Early Music America Summer 2007 13

PF. .

PERFORMERS‘ FACSIMILES

They put a smileon the face

of any early musician

Carl Philipp Emanuel BachSonaten für Kenner undLiebhaber Jean Goverts, fortepianoDivox Antiqua CDX-7030368:39 minutes

In his autobiography, Carl PhilippEmanuel Bach (1714–1788) wrote,“Since I have never liked excessiveuniformity in composition and taste,

since I haveheard sucha great vari-ety of goodthings, andsince I havealways beenof the opin-

ion that one may make use of goodelements wherever they may befound…it is presumably preciselythese considerations…that explainthe variety noticed in my works.”C.P.E. Bach was a pioneer whosought to convey ever-shiftingeffects with lightening speed, creat-ing music that includes surprisingcadences, abrupt silences, extremedynamic changes, and movementsthat don’t always end in the tonic.Interestingly, his works still oftensound avant-garde today.

Jean Goverts offers a well-cho-sen program that aptly illustratesBach’s inventiveness: five sonatasfrom the seminal Sonaten für Ken-ner und Liebhaber and four othersonatas that include a work for the“Bogen-Clavier.” (See “sostenentepiano” in The New Grove. In Bach’streatise Versuch über die wahre Artdas Clavier zu spielen, he bemoansthe fact that this instrument, inwhich the strings are bowed ratherthan struck, did not become popu-lar.) From the harmonic ambiguity ofthe opening of the Sonata in B flatMajor (WQ 59/3), to the polyrhyth-mic playfulness of the first move-ment of the Sonata in D Major (WQ61/2), and the heartbreaking plain-tiveness of the Andante of the Cmajor sonata (WQ 55/1), weencounter a composer with endlessideas, one who was comfortable incountless styles.

Goverts plays a Neupert fortepi-ano from 1970, after the South Ger-man Stein siblings. It has a silvery,bell-like tone, and Goverts uses it togreat effect. His playing is clear,

singing, and supple, with sparinguse of the “pedal” (knee-levers) andeffective use of the moderator toheighten dynamic contrasts andcharacter shifts. In his Versuch, Bachexhorts, “Play from the soul, not likea trained bird!” It’s clear thatGoverts loves this music, and he isindeed following Bach’s advice.—Sylvia Berry

BeowulfBenjamin Bagby, voice, Anglo-Saxon harpKoch KOC-DV-644598 minutes, plus 34 minutes ofbonus material (DVD)

Benjamin Bagby has been per-forming Beowulf around the worldfor more than a decade. If youhaven’t beenlucky enough tosee him (andeven if youhave), you don’twant to missthis DVD, arecording of a2006 perform-ance in Helsing-borg, Sweden, in which we sit downwith Bagby as he retells the first partof that ancient epic in Old English(with subtitles), accompanying him-self on the harp.

Bagby is an enormously charis-matic performer, and he has madethis material wholly his own. Heuses the entire range of his voice,his face, his gestures, and his bodylanguage to tell the tale, and soonyou can imagine yourself in themeade hall, feeling just a bit drunkand stuffed with stag, listening toan itinerant storyteller convey theepic of the day. The experience istotally engrossing, completelyenthralling.

I have only two tiny nits to pickwith this film. The first is that it’snot the entire text of Beowulf. Icould listen for hours. The second isthat director Stellan Olsson, being atypical film director, likely could notimagine audiences looking at justone thing for 98 minutes. So heoccasionally cuts in scenes fromnature and shots of the enrapturedaudience. Because Bagby is tellingthe story as much with his body aswith his voice, these are unwelcome

interruptions. Yes, I do want to seenothing but him the whole time.

The performance is accompaniedby a wonderful short film in whichBagby gives a clear, refreshingly hon-est answer to the question, “Sincethere’s no score, where did themusic come from?”

There’s also a roundtable discus-sion with Bagby and Beowulf schol-ars John Miles Foley, Thomas Cable,and Mark Amodio in which they feelthe need to justify performingBeowulf as entertainment. In myopinion, the performance itself pro-vides ample justification.—Beth Adelman

Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber

Harmonia Artificioso-Ariosa I-VIREBEL, Jörg-Michael Schwarz, KarenMarie Marmer, violins, directorsBridge 921372:23 minutes

Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber(1644-1704) had an unusual fasci-nation with scordatura (mistuning),using it most famously in all but oneof his 15 “Mystery” sonatas, each ofwhich is in a different tuning. Theless well-known Harmonia Artifi-cioso-Ariosa of 1696 uses the sametechnique and is applied to ensem-bles of two string instruments andbass in seven suites (or partie). Eachsuite uses a different tuning; five arefor two violins, one is for violin andviola, and the last, not included onthis recording, is for two violasd’amore.

A characteristic of these pieces—in fact of most works using specialtunings—is a bit of harmonic stasis;after all, if you’re going to have allthose weird open strings, you wantto use them, and that anchors thetonality. In the case of these sonatas,as with the “Mystery” sonatas, thedramatic effect comes from motivicand orchestrational gestures, notfrom harmonic motion. The effecthere, compared with the “Mystery”sonatas, is bigger sound, fatterchords, and a bit less intimacy and intensity.

There are a number of wonderfulthings about this recording. Themembers of REBEL give a very full andpolished performance, with flawlessintonation and resonant strings

(sensitively played by Schwarz andMarmer); it is richly brought to lifein the recording by Michael Hesse.Dongsok Shin, the organist, is alsoan excellentsoundrecordist anddid the edit-ing. Theorgan,which I hap-pen toknow, isexceptionally beautiful and well-balanced, and the strings comethrough with considerablewarmth—not too close, not too far.The carefully identified period stringinstruments include violins by Stain-er, Lavazza, Hofmans, and Rom-bouts. Cellist and musicologist JohnMoran provided the excellent notes,which describe, among other things,a major obstacle to early perform-ances of this work: the violin partswere reversed partway through thestandard scholarly edition.—Stephen Dydo

Pierre BouteillerDe vanitate mundiSuzie LeBlanc, soprano; Stephan VanDyck, tenor; Les Voix humaines(Susie Napper, Margaret Little,Mélisande Corriveau, violas dagamba; Sylvain Bergeron, lute;Alexander Weimann, organ)ATMA Classique ACD 2 225954:57 minutes

While many of the better-knownFrench masters who flourished dur-ing the reign of Louis XIV wereattached, in one way or another, to

the court,there was anactive musicalworld in theFrenchprovinces.PierreBouteiller(1655-1717),

the subject of this recording, wasmusic director at the Cathedral ofTroyes (1687) and held a similar postin Châlons-sur-Marne (1694).Bouteiller eventually made his wayto Paris and composed a Te Deumto commemorate the birth of LouisXIV’s first great grandson, a workthat was premiered at the church of

recordingreviewsEdited by Craig Zeichner

14 Summer 2007 Early Music America

Saint-Leu-et-Saint Gilles in 1704.What we have left from Bouteiller’spen are 13 petits motets and aMissa pro defunctis.

Five of Bouteiller’s motets areheard here. These are excellentworks, highly expressive and gener-ous to the voice. They feature someunusual scoring: instead of the typi-cal treble instruments accompanyingthe voice, Bouteiller calls for two vio-las da gamba. In each of the motets,Suzie LeBlanc’s lovely high sopranoand the reedy tenor of Stephan VanDyck blend beautifully with the gor-geous gambas of Susie Napper andMargaret Little.

Bouteiller’s Missa pro defunctisisn’t as engaging as his motets.The work, a blend of the old styleand the new, has a serene beautythat is marvelously served by all theperformers, but it doesn’t capturethe listener’s heart and soul in thesame manner.—Craig Zeichner

Luigi CherubiniRequiemBoston Baroque, Martin Pearlman, directorTelarc CD-8065848:33 minutesDeath and things funereal is the

theme of this latest recording byMartin Pearlman and the BostonBaroque. The cornerstone piece isthe Requiem in C minor by LuigiCherubini (1760-1842), a piececommissioned by the restoredFrench monarchy to accompany theproper burial of Louis XVI and MarieAntoinette at St. Denis on January21, 1817—the anniver-sary of theirexecution.Having justbeen dis-missed fromthe Conserva-toire due to budget cuts, Cherubinihad been named superintendent ofthe Royal Chapel, and this amazingchoral interpretation of the Mass forthe Dead quickly solidified his posi-tion. One of the many composerswho held it in high esteem was Lud-wig van Beethoven (1770-1827);hence, it is fitting that Pearlman andcompany also perform that compos-er’s Elegiac Song, Op. 118. Cherubi-ni’s Marche funèbre of 1820, with

its dramatic use of percussion,rounds out this superb recording.

Pearlman carefully guides hismusicians and singers (all chorus, asCheru bini set no solos in thisrequiem) through all of the colorsand dynamic nuances of the score.Most noteworthy is the Dies Irae,which, as Pearlman’s notes suggest,must have frightened the originalaudience witnessing its premiere inthe royal crypt.

Those who enjoy Mozart’sRequiem will undoubtedly find thiscomposition, which comes a mere25 years later, an intriguing bridgebetween 18th- and 19th-centurycompositional styles. And listenerswill find no better introduction to Cherubini’s Requiem—or to theother selections on this disc—than these performances by theBoston Baroque.—Denise Gallo

Jacob Clemens non Papa Missa Gaude lux Donatianeand MotetsThe Choir of The Church of theAdvent, Edith Ho, music director,Ross Wood, associate conductorARSIS CD 16066:41 minutes

Jacob Clement—better known asJacob Clemens non Papa (c.1510-c.1555/56)—was one of the mostprolific Netherlandish composers ofsacred music in the late Renaissance.His masses, motets, and settings ofDutch psalm texts far outnumber hissecular works. On their latest record-ing, the Choir of The Church of theAdvent, under the direction of EdithHo and associate conductor RossWood, perform four settings of Latinmotets and Clemens’s fifth mass,Missa Gaude lux Donatiane, whichhe composed for the Church of St.Donatian in Bruges.

Don’t be fooled by the label“church choir”: these are profession-al singers (17, to be exact) who per-form this repertoire with utmost easeand historical integrity. They demon-strate a confidence with scores that

would chal-lenge lessersingers whofind safety innumbers, forClemens fre-quentlybreaks the

RECORDINGreviews

Early Music America Summer 2007 15

We’re21We’re21

Our 21st Season

Let’sParty!

Let’sParty!

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– 2007 –Oct 19 (F) 7:30 – UWM Zelazo CenterThe King’s Noyse – “Festival España”

The Musical Salads of Mateo Flecha (1481-1553)

Nov 17 (Sa) 5:00 – All Saints’ CathedralNov 18 (Su) 3:00 – Luther Memorial (Madison)*Ensemble La Rota – “Heu, Fortuna Subdula”

French Secular Music before Machaut

Dec 15 (Sa) – 5:00 – St. Joseph Center ChapelSan Antonio Vocal Arts Ensemble

– “La Noche Buena”The first Christmas music composed

in the New World

– 2008 –Feb 2 (Sa) 5:00 – All Saints’ Cathedral

Feb 3 (Su) 3:00 – Luther Memorial (Madison) *Azéma & Kammen – “Chanterai por mon courage”

Spiritual Renewal in the Time of the Crusades

Mar 8 (Sa) 5:00 – UWM Zelazo CenterHesperus - “Shameless Commerce”

Musical Merchandising in Renaissance England

May 2 (Sa) 5:00 – Wisconsin Lutheran CollegeRenaissonics – “Beltane: The Witches’ Sabbath”

Renaissance Rites of Spring

* in collaboration with the Madison Early Music Festival

vocal sections into groupings such asSAATB. Do the math and one seesthat this group is working in somecases with two or three to a part;indeed, in the Agnus Dei of theMass, the bassi are divided, leavingone of the men alone—but ably so—throughout the movement.

The choir’s elegant interpretationof this flowing polyphony is demon-strated throughout the five sectionsof the Mass. Perhaps most notableof the motets is the narrative “MariaMagdalene et altera Maria,” whichrecounts the two women’s discoveryof Christ’s empty tomb. Under itsdirector, this fine choir makes plainthe Renaissance origins of Clemens’smass while skillfully demonstratinghow his motets foreshadow themelodic lines and harmonies of anage yet to come.—Denise Gallo

François FrancoeurAmans, voulez-vous être heureux?Isabelle Desrochers, soprano; Mira Glodeanu, violin; Ausonia,Frédérick Haas, directorAlpha 07672.01 minutes

François Francoeur (1698-1787),by turns precocious violinist, respect-ed opera composer, music master,and director of l’Académie Royale deMusique, entered that royal institu-tion as a budding youth of 15. Hewas to be a principal player in theFrench music scene for the next half-century. Theobscurity towhich hismusic hasbeen con-signed isscant reflec-tion of theesteem in which it was held by hiscontemporaries. This excellentrecording explores in equal measurethe works devoted to his choseninstrument, the violin, and to his pre-ferred field of enterprise, the opera.

Francoeur’s music for opera,while making concessions to theItalian influence then permeatingFrench music, follows unmistakablythe path set by Lully. As a vocalcomposer, he shows a flair for intox-icatingly sensuous turns of phrase—from the languorous “Loin de noscoeurs les tristes plaintes,” tingedwith a wistful melancholy, to thedecidedly voluptuous “Que dans ceséjour, nos transports paroissent.” Inthese arias, we encounter a compos-er of exquisite delicacy, eschewingextremes of rhetoric and virtuosity

for an elegance achieved with greateconomy of means—material forwhich Isabelle Desrochers’s warmsoprano seems ideally suited.

Francoeur was one of the earlyinnovators of French violin playing,introducing techniques that allowedfor the exploitation of an expandedrange of sound, especially in thehigher register. Energetic and highlyvirtuosic, his music for violin shareswith his vocal music a fluid lyricism.Mira Glodeanu’s vibrant perform-ance on the violin is grounded byAusonia’s lush, sonorous continuoplaying throughout. —Berna Can

Johann Jacob FrobergerToccatas and PartitasSergio Vartolo, harpsichordNaxos 8.557472-73112:04 minutes (2 CDs)

Johann Jacob Froberger (1616-1667) was a man of the world. Or,more precisely, a man of Europe.Froberger’s early studies were inVienna, but it was a trip to Italy andstudies in Rome with Girolamo Fres-cobaldi that left an indelible markon the com-poser’s key-board works.Frobergerabsorbed theclassic Fres-cobaldianstyle andbecame acrucial link between the Romanmaster and a new German keyboardstyle. Froberger’s travels also tookhim to France, and it was there thathe found the inspiration for hissuites and character pieces, such ashis famous Tombeau fait à Paris surla mort de Monsieur Blancheroche,written in Paris in 1652.

The Italian harpsichordist SergioVartolo serves up a good samplingof Froberger’s Italian works, toccatasfrom 1649 and 1656 collections,and his French works, suites andcharacter pieces. Vartolo is a stellarperformer and makes a great casefor these works, which can soundrather soporific in lesser hands.

The toccatas are very much inthe Frescobaldian style, and Vartolo,playing a copy of a 17th-centuryItalian instrument, excels in thismusic. He is fluidity personified inthe arpeggiated passages that openthe works, and for sheer thrills youcould hardly do better than sam-pling the big concluding cadenza ofthe Toccata XII from the 1656 vol-ume. For the French works, he playsan original (maker unidentified) late

17th-century two-manual Frenchharpsichord. Vartolo draws lots ofcolor from the instrument and, cou-pled with his highly expressive play-ing, makes the Blancheroche pieceand the Ferdinand III lamentationhigh points of the CD. —Craig Zeichner

George Frideric HandelConcerti grossi, Op. 3; Sonata à 5Academy of Ancient Music, Richard Egarr, director Harmonia Mundi HMU 90741568:04 minutes

Yes, George Frideric Handel’sopus 3 Concerti grossi have beentreated as something of an uglystepchild when compared to

his morefamous opus 6 set.Perhaps it’sthe hazybusinessethics of thecomposer’s

publisher, John Walsh, who, somewould argue, published and adver-tised these works without Handel’sknowledge. Or perhaps it’s the self-borrowing Handel (1685-1759)does throughout. Ultimately, itdoesn’t matter because, after hear-ing this superb recording by theAcademy of Ancient Music underthe direction of keyboardist RichardEgarr, you will be won over to thesefine works and respond to the ethical questions with a big “Who cares?”

These are terrific pieces filledwith virtuoso instrumental writingthat for sheer color, creativity, andvitality almost rival Bach’s Branden-burg Concertos or Vivaldi’s Concerticon molti istromenti. The craftyinterplay between instruments isone of the glories of the opus. Forexample, there’s the dance of oboesand strings in the first concerto’senergetic opening movement, andthen the gorgeous swim the oboestake with the recorders in the sec-ond movement. Another example isthe beautiful blend of all instru-ments in the fugal second move-ment of the fifth concerto. Soloturns are also stellar moments, withtop honors to Rachel Brown’s flute,Pavlo Beznosiuk’s violin, and Egarr’simprovisatory turn on organ in the

sixth concerto. Egarr also spear-heads a continuo team that is bothinnovative and lively. Topping it offis the detailed and rich recordedsound, typical of what we expectfrom Harmonia Mundi. Hopefully,this is the start of more Handelfrom the Academy, perhaps even aset of the organ concertos withEgarr as soloist?—Craig Zeichner

Antonio Soler5 Villancicos (1769)María Luz Álvarez, Raquel Andueza,sopranos; Jordi Domènech,countertenor; Joan Cabero, tenor;Escolanía del Real Monasterio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial; Lyra Baroque Orchestra,Jacques Ogg, organ, directorGlossa GCD 922004Available from www.lyrabaroque.org

Composing villancicos for Christmas and other high feast dayswas one of the responsibilitiesassumed by Antonio Soler (1729-1783) when he became maestro decapilla at the royal monastery of SanLorenzo de El Escorial. Soler wroteabout seven villancicos a year, andfor 1769, the year of this record-ing’s focus, 12 exist in the Escorialarchive. Five for Christmas are inter-spersed with the appropriate chanthymns, psalms, antiphons, andreadings on this recording, whichattempts to re-create the Christmasoffices at the Escorial.

Soler’s villancicos are scored forvarious combinations of voices, soloand choral, and instruments, usuallyviolins and continuo. There is lots of

chant on thisrecording,and while itis marvelous-ly sung and,to a degree,interestingfor thoseespecially

fascinated by liturgical practices ofthe period, it does provide some-thing of a distraction from Soler’sfine villancicos.

The villancicos are colorful worksand varied in tone. The humor thatanimates “Gileta y Pascuala” and“De un cojo y un ciego” would notbe out of place in the opera house.The former is a dialogue on thebirth of the savior between a

sophisticated lady and a dunce, thelatter features a lame and blindman seeking health from the holyinfant. Sopranos María Luz Álvarezand Raquel Andueza are marvelousin both—and are the strongestsoloists throughout. The finest ofthe villancicos, and one more seri-ous in tone, is “Pastorcillos deBelén,” a larger-scale work withrecitatives, arias, a minuet, andsome interesting instrumental writ-ing. This is a real find.

The performances are mostlyacceptable to excellent. As men-tioned earlier, the sopranos are themost secure of the solo singers andtheir contributions are delights. The same can be said for the LyraBaroque Orchestra, who add a levelof passion and polish throughout.High marks to the consistently finestring playing and the excellentflutes in the dramatic “Ángel, SanJosé y Nuestra Señora.” The choralsinging, however, is disappointingbecause of an overall lack of articu-lation and balance. In sum, this is an interesting but somewhat flawedrecording that still has enough top-quality music to be worth your attention. —Craig Zeichner

Georg Philipp TelemannThe Virtuoso GodfatherCharivari AgréableSignum Classics SIGCD08674:29 minutes

The putative raison d’être for thisrecording is the curious fact thatGeorg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767) stood as godfather for twoyounger composers, Georg PhilippKress (1719-1779) and Carl PhilippEmmanuel Bach (1714-1788). Well,perhaps not so curious, in view ofthe close relations many North German composers had with oneanother. J.S. Bach and Telemannwere professionally very close, with a great mutual regard. About Tele-mann’s association with the Kressfamily, on the other hand, very littleis known. In fact, very little is knownabout G.P. Kress himself; he wasapparently a quite successful violinistand a less successful composer.

He is represented here by twocharming trios. Telemann has twoquartets and two sonatas, plus a selection of virtuosic viola dagamba solos from Der getreue

Music-Meister. Perhaps the mostsurprising pieces on the CD are by,unsurprisingly, the idiosyncraticC.P.E. Bach. One is a beautifulArioso for violin (here, a viol substi-tutes) andharpsichord,the other, adelicatelycaptivatingFantasia onthe chorale“Jesu meinesLebensLeben.”

Oxford-based Charivari Agréableis becoming its own institution,with a summer festival, an orches-tra, and an expanding list of musi-cal publications. Artistic directorSusanne Heinrich is here especiallycompelling on the quinton (a violin-like treble viol) in the C.P.E. Bach.She shares the viola da gambaduties with Reiko Ichise. Unfortu-nately, we are not told who playsin what track, even in the Tele-mann solos. Rachel Moss bringssharpness and clarity to herBaroque flute parts, even in thelower registers. Music director Kah-Ming Ng provides quite inven-tive continuo parts. He also wrotethe informative and lively, if rambling, program notes. —Stephen Dydo

Early Music America Summer 2007 17

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Continued on page 60

60 Summer 2007 Early Music America

Strings & Early Winds Moder n / Baroque Strings

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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.

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.

COLLECTIONS

Giovanni Maria Bononcini& Henry Purcell

Sonate À Tre – Sonattas of III PartsJaap Schröder, violin; The ArcadiaPlayers Trio (Dana Maiben, violin;Alice Robbins, cello, viol; Margaret Irwin-Brandon,harpsichord, organ)Fuga Libera FUG 51475:19 minutes

In the introduction to his 1683set of trio sonatas, Henry Purcell(1659-1695) wrote that he “faith-fully endeavor’d a just imitation of

the mostfam’d Italianmasters.”Just whomwas Purcellimitating?It’s anintriguing

question, and it’s likely he was look-ing back to an older generation ofItalian composers, one of whommight have been the Modenese vio-linist-composer, Giovanni MariaBononcini (1642-1678). This record-ing by the Dutch violinist JaapSchröder and The Arcadia PlayersTrio features the trio sonatas ofboth composers.

In a recording that attempts toconnect some of the dots betweentwo composers, the listener asks:were they connected and did theyshare any musical similarities?Schröder suggests that sinceBononcini was violinist at the Estecourt and Maria Este eventually mar-ried the Duke of York (the futureKing James II), it is possible that Pur-cell discovered Bononcini’s worksamong publications being sold byEnglish booksellers (Italian musicwas a big seller). Musically, bothcomposers were fond of contrapun-tal writing, and it’s a device that isfound throughout their works onthis recording.

This is a well-performed CD. Violinists Schröder and DanaMaiben play beautifully together,and the support of Alice Robbins(cello and viol) and Margaret Irwin-Brandon (harpsichord and organ) isintuitive and tasteful. Comparingthe two composers? Purcell gets the

slight nod because there is a depthof feeling in his music that eclipsesBononcini. On the other hand, thereis melodic richness and flash aplentyin the Bononcini works. Either way,this is a fine recording, one wellworth your attention. —Craig Zeichner

Easter Sunday in ImperialVienna 1666Yale Schola Cantorum, Yale Collegium Players, Simon Carrington, directorRezound RZCD 501354:03 minutes

Antonio Bertali, the Verona-born kapellmeister to the HolyRoman Emperor Leopold I, is bestremembered for his instrumentalmusic. Bertali (1605-1669) wasdoubtlessly a gifted sacred musiccomposer: while he served at theViennese court, he was commis-sioned to compose the weddingmusic for the future Ferdinand IIIand a Requiem for Ferdinand II.Bertali’sMissa Resur-rectionis wasperformedon EasterSunday1666 and isone of adozen Bertalisettings that contain all five sec-tions of the Common of the Mass.

This is a splendid work with agrandeur that is perfectly suited toa celebration of the most sacred ofall Christian feast days. Paradoxical-ly, some of Bertali’s most fetchingwriting is for small groups of voices(usually pairs) supported by windsor strings. The Missa Resurrectionisis strong enough to stand on itsown, but what makes this anessential recording is the music byother composers that is inter-spersed, according to the customof the day, between the Massmovements. There are two sublimemotets by the North German com-poser Christian Geist (1640-1711),a magnificent sonata for trumpets,sackbuts, and strings by Pavel JosefVejvanovsky (c.1640-1693), and anorgan toccata by Johann JacobFroberger (1616-1667). Bertali’sinstrumental gifts are showcased

RECORDINGreviewsContinued from page 17

Early Music America Summer 2007 61

with sonatas for sackbut andstrings, as well.

The performances are A-level allthe way. Sopranos Abigail Haynesand Melissa Hughes sing beautifullyin the Geist motets, and the voicesof the Yale Schola Cantorum makestrong contributions throughoutwith their bright, youthful, andbeautifully balanced sound. Thehand of that choral magician,Simon Carrington, is in evidencehere. The instrumentalists areequally fine. While there are somescrappy bits of brass playing attimes (this is a warts-and-all liverecording), this recording does therarest of things: it recreates a cele-bratory feeling with the highest levels of musicianship and erudition. —Craig Zeichner

Music for ComplineStile AnticoHarmonia Mundi HMU 90741974:34 minutes

The Compline service is the lastof the daily monastic hours. It’s aservice of night prayer that mostlyconsists of psalms recited to plain-song tones, but it also contains anumber of responsories, antiphons,and a hymn. When a good choir isavailable, the office is sung poly-phonically. After the Reformationtook hold in England, the servicewas absorbed into Evensong. Whilethis recording focuses mostly onmusic written for Catholic choirs,some of it was written at a timewhen a Catholic was not on thethrone of England.

Despite the basic concept,which might be rather stolid in lesser hands, this is a richly variedand moving program. Music by two of the English Renaissance’s

shininggeniuses—Thomas Tallis(c.1505-1585) andWilliam Byrd(c.1540-1623)—takes

center stage, but the significantcontributions of the brilliant JohnSheppard (c.1515-1558), RobertWhite (c.1538-1574), and the little-known Hugh Aston (c.1485-1558)are ear-openers as well.

The quality of the performancesby Stile Antico is as good as any Ihave ever heard in this repertoire.Whether it’s the taut counterpointof Tallis’s “In pace in idipsum,” thesurprising dissonances and daring

harmonies in works by White andAston, or sonorous plainchant, theensemble sings with youthful vigor,clarity, balance, and beauty. This is amajor debut by an exciting ensem-ble of talented young singers whohave immediately staked a claim atthe very top of the heap.—Craig Zeichner

El Siglo de Oro: Chant and Polyphony of Renaissance SpainLionheartKoch KIC-CD-767660:08 minutes

I can’t think of another groupthat sings chant as lyrically as Lionheart. On so many other programs of chant and polyphony,you find yourself waiting for thegroup to get past the chant, whichsounds so thin, so you can hear the “good stuff.” But everything is the good stuff when these six men sing.

This CD features the Missa Ave Maria of Cristóbal de Morales(c.1500-1553) interspersed withmotets from Francisco Guerrero(1528-1599) and Gregorian chantsfor the Feast of the Annunciationfrom a 1557choral bookprinted in Salamanca.The motetsare almostall in Span-ish. It’s a sur-prising sound for the ears because this is, in many ways, music straight out of the Roman tradition. (Guerrerowas closely associated with thecathedral in his native Seville, butpublished much of his music in Italy.Both composers wrote for the Papal choir.)

What makes this Lionheart performance so good? Start withthe basics: articulation, blend, balance, tone, timing, changes inrhythm and tempo (often difficultones, because these are, after all,Spanish composers). They sing witha great sensitivity to the text. Andthen there are the intangibles. Thevoices are rich, lush, innately musi-cal—all without the kind of emotingthat would be inappropriate in thiscontext. There is a complexity ofsound in even the most simple,straightforward works—a complexitythat makes you want to listen againand again.—Beth Adelman