R E C O R D E R S - Early Music America
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R E C O R D E R S - Early Music America
Edited by Craig Zeichner Johann Sebastian Bach The Bach Masses, Volume I Washington Bach Consort; J. Reilly Lewis, music director Loft Recordings LRCD 1068 57:29 minutes The four Missae Breves (BWV 233-236) that Bach (1685–1750) wrote—a.k.a. “The Lutheran Masses”—are less popular than his Mass in B Minor (BWV 232), which started as a Missa Brevis in 1733 but was expanded in 1748. The Missae Breves were written later in the 1730s; all have six movements, but after the Kyrie, the choice of Gloria movements varies a bit. Many sections were adapted from pieces of Bach’s cantatas. Because these shorter masses are less popular and vastly less prestigious, they’re much less frequently recorded, and many past recordings have not been kept in print. Volume one of this new cycle faces remarkably few competitors in the United States, although the recordings by Philippe Herreweghe and Helmuth Rilling are formidable. Washington Bach Consort founder-director J. Reilly Lewis sets his cycle apart by emphasizing light textures and rhythmic vivacity; one often feels impelled to waltz around the room to the triple-meter sections. There’s a resulting sameness to many sections, however, and a lack of characterization. The choir is well-disciplined, and the soloists, if far from famous, acquit themselves well, especially mellifluous bass James Weaver. German pronunciation of Latin is used. Strings are 3-3-2-2-1; continuo organ, no harpsichord; two oboes, bassoon, two horns; chorus is 4-4-4-5. This isn’t a first-choice recording, and balances are sometimes oddly artificial, but it’s worth consideration by collectors who want a sleek, lively alternative to those already available. It helps that the earlier version of the BWV 233 Kyrie is included, since it displays the way Bach reworked his material for these masses. —Steve Holtje William Byrd Consort Songs Emma Kirkby, soprano; Fretwork (Richard Boothby, Richard Campbell, Wendy Gillespie, Julian Hodgson, William Hunt, Susanna Pell, viols) Harmonia Mundi HMU 907383 74:37 minutes Perhaps because of the deeply introspective nature of some of the song texts, the consort songs for voice and viols of William Byrd (1543-1623) are among his leastknown works. The ascendance of the lighter canzonette and madrigal might have had something to do with this, too. The thicker textures of Byrd’s Franco-Flemish consort songs demand a bit more attention from the listener. They are not easy diversions. On this recording, though, soprano Emma Kirkby and Fretwork offer compelling arguments for this music. Kirkby’s voice still has the bright, nimble beauty that made her fans legion, but she also serves up a splash of tonal darkness, in “O Lord, how vain” for example, that is surprising and very effective. The viol consort Fretwork is composed of excellent accompanists who never overwhelm the singer and are always tasteful. They have their share of shining moments as well: the two six-part Fantasias are gloriously articulated and richly resonant, while the dance movements (a pavan and a galliard) are elegant. Some words of praise are due the engineer, Nicholas Parker, who once again has captured the warm, woody sound of the viol consort in all its glory. —Craig Zeichner Arcangelo Corelli Six Concerti Grossi Opus 6 American Bach Soloists; Jeffrey Thomas, conductor ABS Records 16042 65 minutes Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713) was extremely influential on generations of violinists. Vivaldi (16781741) and Geminiani (1687-1762) studied with him, and both passed their knowledge on to their students. Furthermore, Corelli left an enduring compositional legacy. Today, violin students begin to study his sonatas at a very early stage, and his development of the concerto form created a model that was followed (or modified) by most subsequent Baroque composers. Yet, aside from five volumes of sonatas, he left behind only one volume of 12 concerti published at the end of his life. The Opus 6 concerti are eight concerti da chiesa and four concerti da camera, which roughly follow the church and chamber sonata forms. Each concerto pits a pair of violins and continuo against a band of ripieno strings and continuo. An alternative orchestration was published in London in 1725, which uses various recorders to replace the two solo violins. The American Bach Soloists recording gives us a selection of five of the church concerti and one of the chamber concerti; of these, half are in the original orchestration and half use the recorder transcription. Being able to compare the two orchestrations on one disk is interesting. Since the tempi taken are reasonable for the period (that is, they avoid the extremes of more romantic interpretations) and the ensemble of period instruments is directed with elegance and lucidity, both orchestrations get a fair shake. The clear and expressive recorders (Dan Laurin, Hanneke van Proosdij) are a lot of fun, but the tracks using the poised yet ravishing violins (Elizabeth Wallfisch, Katherine Kyme) really sound like Corelli. —Stephen Dydo Thomas Crecquillon Fortune Helas… Egidius Kwartet; Egidius Consort Etcetera KTC 1274 59:47 minutes Are we in the middle of a Crecquillon revival? We’ve had two excellent recordings of his sacred works by Boston’s Church of the Advent Choir, and now this lovely disc of chansons performed by the Dutch Egidius Kwartet, a male vocal ensemble, augmented by soprano Maria Luz Alvarez and an instrumental ensemble of viols and recorder. Crecquillon (c.1480-c.1557) wrote approximately 220 chansons to mostly anonymous texts. His subject matter comes primarily from the courtly love tradition, which is not surprising. But his treatment of text and his gift for spinning rich, darklycolored, free-flowing vocal lines with some interesting harmonies, are mesmerizing. A number of the chansons are grouped in chanson-response pairs. A good example is the sublime “Quand me souvient de ma triste 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. Early Music America Summer 2005 17 The unique, ear-opening sounds of Early Music – performed by some of the world’s finest ensembles. Our 19th Season — 2005-2006 at various Milwaukee venues * also in Madison / # also in Evanston Verbruggen & Galhano * Art of the French & German Baroque The Ivory Consort Michel-Richard de Lalande Tenebrae Music in the Land of Three Faiths The Boston Camerata # A Medieval Christmas Hargis & O'Dette *# Amour, Cruel Amour Ex Umbris Melancholy: Downe in the Dumpes The Yukimi Kambe Viol Consort European Roots & International Flowerings For a complete season brochure: EARLY MUSIC NOW 1630 East Royall Place, Milwaukee, WI 53202-1810 414.225.3113 [email protected] www.execpc.com/~emn 18 fortune” (When I recall my sad fortune) and its response “Ung triste cueur remply de fantasie” (A sad heart filled with imaginings), which has a Josquin-like flavor and rich viol accompaniment. The Egidius Kwartet is not a household name in America, but if you know any of their earlier recordings, such as Leal Amour (Et’cetera KTC 1218), a collection of Flemish sacred and secular works, you know their voices are exquisitely blended and oh-so-beautiful. In fact, the sheer beauty of their voices might distract you from the genius that Crecquillon brings to each of these little treasures. It’s probably best to enjoy the chansons in little sips like a rich cordial—you will be just a little intoxicated. —Craig Zeichner Summer 2005 Early Music America Claire Lefilliâtre, soprano; Le Poème Harmonique; Vincent Dumestre, director Alpha Productions 030 76:30 minutes Music for the office of Tenebrae (Latin for “shadows”), the solemn ritual of extinguishing candles that is observed during Holy Week, was very popular toward the end of the reign of Louis XIV. This recording features a Miserere and the only surviving Tenebrae music by MichelRichard de Lalande (1657-1726). The Miserere follows the traditional form by alternating ornate solos with chant passages, although on this recording the alternate verses are sung in fauxbourdon (a kind of improvised polyphony). This is difficult music, demanding a soloist who must conjure up some rather un-churchlike expressiveness; except for some shaky entrances where she struggles to find pitch, soprano Claire Lefilliâtre does fine. The three Tenebrae lessons are unforgettable. De Lalande’s harmonic daring (the “darkness” effects in the Maundy Thursday lesson are chilling) and shifts in tempo and mood are stunning. The Italian influence is clear, particularly in the plummeting chromaticism in passages of the Holy Wednesday lesson. Lefilliâtre occasionally fudges a trill or top note, but there’s also a fetching clarity and freshness in her performances. The support she receives from the continuo forces is superb. Le Poème Harmonique, led by Vincent Dumestre, is marvelously restrained, yet brings vivid color to everything it plays. The companion disc in this set, an hour-long enactment by the actor-director Eugène Green of a Lenten sermon by the bishop and orator JacquesBénigne Bossuet (16271704), an interesting but odd addition, is probably not something that will draw you to the repeat button on your CD player. —Craig Zeichner George Frideric Handel An Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day Carolyn Sampson, soprano; James Gilchrist, tenor; Choir of the King’s Consort; The King’s Consort; Robert King, director Hyperion CDA 67463 77:53 minutes The contributions of George Frideric Handel (1685–1759) to the canon of works honoring the patron saint of music, Saint Cecilia, include an Italian cantata, “Cecilia, volgi un sguardo,” and settings of two odes by John Dryden—Alexander’s Feast (1736) and, as it was advertised at its premiere, A Song for St. Cecilia’s Day (1739). This recording by The King’s Consort features the cantata and the work we now call An Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day. The cantata was originally written to be performed between the halves of Alexander’s Feast because Handel’s treatment of Dryden’s text was too short to fill an entire evening at Covent Garden. The cantata makes pressing demands on both tenor and soprano soloists, with its elaborate vocal line and challenging runs, and tenor James Gilchrist and soprano Carolyn Sampson meet the challenges nicely. The centerpiece of the recording is Handel’s setting of Dryden’s ode. Handel borrowed from another composer, Gottleib Muffat (16901770), and from himself while writing the work. He raises the preexisting material to a higher level. The passages in the text that describe the attributes of various musical instruments offered Handel marvelous opportunities to write some fine solos. For example, there’s a gorgeous cello solo (representing Jubal’s lyre) that’s eloquently played by Jonathan Cohen, and a pulsequickening martial trumpet featuring the superhuman Crispian SteelePerkins. Handel was generous to his singers as well. Sampson sings some of the softest, sweetest passages I’ve heard in ages in the lovely “The soft complaining flute,” supported beautifully by Rachel Brown on flute and Lynda Sayce on lute. Gilchrist goes all out in “The trumpet’s loud clangour”; although he strains at times, it’s an undeniably exciting performance. At the heart of it all are Robert King and his splendid ensemble. With King’s grasp of rhythm, the overture snaps along marvelously, and his intelligent support of singers makes this an essential Handel recording. —Craig Zeichner Pierre de Manchicourt Volume I: Missa Non conturbetur cor vestrum and Motets Choir of the Church of the Advent, Boston; Edith Ho, director; Mark Dwyer, associate conductor Arsis Audio SACD 400 58:22 minutes Pierre de Manchicourt (c.15101564) was greatly admired in his time: his works were preserved in important manuscripts, his music was published widely, and he finished his life as Chapelmaster in the Madrid court of Philip II of Spain, son of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. Yet his popularity has not survived. There’s only one other CD still available that’s dedicated to the music of this Franco-Flemish composer—a Huelgas Ensemble disc on Sony Vivarte with the Mass Veni Sancte Spiritus, four motets, and three chansons (entirely different repertoire than this CD). Manchicourt’s style is staunchly Flemish—flowing counterpoint bursting with imitation—but also suavely melodic and crystalline. The disk includes five motets; the fourvoice “Non conturbetur cor vestrum” gives the parody mass here its name and melodic material. It is joyfully festive, as are the sixpart motets “Regina coeli” and “Jubilate Deo,” the five-part motet “Ego sum panis vivus,” and Manchicourt’s only known eightvoice motet, the vividly depictive and harmonically lush “Vidi Speciosam.” The Choir of the Church of the Advent is a professional 18-member group with considerable recording experience (this is their 10th album). They are captured by an audiophile label in excellent, realistically spacious sound at the choir’s home church in Boston. This is gorgeous music, unavailable elsewhere and beautifully performed, making the disk a must-have. And this is volume one, which means there’s more to come. —Steve Holtje Georg Philipp Telemann Quartets and Trios Ensemble Voltaire Catalpa Classics ND-30605-2 63:27 minutes This new collection of chamber works by Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767) is indication of a propitious rebirth of the spirited Midwestern group Ensemble Voltaire (formerly known as Ensemble Ouabache). Telemann was in a league with Mozart in his ability to crank out perfectly good music at an astonishing rate. One byproduct of this was that his music generally has strong formal coherence; he must have been able to visualize entire pieces more or less instantaneously in order to keep up the compositional pace. This is especially evident in the advanced structure of some of the pieces on this recording. Another Mozartean characteristic is the gorgeous inventiveness of the interiors of much of Telemann’s work. The five pieces on this CD appeared in the decade between 1730 and 1740. The first three, two concertos (in D and G) and a sonata in A, are from the Paris Quartets of 1730. A trio for oboe and violin in G minor is from the Essercizi musici of 1740, and the final quartet (for flute, oboe, violin, and continuo, in G) is from Tafelmusik (1733). Throughout the set there is a wide range of techniques, from the delicate and sensuous affetuoso of &"3-:.64*$ $BTF8FTUFSO3FTFSWF6OJWFSTJUZ JTQMFBTFEUPXFMDPNF 1&5&3#&//&55 UPUIFNVTJDGBDVMUZ t0SHBO4DIPMBS $BNCSJEHF6OJWFSTJUZ t)BSQTJDIPSEJTU t%JSFDUPSPG &OTFNCMF%VNPOU t1I%0YGPSE UIDFOUVSZ'SFODI TBDSFENVTJD Provincetown Bookshop Editions JUST OFF THE PRESS Andrew Charlton: Suite moderne, for 3 recorders (ATB) A neo-Hindemithian Set (3 playing scores, PBE-44) $9.95 Michael East: “Desperavi”, Fantasia for 5 viols or recorders; transcribed by David Goldstein (Score & parts, PBE-46) $7.95 Bernard Krainis: “Elijahu Ha-Navi”, Divisions and Tango on a Hebrew Tune. For Alto Recorder alone (PBE-45) $8.95 The Provincetown Bookshop, Inc. 246 Commercial Street, Provincetown, MA 02657 (508) 487-0964 Early Music America Summer 2005 19 the Concerto in D through the contrapuntal density of the fast movements of the Concerto in G to the crazy canons of the G minor Trio’s allegro. None of this would be so evident without the clarity of phrasing brought to the recording by all of the performers. The ability of Ensemble Voltaire to polish the ends, to make the joins, and to execute the ornamentation meaningfully brings Telemann’s formal mastery into high relief. Vive l’Ensemble Voltaire! —Stephen Dydo Tomás Luis de Victoria Second Vespers of the Feast of the Annunciation The Exon Singers; Matthew Owens, director Delphian DCD 34025 68:46 minutes Tomás Luis de Victoria (15481611) wrote a great deal of music for Marian use, but there’s no evidence that he left any through-composed music for the Marian Vespers (á la Monteverdi in his 1610 Vespers). What we have on this recording by the Exon Singers is a collection of Marian works arranged in a liturgical context suitable for the Feast of the Annunciation. This is Victoria at his best, and that means it’s as brilliant as anything that came out of the Renaissance. These are multi-choir settings whose foreshadowing of the early Baroque is inescapable. For example, there’s a glorious antiphonal setting of the Laudate pueri Dominum where high voices engage in a celestial joust with the SATB choir. Victoria pulls out all the stops in this music, with supernovas of polychoral splendor and marvelously varied writing—his shifts in texture and rhythm are breathtaking. The Exon Singers, a mixed voice ensemble, are not as well known as some of the high-profile British ensembles, but they easily surpass many of them. They sing with a wonderfully full-blooded, youthful vigor when both SATB choirs get going, yet they are also knockout gorgeous in the reduced voice sections. The thrilling alterations from duple to triple time are seamless—a tribute to the excellent leadership of the ensemble’s conductor, Matthew Owens. This exciting and beautifully produced recording presents a side of Victoria that may surprise many ears. —Craig Zeichner Antonio Vivaldi and Others Andromeda Liberata Simone Kermes, soprano; Max Emanuel Cencic, countertenor; Katerina Beranova, soprano; Anna Bonitatibus, mezzo-soprano; Mark Tucker, tenor; La Stagione Armonica; Sergio Balestracci, chorus master; Venice Baroque Orchestra; Andrea Marcon, conductor Archiv B0003456-02 97:65 minutes (2 CDs) Nothing is as exciting for early music lovers as the discovery of a new work that may somehow link to the canon of a well-established composer. In this case, the composition is a serenata (an occasional cantata with a dramatic component) that includes at least one aria attributable to Antonio Vivaldi (1678- 1741). The rest, according to Olivier Fourés, who discovered and edited the work, is a mystery. Does the presence of this aria imply that Vivaldi composed the whole serenata? Or is it a pasticcio (suggested by the attribution of the music to Vivaldi and others)? Fourés has an interesting task before him. In the meantime, however, we can enjoy this gem in a world-premiere recording featuring a fine cast of soloists and the Venice Baroque Orchestra under the baton of Andrea Marcon. Singing Andromeda is Simone Kermes. Generally, she handles the role well. At times, however, she loses control of the vocal line. One obvious example is in the cadenza with Max Emanuel Cencic at the conclusion of their duo, “Sposo amato/ Cara sposa.” While Cencic hits each pitch, Kermes is far enough from her note to set the teeth on edge. More sure and indeed more pleasant to the ear is Katerina Beranova in her aria, “Con dolce mormorio.” Anna Bonitatibus performs well with O f all Mozart’s piano concertos there are two that are counted as more artful, more delightful, or, in modern parlance, simply more popular than their fellow masterpieces. In our own time, the D minor concerto (K.466) and the A major K.488) have dominated taking its name from the classical god of music and the sun, Apollo's Fire is dedicated to the performance of 17th and 18th century music on the period instruments for which it was written. The ensemble unites a select pool of renowned early music specialists from throughout North America and Europe. Music Director Jeannette Sorrell is widely recognized as a leading voice in the new generation of early music conductors. KIC-CD-7575 KIC-CD-7574 KIC-CD-7577 KOCH International Classics, A Division of KOCH Records • 22 Harbor Park Drive, Port Washington, NY 11050 • (516) 484-1000 • Kochentertainment.com 20 Summer 2005 Early Music America the chorus in the work’s opening aria, “In queste sponde.” Kudos, too, to tenor Mark Tucker, whose two arias are well interpreted. Whether by Vivaldi alone or with others, this serenade is a wonderful addition to the Baroque vocal repertory. —Denise Gallo also piercingly human. The rest of the cast is excellent, with Larmore and countertenor Philippe Jaroussky just a slight cut above the others. As on other Vivaldi operas in this series (it’s part of the Tesori del Piemonte series of Vivaldi works), Ensemble Matheus provides striking support. —Craig Zeichner Antonio Vivaldi COLLECTIONS Orlando Furioso Marie-Nicole Lemieux, contralto; Jennifer Larmore, mezzo-soprano; Veronica Cangemi, soprano; Philippe Jaroussky, countertenor; Choeur “Les Éléments”; Ensemble Matheus; Jean-Christophe Spinosi, director Naïve OP 30393 183:00 minutes (3 CDs) In the autumn of 1725, Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) returned to Venice after five years of artistic successes in Milan and Rome. Vivaldi re-established contacts with the Teatro Sant’ Angelo and, in 1726, became its direttore delle opere in musica. While Vivaldi was away, Neapolitan opera, with its vocal acrobatics, had slowly come to dominate the Venetian stage. So his Orlando Furioso, set to a libretto by Grazio Braccioli (1682-1752), was, in some ways, the last gasp of the highly dramatic Venetian operatic tradition. The libretto was taken from Ariosto’s great epic poem and was one of the very best Vivaldi had to work with. The composer took great care in selecting his cast of singers, particularly the two lead characters, Orlando and Alcina. Much of the same care is taken on this recording, which boasts the French Canadian contralto Marie-Nicole Lemieux in the title role and America mezzo Jennifer Larmore as Alcina. Orlando Furioso surprises with its pure dramatic power—not easy to say about most post-Monteverdi Baroque operas. Sure, there are plenty of vocal fireworks, but Vivaldi took tremendous care in the recitatives (secco and accompanied), and his sense of drama reaches its peak in the extended mad scene for Orlando at the conclusion of the second act. Lemieux has the technique that conquers in the ornate music (her ornamentation is elaborate but tasteful), and her singing is also blessed with warmth and sensitivity. Her mad scene is brilliant but Epiphany: Medieval Byzantine Chant Cappella Romana; Alexander Lingas, artistic director; Ioannis Arvanitis, guest director Gothic Records G49237 71:14 minutes Byzantine chant, now generally associated with the Eastern Orthodox Church, developed in the Eastern Roman Empire and is based on first-millennium Christian traditions. These were codified and further developed with the help of Byzantine musical notation, which appears in Greek sources starting in the 10th century. This recording features Byzantine chant edited from Medieval sources for January 1st and 6th, two of the major feasts of the Christmas season. Cappella Romana, based in Portland, Oregon, has long been devoted to exploring the Byzantine repertoire, combining impeccable scholarship with a genuine passion for presenting this music as authentically as possible. The current collaboration with Ioannis Arvanitis, a prominent Greek musicologist, is a case in point. The singing is exquisite—clear, often haunting, with superb blend and breath. But it is liturgy and therefore comes with the caveat attached to all recordings of liturgy: it was never written purely for your listening pleasure. Chant more often works as an experience than as a concert. I have stood listening to it for two hours in an Eastern Orthodox Church service and been transfixed. The booklet accompanying this disk describes the liturgical context of these works in detail, but not so vividly that you can imagine yourself in Hagia Sophia on the Feast of the Epiphany. —Beth Adelman OOLSTOMPROVEOURLAYING $ANCEATA'LANCE !LLYOUNEEDTOKNOWABOUT"AROQUE DANCEINONECONVENIENTPACKAGE *JHITURNTHEDIALOFTHEWHEELGUIDE TOTHEDANCEYOUARESTUDYINGTOLEARN ITSMETERTEMPORHYTHMANDA,ECT 4HISPACKAGEINCLUDES s(ANDYWHEELGUIDE s)NFORMATIVEBOOKLET s#$WITHMUSICEXAMPLES "AROQUE #HAMBER -USIC 0LAY!LONG#$S (OURSOFPLAYINGENJOYMENT WITHEARLYMUSICSPECIALISTS 4=G::TOCHOOSEFROMWITHMUSICAND PERFORMANCEGUIDESFORRECORDERPLAYERS 6ISITOURWEBSITEFORCOMPLETECONTENTS s0RE+$ISC#ONTINUO %ARLY)NTERMEDIATE s4HE$ISC#ONTINUO )NTERMEDIATE s$ISC#ONTINUO)) !DVANCED)NTERMEDIATE !LSOAVAILABLE s$UET9OURSELF 0LAYALONG#$ANDMUSIC FORPIANODUET 4OORDERPOSTPAIDSENDCHECKS$ANCE ATA'LANCE $ISC#ONTINUOSERIES AND$UET9OURSELFEACHPLUSH= CHARGESFORFIRSTITEMFOREACH ADDITIONALTO@6IAROE=:G:8DG9H &LORIO3TREET/AKLAND#!/RCALL / WWWKATASTROPHEMUSICCOM LAUS POLYPHONIAE 2005 A unique festival dedicated to polyphonic music Ensemble in residence: Capilla Flamenca 20-28 August 2005 Jacob Obrecht (Ghent 1457/58 – Ferrara 1505) Lecture, interview & workshops Capilla Flamenca, Dirk Snellings, Rob C. Wegman, Stratton Bull and Wim Diepenhorst Concerts Capilla Flamenca, Psallentes, Joris Verdin, Piffaro, Mikado, Corvina Consort, La Folata, The Clerk’s Group, Wim Maeseele, Jurgen de Bruyn, Liam Fennely, Ars Nova Secunda Chorus, La Morra, Currende & Oltremontano, Huelgas Ensemble, Wim Diepenhorst, The Binchois Consort, Psallentes, Modena Consort, Odhecaton & Jacob Lindberg, Cappella Pratensis, Camerata Trajectina, Obsidienne Introductions to the evening concerts & round-table conferences International Young Artist’s Presentation-Historical Wind Instruments Coach: Barthold Kuijken Music theatre course for teenagers: Red shoes Inquiries & brochure Flanders Festival-Antwerp - Tel. + 32 3 202 46 61 www.festivalvanvlaanderen-antwerpen.be Continued on page 39 Early Music America Summer 2005 21 University of Iowa • Temple University, Pennsylvania St. Thomas Church, Fifth Avenue • Yale University Christ Church, Charlottesville, Virginia • St. Clement Church, Chicago, Illinois Taylor and Boody Organbuilders Innovative Design Mini-Van Portable Self-Contained A = 440 or 415 8’ Gedackt 4’ Blockflöte 2’ Principal 1 1/3’ Quinte Sesquialter (c’) We invite your inquiry: Taylor and Boody Organbuilders 8 Hewitt Road Staunton, VA 24401 (540) 886-3583 www.taylorandboody.com Rutgers University • 20th Anniversary The series was introduced in 1985 at the Boston Early Music Festival and has just published its 250th title • BROUDE BROTHERS LIMITED 22 Spring 2005 Early Music America Continued from page 21 Puzzles and Perfect Beauty: Italian Music at the End of the Middle Ages The Newberry Consort (Mary Springfels, director, vielle, citole; David Douglass, rebec, vielle; Ellen Hargis, voice; Drew Minter, voice; Mark Rimple, lute; Najib Bahri, percussion) Noyse Productions 75:17 minutes The work of musicologists such as Howard Mayer Brown and F. Alberto Gallo on Italian Medieval music has provided rich sources for performers. The latest offering of the Newberry Consort, Puzzles and Perfect Beauty (appropriately dedicated to the memory of Brown, who died in 1993), is a selection of vocal and instrumental works from this repertory. Even though the recording highlights Italian sources, it includes works from the French tradition copied into manuscripts by musicians who freely crossed the Alps with their noble patrons. Thus, the Newberry Consort’s new collection includes samples of Italian ballata and dance music as well as works in the French formes fixes. This recording preserves historical integrity so carefully and is so beautifully performed that it is hard to single out tracks. Surely some of the most noteworthy are Ellen Hargis, Mark Rimple, and Drew Minter’s performance of the virelai “Sus un fontayne,” complete with all the marvelous free-flowing lines and occasional gorgeous dissonance. The period’s vivacious dance rhythms are heard in the musicians’ version of the “Istampitta Ghaetta,” with Najib Bahri on percussion. Perhaps the most delightful track, however, is Hargis, Rimple, and David Douglass’s interpretation of the virelai “En ce gracieux temps,” with its echoing cuckoo calls. Countertenor Drew Minter performs ably in the ballade “Pres du soloil,” his long lyrical lines vying luxuriously with the vielles of Springfels and Douglass. For those who wish a sample: six tracks, program notes, and song texts and translations are available at the Noyse Productions website (www.noyseproductions.com), where the disc may be ordered. —Denise Gallo Venezia Stravagantissima Capriccio Stravagante Renaissance Orchestra; Skip Sempé, director Alpha Productions 049 53:35 minutes A quote from the liner notes (an interview with Skip Sempé by Laval University history professor Denis Grenier) sets the stage for this recording: “We have rediscovered this extraordinary Renaissance Orchestra sound that has not yet been heard in our time,” says Sempé. That’s a bold statement (one of many in an interview that’s sycophantic, somewhat self-congratulating, but also fascinating). It is mostly backed, however, by the California-born Sempé and his big band, which is an expanded version of his excellent Capriccio Stravagante. Hyperbole aside, what we have here is a survey of Italian music, some originally written for the voice, some for various instruments, and all performed with vitality, verve, and splendid sound that serve an expressiveness that may well have “not yet been heard in our time.” Familiar music such as “Canzon II” by Giovanni Gabrieli (15551612) is exhilarating when the cornetto (Doron David Sherwin delivers masterful performances throughout) and trombones blend so perfectly with strings and keyboard. The superb blend of all the instruments is a constant delight—the “Pass’e mezzo Antico” by Giorgio Mainerio (1535-1582) and “Canzon Vigesimaquarta a 8” by Gioseffe Guami (1540-1611) are textbook studies in rich Renaissance sonorities. The recording also has its share of unbuttoned, exuberant toe-tapping with a “Ballo Anglese e Saltarello” by Mainerio and a giddy take on “So ben mi ch’ha bon tempo by Orazio Vecchi (15501605).” This is the kind of recording you can use to make a convert to early music and the glorious sound of Renaissance instruments. —Craig Zeichner , Leslie Ross bass and tenor curtals at A-440Hz and A-466Hz baroque bassoon after Eichentopf at original pitch, A-415Hz and A-392Hz classical bassoon after H. Grenser classical bassoon after Bühner & Keller romantic bassoon after S.G. Wiesner NEW: a baroque bassoon after Georg Henrich Scherer Reedmaking Tools - Restoration & Repair Bocals for curtals, historical bassoons and modern bassoons 131 ESSEX STREET, 6TH FLOOR - NYC, NY - 10002 TEL/FAX (212) 260 9344 E-MAIL [email protected] WEB PAGE mysite.verizon.net/ross.bassoon Bassoons R E C O R D E R S Early Music America Summer 2005 39
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