there is a residual impression of some shoutiness in the wake of the polychoral motets. Exultate iusti a16 brings the proceedings to a sonorous conclusion, but perhaps the finest work on this pair of discs is the dramatic Levavi oculos meas a10. It has a structural momentum not apparent in the other motets, which feel more sectional, and this momentum builds to an electrifying climax, with harmonic sparks flying.

Richard Turbet

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San Marco di Venezia – The Golden Age

Floral design

Les Traversées Baroques, Etienne Meyer
72:28
Accent ACC 24345
Music by G. B. Bassani, A. & G. Gabrieli, C. Merulo

[dropcap]H[/dropcap]aving had the considerable honour and pleasure  of rehearsing the music of Giovanni Gabrieli for days at a stretch, surrounded by the Tintorettos of San Rocco, the common sensibilities of these two contemporary artists become clear. This disc captures these parallels very well. Many of his pieces, and particularly the ones chosen to open this programme, start with low voices laying down the dark ground, the tenebrae, over which, layer by layer, voices of increasingly high tessitura build the mannerist drama of the brighter figures. Much of the energy of paintings at this time is communicated by the brush strokes, sometimes eliding apparently separate objects for the sake of pictorial rhythm, sometimes separating objects to clarify detail, where the story calls for it. There were points in the music where I felt that this aspect could have been emphasised, recognising Gabrieli’s absolutely mannerist use of the tensions between melodic and harmonic rhythm to create drama-in-the-moment. The wind playing is artfully crafted and the voices beautifully integrated. Occasionally the colouration used by the top soprano causes her to step apart from the ensemble, reducing rather than enhancing the dramatic tension. This feature was however turned to advantage in the Bassano divisions on Palestrina’s Veni delicte mi, where the mobility of the voice in the long notes becomes more of a piece with the divided notes, avoiding the awkward transitions between (too) static and (too) frenetic passages, which undermines many performances of this genre. This performance was a revelation, integrated in this way. Vocal and instrumental pieces are interspersed by organ solos. These had weight and momentum, played on a strong toned organ with needling quints, and the rhythm of the passagework carried very well over the chord changes. It was a nice touch to finish the disc with three large scale pieces by Bassano, the best player-composer in Gabrieli’s band at St Mark’s. So often eclipsed in modern times by his organ-playing friend, Bassano deserves a wider airing. His famous treatise has given us a window on their performance practices. Listen to this disc to hear them at their best.

Stephen Cassidy

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Stephen Cassidy