The Seven Psalms of David

been published in France. His very
rich palette of sound plays out in a
series of fast and slow dances.
They’re demanding works that
require both exacting technique
and something of a free-spirited
approach.
Canadian ensemble Les Voix
humaines, joined by guest gambist
Wieland Kuijken, bring their usual
elegant and
sensitive
playing to
this quintessentially
French
music—
music that
could easily sound fussy in less skillful hands. The thoughtfulness of
their approach is especially apparent
in their phrasing choices, and the
ornamentation, which Marais
marked quite precisely in his scores,
is always expressive rather than
showy. This is perhaps the premiere
ensemble currently recording this
music, and one listen will tell you
why.
Sandwiched between these two
seldom-recorded suites is Marais’s
more famous “Tombeau pour Monsieur de Lully,” a tribute to his composition teacher Jean-Baptiste Lully
(1632-1687). Originally scored for a
single viola da gamba and continuo,
the additional viols make the piece
sound even sadder. They play slowly
(the track is almost nine minutes
long, compared to the typical six or
seven), with a soulful but restrained
touch that brings more power to
what is already an affecting piece
of music.
—Beth Adelman
Piano Sextet in D Major (Op. 110,
1824; published posthumously in
1868). Both are signature demonstrations of Mendelssohn’s Classical
heritage and his Romantic explorations. The trio, of course, features
the requisite piano, violin, and cello;
unique in the sextet, however, is the
addition of two violas and a double
bass to the trio’s structure; this gives
the work a rich foundation of lower
strings.
These works are paired on a
superb recording by the Atlantis Trio
& Ensemble. Advertised as historically informed, these performances are
just that. The musicians, most on
period instruments, ably navigate
Mendelssohn’s scores. Most notable
is Penelope Crawford, leading on a
Graf fortepiano built in 1835. Crawford’s interpretation is powerful,
and she brings out the best in this
incredible instrument.
There are also stellar performances by violinist Jaap Schröder, violists Peter
Bucknell
and Daniel
Foster, cellist
Enid Sutherland, and
bassist Anne
Trout. As an
ensemble, they bring effervescence,
energy, and sensitivity to both
works; the final allegros of each,
however, are tours de force. Those
unfamiliar with Mendelssohn’s
trio and sextet will enjoy learning
them through this recording, and
those who know them already will
certainly come away with a fresh
perspective.
—Denise Gallo
Felix Mendelssohn
Claudio Merulo
Piano Trio in D Minor, Op. 49;
Piano Sextet in D Major,
Op. 110
Opera Omnia Per Organo,
Volume 2
Listen to ABS FREE on
INCLUDING:
Bach MASS IN B MINOR
Bach FAVORITE CANTATAS
JEFFREY THOMAS
music director
○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
Recent releases
available online at
americanbach.org
Handel
MESSIAH
“Don’t even think
about it...just go
buy it.”
Stereophile.com
Corelli
CONCERTI
GROSSI,
OP. 6
WORLD PREMIERE
recording of the
transcriptions for
recorders!
The finest music.
The finest
interpretation.
The Seven Psalms of David
Antonia Padoani Bembo
World-premiere recordings
The Atlantis Trio & Ensemble
(Penelope Crawford, fortepiano;
Jaap Schröder, violin; Enid
Sutherland, cello) with Peter
Bucknell, Daniel Foster, viola;
Anne Trout, double bass
Musica Omnia 0205
61:05 minutes
When one considers the chamber works of Felix Mendelssohn
(1809-1847), his Octet (Op. 20)
generally springs to mind. His chamber repertory, however, includes
nearly 50 other compositions, several featuring the piano as their chief
voice. Among these are one of the
composer’s most successful works,
the Piano Trio in D minor (Op. 49,
1839) and an amazingly innovative
Stefano Molardi, organ
Divox Antiqua CDX 70311/12
146:18 minutes (2CDs)
Born in Correggio in Italy’s Emilia
region, Claudio Merulo (1533-1604)
worked in a number of Italian cities,
including Brescia and Venice. It was
in Venice that Merulo held one of
his most significant posts, a 1577
appointment at San Marco as assistant organist to Annibale Padovano.
In addition to playing and composing, Merulo was also interested in
organ building and is credited with
making additions to the organ at
San Marco. Merulo’s works encompass the entire range of keyboard
music that flourished in the 16th
century, notably toccate, ricercari,
and canzoni.

Vol. I
Goldberg Magazine Best CD of the Year 2005
Cristi Catt, Margaret Hunter
Daniela Tosic, Aaron Sheehan
Mark Andrew Cleveland
Voices
Laura Gulley
Susanna Cortesio
Jennifer Schiller
Violins
Na’ama Lion
Claire Fontijn
Baroque Flutes
Ruth McKay, Organ
Noriko Yasuda,Harpsichord
Laury Gutierrez
Viola da gamba, Director
The Seven Psalms of David, Vol. I
“…a most interesting disc of a neglected
figure…the strong advocacy of
La Donna Musicale is impressive.”
- David Trendell, Early Music, UK
“This is a self-produced recording on
which exacting scholarship is backed up
by high-quality performances and
production values.”
- Craig Zeichner, Early Music America
“ This CD marks a timely rediscovery that is
well worth listening to.”
- Esteban Zamora, Goldberg Magazine
Vol. II
Antonia Padoani Bembo (c. 1640-c. 1720)
“This album presents a fascinating musical
universe.” - Yutha Tep, Goldberg Magazine
“This recording is a must for listeners eager
to learn new repertoire done by a masterful
ensemble.”
- Denise Gallo, Early Music America
“Wonderful performance of wonderful music.”
- Marvin Rosen, Classical Discoveries
Available at www.ladm.org
[email protected] • 617-461-6973
Early Music America Spring 2007
19
RECORDINGreviews
Thom Freas, Artistic Director & Clarino
The Intimate Sonate
New England’s Premier Early Music Consort’s
newest CD presents modern-day premieres of
manuscripts by composers who have been
eclipsed by the great masters of music.
Always performed on historically accurate
instruments so that you hear the music as the
composers did in their day.
"The Fanfare Consort’s excellent new disc should
appeal to anyone with a taste for a mellow, lyrical,
refined approach to this distinctive repertoire."
~ James Reel, Fanfare Magazine, Sept/Oct 2006,
Available at www . FanfareConsort . com
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20
Spring 2007 Early Music America
This recording (the second volume in a series of Merulo’s complete
organ works), performed by organist
Stefano Molardi, features music
played on two 16th-century Italian
organs. These are colorful instruments, and Molardi is a fluid,
thoughtful
player who
gets the
most out of
them. Merulo’s toccate
are big
affairs with
lots of imitative writing, and Molardi
plays with grand nobility. This is
especially true of the 1604 “Toccata
nona,” which sings splendidly on
the 1533 Vincenzo Colombi organ,
one of the last surviving instruments
of the Venetian organ-building
school of the Renaissance. For contrast, we have the deliciously sweettoned 1588 Antegnati organ (the
flute stops are like honey), which is
ideal for some of the delightful canzoni heard on the second disc, such
as the gentle “La Jolette.”
This is as perfect a disc of this
repertoire as you will find. The liner
notes are detailed and well written,
the sound quality is lifelike, and
Molardi’s playing is impeccable.
—Craig Zeichner
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Symphonies No. 40 & 41
Tafelmusik Orchestra, Bruno Weil,
conductor, Jeanne Lamon, violin,
music director
Analekta AN2 9834
70:10 minutes
Now that 2006 has passed, and
with it the Mozart 250th anniversary
year (remember when only centennial years warranted anniversary celebrations?), we can sample individual
Mozart recordings on their own
terms, with nary a marketing hook
in sight. Hopefully, this excellent
recording of the composer’s last two
symphonies wasn’t lost in the
anniversary year shuffle because it
stands above much of what was
released during the Mozart blitz.
In 2005, the Tafelmusik Orchestra released a recording of two
Beethoven symphonies (Nos. 5 and
6), and I was wowed by the precision of their playing along with the
energy and passion that enlivened
every note of those warhorses. The
same can be said for these Mozart
performances. While lesser musicians inflict eccentric mannerisms on
their performances of the Mozart
symphonies, Bruno Weil and Tafelmusik let everything unfold naturally. The opening Molto allegro of the
K. 550 symphony drives hard with a
fiery urgency but is never forced or
hurried. The same is true of the final
Allegro assai, which builds to quite a
frenzy but never lacks clarity—just
listen to the detailed wind and brass
interplay.
The Jupiter performance also has
much to admire. I like the whiff of
the theater in the opening Allegro
vivace, which almost sounds like the
overture to a
lost Mozart
opera. And
if the second
movement
Andante
cantabile
needs to
sing more, the delightfully boisterous Menuetto and glorious festive
closing Molto allegro make up for it.
—Craig Zeichner
Antonio Sacchini
Oedipe à Colone
François Loup, bass-baritone;
Nathalie Paulin, Kirsten Blaise,
soprano; Robert Getchell, Tony
Boutté, tenor; Opera Lafayette
Orchestra and Chorus,
Ryan Brown, director
Naxos 8.660196-97
112:07 minutes (2 CDs)
Fortune smiled on Antonio Sacchini (1730-1786) when he fled
London in 1781. Faced with
Early Music America magazine
welcomes news of recent
recordings. Please send CDs
to be considered for review
and pertinent information to
Craig M. Zeichner, Reviews
Editor, 69 Poplar Street, Apt.
2C, Brooklyn, NY 11201;
[email protected].
Early Music America cannot
guarantee the inclusion of every
CD sent for review. All published
reviews reflect the personal
opinions of the reviewer only.
ARSIS
®
ROBERT CLARK
plays music by
JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH
Concerto in A minor
after Vivaldi, BWV593
on the
BROMBAUGH ORGAN, Op. 35
Trio Sonatas in F minor &
D minor, BWV528, 527
at
First Presbyterian Church
Springfield, Illinois
“...Clark sits at the console of a
new (2004), rich instrument...
The SACD multichannel recording presents it in such a
natural acoustic that I kept forgetting to pay attention to the
audio quality and simply applied myself to the music, and
there’s no higher praise than
that.” —James Reel, Fanfare
Six “Schübler Chorales”
Toccata, Adagio & Fugue
in C, BWV564
Toccata & Fugue in F,
BWV540
A TWO-DISC SET
SACD Hybrid plays
on all SACD and
CD players
$34.00
Passacaglia in C minor,
BWV582
Pastorella in F, BWV590
Five Chorales from the
“Great Eighteen”
Pièce d’Orgue, BWV572
ARSIS AUDIO • 138 IPSWICH STREET • BOSTON, MA 02215-3534
ARSIS
®
ph 617.236.1935 • fax 617.236.0261 • WWW.ARSISAUDIO.COM
available at all classical record shops, on and offline • distributed by Albany Music Distributors
SonDor_EarMusAme_Sept06.indd 1
9/29/06 10:06:49 AM
Early Music America Spring 2007
21
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In memoriam
Daniel Pinkham
June 5, 1923
December 18, 2006
Musician, composer, scholar, teacher, friend.
138 Ipswich Street, Boston, MA 02215 • ph 617.236.1935 • fax 617.236.0261 • www.ecspub.com • offi[email protected]
RECORDINGreviews
Inferno, Cantate drammatiche
Templum Musicae;
Francesco Di Lernia, organ,
Vincenzo Di Donato, director
Carus 83.191
58:05 minutes
This recording of music by the
little-known composer Salvatore
Sacco (1572-c.1622) offers a
glimpse into the state of Italian
polyphony between the 16th and
17th centuries. What we know of
Sacco is scant, and there is only one
printed collection of his works, a
Elisabeth Scholl, soprano; Modo
Antiquo, Federico Maria Sardelli,
director
CPO 777 141-2
65:02 minutes
The almost inexhaustible body of
cantatas (he wrote more than 600)
by Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725)
always yields treasures. Soprano Elisabeth Scholl, accompanied by the
Italian ensemble Modo Antiquo,
serves up four cantatas that display
Continued on page 64
SAINTE-COLOMBE
complete works for two viols
First-ever complete recording — final volume now available.
ACD2 2276
Alessandro Scarlatti
Missa 1607
The International Label from Canada
ACD2 2277
Salvatore Sacco
ATMAclassique
ACD2 2278
1607 set of sacred pieces scored for
SATB double choir that was published in Rome.
When we consider that the collection (published when Sacco was
maestro di cappella at the cathedral
San Giacomo in Viterbo) contains
pieces by
maestri of
the second
generation
of the
Roman
school—all
composers
who were students of Palestrina—
it’s not out of the question to
assume Sacco was also Palestrina’s
student. There are Palestrinian elements in Sacco’s work, but there is
also enough quality music to make a
strong case for Sacco on his own
terms.
What we have here is a reconstruction of a liturgy for a Marian
feast, and the music is top flight.
The opening Dialogus B.M.V. for
double choir and basso continuo is
marked by a solemn beauty that features polyphonic writing and sweet
melody. The other works—a superb
Litany to the B.M.V., a solid Mass
setting, and some marvelous
motets—show a composer whose
work is rich with polychoral splendor
and also with absolute intelligibility
of text.
The singers and instrumentalists
(harp, theorbo, gamba, violone, and
organ) of Templum Musicae blend
beautifully, and every word of text is
lovingly clear. Chant and organ
works by Paolo Quagliati (c.15551628), played on a delicious-sounding reconstruction of a Bernardino
Vincento organ, round out this gem
of a recording.
—Craig Zeichner
ACD2 2275
debtors’ prison, he hurried to Paris,
where his operas were already
known and admired. Within a few
months of his arrival, he was a
favorite of Marie Antoinette, who
instructed the administration at the
Opéra to meet his fee of 10,000
francs for three operas. The Queen
intervened once more when she
promised that the composer’s opera
Oedipe à Colone would open the
royal season at Fontainebleau, but,
in the face of accusations of
favoritism, she substituted a work by
Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne. Premiered
posthumously in 1787, Oedipe was
hailed as Sacchini’s masterpiece.
Opera Lafayette’s is not the premiere recording of Oedipe, but the
group’s performance is certainly
worthy of note. The singers are all
up to their tasks. François Loup creates a powerful Oedipe, especially in
the scenes
with Antigone (Nathalie Paulin) in Act II
when he
recalls his
act of patricide. Paulin, as the loving daughter
who lives only to serve her father,
pairs well with Loup. The other
soloists, tenors Robert Getchell and
Tony Boutté and soprano Kirsten
Blaise, ably sing their roles. All join
exceedingly well in ensemble sections. Special note must go to the
Opera Lafayette Orchestra and Chorus, under the baton of Ryan Brown.
This recording is a wonderful
introduction to a masterpiece that
straddles the worlds of Piccini and
Gluck and demonstrates how its
composer merged Italian melody
with French operatic tradition.
—Denise Gallo
GREAT ARTISTS
GREAT MUSIC
GREAT SOUND
Available at fine record stores, or from
w w w. a t m a c l a s s i q u e . c o m
Early Music America Spring 2007
23
4UVEZ&BSMZ profile
Dialogos & Glagolitic Chant
.VTJD
Katarina Livljanic’
brings a new old
sound to America
BU
to La
W
Vision de Tondal (Arcana
A329), its haunting dissoHEN YOU LISTEN
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24
Spring 2007 Early Music America
nances and difficult changes
in rhythm sound like very new
La Vision de Tondal
music that is based on some- PHOTO: PATRICIO ESTÉVEZ
thing very old – as if it might have been the first time many audiences heard
Glagolitic chant. “There is something
written by John Tavener or Arvo Pärt.
very earthy and physical about Glagolitic
But in fact it is very old music that is
chant,” says Livljanić. “Since the sound
based on something even older. The
image we have of the other
program was reconmain liturgical chant of the
structed by Katarina
Medieval Western church –
Livljanić, Croatian-born
Gregorian chant – rarely
director of the vocal
addresses the issue of physensemble Dialogos, and
ical pleasure in singing, I
it incorporates Glagolitic
am very happy to share the
chant from Medieval
experience of Glagolitic
Dalmatia. “The modern
chant, which is based on a
sound is one of the
very strong sensation of
things that’s so surprispolyphony and pleasure in
ing about it,” says Livlsinging.”
janić. “But when I per“I always compare
Glagolitic itself is an
form La Vision de Tondal
this kind of work
alphabet developed, most
in Croatia, it makes
with restoring
likely, by the same St. Cyril
perfect sense to people.”
who developed the Cyrillic
The Vision of Tondal,
old frescoes.”
’
alphabet.
It was used to
first written in Ireland in
– Katarina Livljanic
write
down
liturgical and
1149, is the story of a
PHOTO: BEN BAGBY
theological documents in
man, guided by the voice of an
Croatian, and it continues to be used to
unknown angel, whose soul leaves his
body and visits hell. Tondal loses his way write Church Slavonic. (You can see a
beautiful example from about 1100 at
and undergoes several torments before
his enlightened soul returns to his body www.croatianhistory.net/etf/basska.html,
where you will also hear it read.) There is
and he is spiritually transformed. The
story became enormously popular in the no Glagolitic language, but there is a
Glagolitic Rite. It is still used in churches
Middle Ages and was preserved in the
on some islands and in some towns and
Glagolitic script in a women’s Benedicvillages of the Dalmatian coast, and it
tine monastery in the Dalmatian town
has always co-existed with the Latin rite
of Trogir. Livljanić’s reconstruction
used by the Catholic Church.
alternates sections of narrative with
As for Glagolitic chant, it’s not easy
Glagolitic and Gregorian chants. Taken
to define. “I would say that it is a whole
out of their liturgical context, these
group of different traditions used for
chants become commentaries on the
singing the mass of the Glagolitic rite,”
drama.
says Livljanić. “Since it is mostly orally
Dialogos’s six North American pertransmitted, the localities where it is still
formances in February may have been
sung today show an incredible difference
in styles.”
Livljanić spent a lot of time listening
to and learning from church singers, particularly on the island of Hvar, to reconstruct the sound she wanted for Tondal.
But, ultimately, as with all reconstructions, it is only an approximation. “I
always compare this kind of work with
restoring old frescoes,” she says. “When
you have a part of it on a wall, it gives
you the colors, the motif, and the theme,
but then you have to add something.
And who knows if you will add what is
really missing, or if you will add what is
missing only in your eyes. That’s why I
am always so scared to talk about
authenticity.”
For her reconstruction, Livljanić
combined pieces of traditional melodies
with important clues from the language
itself. “I worked with a philologist who
read the whole text for me using the
accent of early 16th-century Croatian,
and it helped me so much,” she says. “I
can remember the day when I received
the tape with his reading – everything
changed for me. Some words will simply
dictate how you will sing some melody –
for example, why certain notes would be
longer. The text just needs it in order to
be correctly pronounced.
“And there was another lesson for
me, which actually makes me so cautious
now when I sing in any other language.
After having the privilege of singing in
my mother tongue, sometimes when I
start singing in another language, I think
maybe I am doing a verbal massacre. I
remember how many times [in learning
Tondal] that my colleagues who were not
Croatian had to work on some small
detail until the moment when I said,
‘Fine, this now sounds convincing.’ It’s a
huge amount of work, and I’m thinking,
‘God, I should never sing in any other
language!’”
Dialogos’s performances in North
America were made possible, in part,
because Livljanić and her husband, Benjamin Bagby, were awarded the Cornille
Visiting Professorship at Wellesley
College in Massachusetts from January
through May and are jointly teaching
a course that addresses the issues of
performing Medieval music.
—Beth Adelman

Early Music America Spring 2007
25
Johann Sebastian Bach
The Mass in B Minor
in a prestigious facsimile edition
The facsimile, which has been lovingly
reproduced and lavishly published, documents
and records the present condition of the
complete autograph score. Older reproductions
have substituted a few individual folios where
the content has become difficult to read in
recent years. The renowned Bach scholar
Christoph Wolff describes the work’s
significance in his introduction, gives an
overview of the history of composition, and
draws attention to particular distinguishing
features of the manuscript.
Johann Sebastian Bach
Mass in B minor, BWV 232
Bärenreiter Facsimile. Facsimile of the
autograph score in the Staatsbibliothek
zu Berlin. Edited by Christoph Wolff
Facsimile series of Bach’s works
and documents – New Series
Documenta Musicologica II, 35
c. 198 pages of facsimile, and a 20 page
introduction (English/German/Japanese);
hardback. ISBN 978-3-7618-1911-1
Already available:
Bärenreiter
w w w. b a e r e n r e i t e r. c o m
To appear in April 2007
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Symphonie in C major K. 551
»Jupiter«. Facsimile
ISBN 978-3-7618-1824-4
Choral Music at Harvard University Creating
Recent Performances
J M
2004 – 2008
Director of Choral Activities
Major Works
Kevin Leong
• Monteverdi, Vespers of 1610
• Bach, Magnificat & B Minor Mass
• Handel, Dixit Dominus & Messiah
• Mozart, Requiem & C Minor Mass
• Beethoven, Mass in C
Chamber Works
• Schütz, Kleine Geistliche Konzerte
• Madrigals by Monteverdi and d’India
• Selections from the Eton Choirbook
• Motets by Dufay, Ockeghem, Busnois,
Josquin, Tallis, Palestrina, and Byrd
Choral
Excellence
Associate Conductor
Harvard-Radcliffe
Collegium Musicum
Michael Barrett
Michael McGaghie
Kate Woolf
Collegium Musicum
Chamber Singers
Assistant Conductors
For more information, please contact:
S W, Choral Administrator
617.495.0692 • [email protected]
Holden Chamber
Ensembles
Harvard Glee Club
Radcliffe Choral
Society
Harvard-Radcliffe
Chorus
Combined choral performance of Mozart’s Requiem in February, 2004
26
Spring 2007 Early Music America
Dulcians Great and Small:
An Octavebass Dulcian
on the U.S. Mainland
20 YEARS, Piffaro, The
Renaissance Band, has been working with the double-reed instruments of
the Renaissance and early Baroque.
We’ve given special attention to the
combination of reeds and brass that
made up the professional wind ensembles that Tinctoris, in the late 15th century, christened the alta capella, or “loud
band,” an ensemble of shawm, bombards, and sackbuts. When playing music
of the 16th century, we have added a
bass dulcian as a true bass line instrument, a role it played throughout that
century (and, in fact, well into the 19th
in some areas of Europe). Piffaro’s use
of the dulcian remained unchanged for
most of our 20 year history, except for
the addition of a tenor on occasions
when it seemed particularly appropriate
for the repertoire at hand.
In recent years, however, our ensemble has been venturing into repertoire
both later and broader in scope. This
repertoire has generated a new perspective and has raised fascinating questions
about many of our standard reed instruments, in particular the dulcian family.
Though the story of Renaissance winds
that we’ve tried to tell up to this point in
the ensemble’s history is likely the main
one, we’ve realized that there are significant aspects of the aural landscape of
the Renaissance and early Baroque that
have yet to resound from our concert
stages.
There are, for instance, combinations
of instruments, or of voices and instruments – combinations that adorned special dramatic occasions or were prescribed by the composers themselves –
that have yet to be re-created on more
than a very rare occasion, if at all. Certain instruments, even some with surviv-
F
OR OVER
ing originals, have yet to be or have only
recently been reproduced and brought
into the repertoire of professional performing ensembles. In our opinion, one
of those underexplored and under-represented families of instruments is the
dulcian, especially in sizes other than the
bass. It’s become an aspect of our longrange mission to explore this organological frontier in hopes of bringing some
of this uncharted aural landscape to our
audiences, both locally and worldwide.
Naming the dulcian
Each region or nationality had
its own term for this instrument. The
English called it very descriptively the
curtal (“short” instrument), referring to
the fact that its bore is doubled back on
itself in one piece of wood, producing a
long resonating chamber in a short body.
The Germans called it the dulcian
(“sweet” instrument), referring to a distinction in sound between it and its
cousin, the shawm. The French used
fagot or bassoon, the Italians fagotto,
and the Spanish simply bajón. The
instrument is well documented through
iconographical evidence, organological
descriptions, and local inventories beginning in the middle of the 16th century.
Its origin is most likely in Venice, one of
the great centers of Renaissance instrument making, perhaps sometime in the
1540s. Its heyday, however, may be said
to lie in the entirety of the 17th century
throughout most of Europe, while in
Spain the bass of the family flourished
well into the 20th.
Over 80 surviving originals of all
sizes, from the small soprano to the
imposing octavebass, can be numbered
One instrument
that has yet to make
its presence felt in
the world of early
music performance is
the largest member
of the dulcian family,
the octavebass or
contrabass.
By Bob Wiemken
Piffaro’s new copy of Pillnitz Mö. 36.
Early Music America Spring 2007