Performer: Jan Van Elsacker
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A Baroque Christmas
The celebration of the Nativity has always been a source of inspiration for composers. The different elements of the evangelical narrative evoke numerous images: tender feelings before the Baby Jesus; the gentleness of his mother, the Virgin Mary; the procession of the three Wise Men; the angelic choirs in Heaven; and these shepherds gathered in the manger. All that appears in the musical repertoire linked to this holiday, as well as the presence of colourful instrumentations and themes connected to folk traditions. This set, released by Ricercar, brings together all these elements, drawn from the repertoires of the Renaissance and Baroque eras.
Purcell: Serenading Songs & Grounds
This recording is the first by Ensemble La Fenice to feature English music of the 17th century and is dedicated, to give credit where credit is due, to Henry Purcell. It is above all an acoustic account of a number of concerts held in 2009, on the 350th anniversary of the composer's death. In response to invitations issued by the festivals Les Nuits Musicales d'Uzès, Festival de Lanvellec et du Trégor and during the course of the ensemble's first residency in Auxerre, Burgundy, the works were consequently performed in three different places with different acoustics. To incorporate the visual aspect, the TV station Mezzo made a video recording of pieces performed at the Festival de Beaune and the Festival de musique ancienne de Lyon.
Music in Germany from Schutz to Bach / Lejeune
Firenze 1616 / Dumestre, Le Poeme Harmonique
There are special problems of setting words to music which remain potent for composers of all times. Is the priority music or text? In a preface of 1605, Monteverdi contrasted prima prattica with seconda prattica. In the former, the word must subordinate itself to the music, with emotional compass limited by musical values. In the latter, things are the other way about (a bit of a simplification, but sound enough), even if the expressiveness of the text means an unevenness in balance and harmony. Monteverdi’s Orfeo exemplifies seconda prattica. So too, in its own way, does Belli’s L’Orfeo Dolente, of 1616, the main piece on this recording, supplemented by extracts from contemporary works.
Belli’s work is not an opera in the sense that Monteverdi’s Orfeo is. Rather, it has the character of incidental music to Tasso’s play, Arminta, a set of numbers to draw out and heighten the key moments of the drama. The text of these verses is not by Tasso, but by Gabriello Chiabrera. Belli is today not well-known, but he was clearly a composer of distinctive voice; he worked at the Florentine Basilica of San Lorenzo from 1610 until 1613.
But this music is not just a piece of archaeological interest; it stands on its own very well in performances as varied, as musical and attractive as those on this disc. Singers are uniformly fine, both individually and in ensemble, with good diction and security of tone. Performances are informed, both musically and historically, as one would expect from such fine musicians.
– MusicWeb International (MusicWeb International)
