This special product is dedicated to the voice of soprano, the most emblematic of the lyrical art and features some of the leading sopranos from the Naive catalogue: Sandrine Piau, Patricia Petibon, Julia Lehneva, Felicity Lott, Karina Gauvin, Veronique Gens and Lucy Crowe.

Wedding Music - HANDEL, G.F. / MOZART, W.A. / BACH, J.S. / V

Edgar Barroso has been appointed to the 2015-18 National System of Art Creators of Mexico. His music has been performed throughout North America, South America, Asia, and Europe. He is the founder of the Open Source Creation Group, a group of Harvard Graduate and Undergraduate students who believe in trans disciplinary collaboration as the platform to enhance innovation and social integration. Barroso's music has garnered several awards including Grand Prize Winner of the Harvard University Live Electronics Int'l Composition Competition and the Young Creator Award (Mexico).

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Tenebrae return to the sublime music of Tomás Luis de Victoria on Signum with this recording of his timeless Tenebrae Responsories. The works mix the words of the Gospels with other texts commenting on collective suffering written around the 4th century, and would traditionally have been performed as part of a moving service in which candles are slowly extinguished to mark the progress and suffering of Christ that forms the Passion story.

TALLIS Missa Puer natus est. Salvator mundi. Quod chorus vatum. Benedictus. Magnificat a 4. Audivi vocem de caelo. Videte miraculum • Andrew Carwood, dir; The Cardinall’s Musick • HYPERION 68026 (67:39 Text and Translation)

MEDIEVAL CHANT AND TALLIS LAMENTATIONS • Nigel Short, dir; Tenebrae Consort • BENE ARTE 901 (65:23 Text and Translation)

This is the third disc in Andrew Carwood’s Tallis series. The first one marked his debut on Hyperion ( Fanfare 29:3), but now the next two have come in such quick succession (37:4 for the second one) that it seems as if he may be planning an alternative to Alistair Dixon’s set of the complete works on 10 Signum CDs (the ninth issue had an extra disc to get the overflow in). His favorite venue is Arundel Castle, probably for the historical significance of the recusant Catholic Duke of Norfolk’s estate as much as for the superb acoustics of Fitzalan Chapel, for he made his complete set of Byrd’s sacred music on 13 CDs there. The two recent discs each include a Mass, but this time he adds the chant introit for the third Mass of Christmas, though no Kyrie is supplied (Dixon included a Kyrie and a whole set of Mass Propers). Unlike Dixon’s homogeneous discs, Carwood offers more varied programming. The first disc had Latin-texted music, the longest being Gaude gloriosa (almost as long as a Mass). The second had more English-texted pieces than Latin to fill out the Mass. This one has mostly Latin works, including the two great gospel canticles, with only the Benedictus set in English.


Much as I have admired Alistair Dixon’s work, influenced certainly by the ambition of his project, Carwood has achieved a standing second to none among English vocal ensemble directors. That is saying a great deal, but in this field, it is crowded at the top, and each group will have its partisans. The Mass for Christmas of 1554 on this disc has attracted several recordings recently because of its connection with Queen Mary, whose presumptive “puer” (not the Christmas “Puer”) would have been the heir to the throne if he had been born. As it turned out, he was not even conceived. The closest competition in the Mass comes from the exquisite Stile antico (34:4), Peter Phillips, Harry Christophers, and Dixon’s volume 3 (21:6). Grant Llewellen (27: 5) is also good, though his choir is larger than these vocal ensembles. Reconstruction of the Mass parts started with David Wulstan (4:1; CD in 12: 1), but now this new entry must be considered in any comparison of the recordings.


The shorter works range from the familiar Videte miraculum to the seldom recorded Quod chorus vatum , though both belong to the feast of Candlemas. The latter was first recorded by Christopher Robinson (20:2) and is found now only in Dixon’s volume 4. Since Tallis wrote for both Catholic and Anglican liturgies, the juxtaposition of the English Benedictus followed by the Latin Magnificat must be a conscious effort to make the point. If this is indeed a new complete works in the making, it will be worthy of careful comparisons with Dixon’s set. Highly recommended.


The second disc consists of chant for Passiontide along with three polyphonic works: the two Lamentations of Thomas Tallis and the respond In manus tuas (I) by John Sheppard, all familiar on records, the last in Harry Christophers’s latest disc herewith. I have 21 recordings of the Lamentations dating back to the early 1950s, but the two Lamentations have never been coupled with chant responsories on record as here, though this practice has been adopted in settings of Lamentations by other Renaissance composers. Tallis made two Lamentations out of the text used in modern editions for the first Lamentation for Holy Thursday, the beginning of the Old Testament book.


This disc offers 40 minutes of chant to 25 minutes of polyphony, so the main interest is in Medieval Holy Week observances. The hymn Pange lingua for Good Friday (not the familiar text for Corpus Christi) begins the program—just four strophes and a doxology—followed by a complete Office of Compline because Sheppard’s responsory belongs to this Office, though it is placed further on. The responsories that follow the two Lamentations are In monte Oliveti and Tristis est anima mea ; the latter is from the familiar Tenebrae service but the former, oddly enough, is the variant version for Palm Sunday. The final track is a Holy Week chant that I have indexed on many recordings as Kyrie ... Qui passurus , found in several uses. Here it is titled a litany after Lauds of Holy Thursday, and may be a version from the Sarum use. Like many Holy Week chants, it is uniquely touching. The Tallis Lamentations, of course, are the featured tracks, as the disc title indicates, and they are sung elegantly. Nigel Short has given us some adroitly programmed discs, and this one is an original approach. You will know by now if this is for you, but I urge you to give it a chance.

FANFARE: J. F. Weber

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LASSUS Prophetiae Sibyllarum. Omnes de Saba. Jerusalem plantabis. Sidus ex claro veniens. Cum natus esset Jesus. Descendit sicut pluvia. Mirabile mysterium. Verbum caro. Jubilemus singuli. Resonet in laudibus • Manfred Cordes, dir; Weser-Renaissance Bremen • CPO 777468-2 (64:44 Text and Translation)


The Sibylline Prophecies constitutes one of the most familiar works of Lassus. I know of 11 previous recordings, including one that Alpha has not sent for review, and most recently Walter Testolin ( Fanfare 31:2) was praised for his interpretation. Like several other versions, this one offers one voice to a part, unaccompanied (except for a harp) like the last five issues. But in a program unlike any previous version, the movements are sung in pairs with a motet inserted after each pair to break up the sequence, and all the motets include an instrumental ensemble. The motets are set for five to eight voices, and the parts are distributed in various combinations among the six singers and seven players. At one end of the spectrum, Jerusalem plantabis and Descendit sicut pluvia have one singer and four players, while Sidus ex claro veniens has five singers with harp and Jubilemus singuli has six singers with harp. The others are more elaborate. All are Christmas motets complementing the theme of the prophecies, which were written in the composer’s time as a Humanist revival of the Classical pagan sibyls, who had long been seen as pagan prophets of the coming of Christ.


Manfred Cordes suggests in his notes that the chromaticism of the main work does not wear well, militating against listening straight through, hence his decision to insert the relief provided by the contrasting motets. This is a good notion and it distinguishes this set from the competition. The first and last motets are the most familiar, and Cum natus esset Jesus was on a Hilliard Ensemble disc, but the rest may possibly be first recordings. Cordes has been giving us a dependable run of recordings on this label, including a recent Lassus disc (31:1), so there are probably readers already prepared to grab this one. The singing and playing are admirable.


FANFARE: J. F. Weber

REVIEW:



The creation of music for this significant annual season has occupied composers of the 17th and 18th centuries in numerous ways involving not only liturgical works but also newly written cantatas or pastorales that focus upon both the nativity itself and the importance of the birth of Christ for humanity. In short, it is an inspirational time of year that seems tailor-made to write music of all types and varieties.

Neapolitan music of the early galant heralds the emerging Classical style, always lyrical, homophonic, and graced with contrasts that allow for emotions within the music to emerge. It is equally significant that Naples not only housed famous teachers in the conservatories, but that these taught and inspired men such as Cimarosa, Paisiello, and others, without whom Italian opera would be quite bereft. One such was Francesco Durante, who although he did not compose opera nonetheless left his mark on a huge number of people ranging from his protégé Giovanni Pergolesi to the aforementioned. It is good to see that his music, mostly written for the church, is undergoing somewhat of a rediscovery, for it represents a vital historical link in the development of Classical-period music. Durante began his career at the San Onofrio Conservatory in 1710 at the age of 26, and within 20 years was hailed as the foremost maestro in the city, although he was now at the Poveri di Gesù Cristo Conservatory. His third and final post was maestro at the Santa Maria Conservatory in 1742, meaning that he was active virtually everywhere in the city.

This disc presents one of his Christmas motets, Ad presepe venite, to which is added two Marian Magnificats, a litany, and a Mass that Durante labeled for some reason “Pastorale.” Of these, the motet is clearly the most advanced work, with oboes and horns that add a particular brightness to the sound in the first movement. This is a lilting pastoral Siciliano in 12/8 time, in which the soloists act as a chorus of the whole. The harmony is mainly triadic, but one can feel the bucolic nature of the work. The first aria, “Candida lumina,” has a soaring melodic line that contains extensive coloratura, with some nice register leaps. The central section seems a bit perfunctory, but that just outlines the faster portions all the better. The work concludes with a duet for alto and tenor, a solemn-paced pastoral movement that would not be out of place in Vivaldi, especially with some nicely pungent suspension. The two Magnificats are more conservative works, although the second, in C Minor, is a short, sweet chorus with only an organ continuo to back it up. This is clearly useful, meant for churches with little resources. The Mass has a wonderful chromatic line in the violin, and Durante makes good use of pedal points to anchor the sometimes angular choral writing.

The performance by Michael Willens and his Cologne Academy is excellent. He keeps the tempos moving along nicely, and the instruments phrase things quite sensitively. Roberta Mameli has a bright, clear voice, handling the various displays with little effort, such as the melismas of the “Candida Lumine” aria in the motet. In this same work, Ursula Eittinger blends well with tenor Andreas Post, although she often seems closer to an alto than a mezzo. Her voice is nicely resonant and has more depth than one might expect. Stephan McLeod also has some wonderful declamatory lines in the B♭-Major Magnificat. In short, this is a recording that not only continues Willens as one of the premier Baroque/Classical interpreters, it also offers a crucial and well-performed insight into a composer who is only now beginning to be recognized for his impact on the development of the Classical style. My only moment of surprise is that only the motet actually incorporates the oboes and horns; surely a selection of Durante’s music can be found to make more use of these instruments. Still, this comes highly recommended.

-- Fanfare

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Import Hybrid-SACD pressing.

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Along with his prestigious position of first organist of the San Marco in Venice, composer Claudio Merulo (1533-1604) also composed outstanding keyboard music, masses, motets, and madrigals. Merulo’s Motets are featured on this new release. These works show his innovation with their linguistic freedom not typical of the High Renaissance motets. Conducted by Mauro Marchetti, the Italian Modus Ensemble is accompanied by historical instruments: the viola da gamba, violone, theorbo, and organ.

� As Brigham Young University's newest official a cappella group, Byu Noteworthy is a nine-voice, all-female ensemble that seeks to entertain and uplift audiences worldwide. � Over the past decade the group has produced highly acclaimed recordings, toured throughout the United States, appeared on NBC's "The Sing-Off," and won the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella. � The thirteen tracks on the a capella group's eponymously titled album feature a range of contemporary popular material written or co-written by Freddie Mercury ("Crazy Little Thing Called Love"), Annie Lennox ("Into The West"), and Beyonc� ("Listen) to a Bulgarian Folk Song ("Ergen Deda") as well as songs more properly appropriate to those of Mormon background and faith.

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