{"id":19760,"date":"2022-10-04T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-10-03T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/?post_type=purple_issue&#038;p=19760"},"modified":"2022-10-06T11:46:00","modified_gmt":"2022-10-06T09:46:00","slug":"choral-song-reviews","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/2022\/10\/04\/choral-song-reviews\/","title":{"rendered":"Choral &#038; song reviews"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2>Choral &amp; song <\/h2>\n\n<section class=\"wp-block-uagb-section uagb-section__wrap uagb-section__background-color uagb-block-03fb73a2-802a-420f-9670-044f4217a96d\"><div class=\"uagb-section__overlay\"><\/div><div class=\"uagb-section__inner-wrap\">\n<h4 class=\"article-full-subhead has-ccp-primary-dark-background-color has-text-color has-background\" style=\"color:#ffffff\">CHORAL &amp; SONG CHOICE<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h3>Brahms with character and chemistry<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-size:22px\">Anna Lucia Richter and Ammiel Bushakevitz are a delight, says <em><strong>Natasha Loges <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"no-tts wp-block-image alignwide size-large article-in-image photo\"><img src=\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/annaluciarichter_KaupoKikkas_cmyk-1024x945.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-20193\"\/><figcaption><strong>Multidimensional sound:<\/strong> Anna Lucia Richter shows effortless vocal control <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p> <img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" class=\"wp-image-20192\" style=\"width: 200px;\" src=\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/PTC5186986_Brahms_cmyk.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/PTC5186986_Brahms_cmyk.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/PTC5186986_Brahms_cmyk-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/PTC5186986_Brahms_cmyk-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/PTC5186986_Brahms_cmyk-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/PTC5186986_Brahms_cmyk-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/PTC5186986_Brahms_cmyk-1536x1536.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" \/><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span class=\"has-inline-color has-ccp-primary-dark-color\">Brahms<\/span> <\/strong><br><strong>Lieder<\/strong> <br>Anna Lucia Richter (soprano), Ammiel Bushakevitz (piano) <br><em>Pentatone PTC 5186 986 58:08 mins <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It takes a brave soul to release an all-Brahms song recording \u2013 Brahms himself discouraged the performance of more than a few of his songs in a concert \u2013 but Anna Lucia Richter and Ammiel Bushakevitz do such a fine job, surely even he would have approved. Mostly established favourites from both the art- and folksongs, the programme is nicely linked by harmonic and textural relationships. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">The lower female voice was Brahms\u2019s favourite vocal type, and Richter\u2019s has a warmly sensual sound which is multidimensional without heaviness, with impressively effortless breath control. Together with Bushakevitz\u2019s expressive, energetic and flexible piano-playing, on a bright, active instrument, <span>they make delightful musical chemistry, jointly crafting confident, exuberant characters in compelling technicolour performances.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-text-align-center is-style-large\"><p><span class=\"has-inline-color has-ccp-primary-dark-color\">Bushakevitz\u2019s playing is expressive, flexible and energetic <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">They take risks, too, for example with an extraordinarily, sublimely slow and sultry opening to the erotic \u2018Unbewegte laue Luft\u2019. Not all will be persuaded, but I was. The minor-key folksongs achieve heart-rending plangency, but also humour and defiance. The urgent, clattery motherdaughter dialogue \u2018Liebestreu\u2019 offers insights into both characters\u2019 emotional worlds. The elusive \u2018Geheimnis\u2019 feels perfectly paced and dreamlike. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">These musicians have a dynamic understanding of text, and find the right balance between architectural sweep, fidelity to notated details and freedom, imagination and flexibility. While they offer no repertoire discoveries, this is a fine and persuasive account, with excellent liner notes by Richter herself, and generous recorded sound. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\"><strong>PERFOMANCE <\/strong><span class=\"has-inline-color has-ccp-primary-dark-color\">\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605 <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\"><strong>RECORDING <\/strong><span class=\"has-inline-color has-ccp-primary-dark-color\">\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605 <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n<div class=\"no-tts wp-block-image article-in-image photo\"><figure class=\"no-tts alignleft is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/5e434ddb-d73e-43db-bdb6-1fab12f2ac55.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-19749\" width=\"170\" height=\"170\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/5e434ddb-d73e-43db-bdb6-1fab12f2ac55.jpg 227w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/5e434ddb-d73e-43db-bdb6-1fab12f2ac55-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 170px) 100vw, 170px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<p><strong><span class=\"has-inline-color has-ccp-primary-dark-color\">JS Bach <\/span><\/strong><br><strong>Cantatas, BWV 78, 96, 100, 122, 127, 130 and 180 <\/strong><br>Hannah Morrison (soprano), Marion Eckstein (alto), Georg Poplutz (tenor), Tobias Berndt, Daniel Ochoa (bass); Chorus Musicus K\u00f6ln; Das Neue Orchester\/Christoph Spering <br><em>DHM 19658710832 127:34 mins (2 discs) <\/em><\/p>\n\n<p>As this selection from the 1724\/25 cantata cycle proclaims, Christoph Spering is a conductor with firm opinions when it comes to JS Bach. Not for him the one-to-a-part premise. His choir musters 20 singers; and, detecting a Bachian preference for \u2018bass-heavy <span>textures\u2019, he adds a contrabassoon to the instrumental forces \u2013 though he notes that the instrument didn\u2019t become available to Bach until the late 1730s. Organ and harpsichord are prominent; and the concluding chorales flaunt a portentous pause at the end of each line. Perhaps he finds the current approach to the choral works overly light. Whatever the case, there are moments when it\u2019s as if the clock has been turned back to the 1960s and the soundworld of Karl Richter as mediated through period instruments.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">Cantata 78 doesn\u2019t start well. Despite vivid imagery, the words are rather left to fend for themselves, Spering\u2019s focus being on a somewhat all-consuming contrapuntal clarity. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">But the ensuing duet for soprano and alto is spritely and light on its feet, and across all seven cantatas the solo singing is mostly beguiling, the obligato playing utterly seductive. (BWV 100, incidentally, is an interloper since it dates from a decade later.) The opening chorus of Cantata 127 is particularly sumptuous, while the rich trumpetsand-drums jubilation of Cantata 130 is thrilling, the chorale cantus firmus ringing out with clarion resolve, the busy counterpoint buzzingly alive. For those who like their Bach \u2018full fat\u2019 yet with period instruments, this cornucopia of cantata treasures might be just the ticket. <em>Paul <\/em><em>Riley <\/em><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\"><strong>PERFORMANCE <\/strong>\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\"><strong>RECORDING <\/strong>\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n<div class=\"no-tts wp-block-image article-in-image photo\"><figure class=\"no-tts alignleft is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/bf18cece-d905-4bf7-8e7e-e784b4272809.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-19750\" width=\"170\" height=\"170\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/bf18cece-d905-4bf7-8e7e-e784b4272809.jpg 227w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/bf18cece-d905-4bf7-8e7e-e784b4272809-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 170px) 100vw, 170px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<p><span class=\"has-inline-color has-ccp-primary-dark-color\"><strong>Hahn \u2022 Saint-Sa\u00ebns <\/strong><\/span><br><strong>Hahn: <\/strong>\u00c0 la lumi\u00e8re; Chansons et madrigaux \u2013 selection, etc.<strong> Saint-Sa\u00ebns:<\/strong> Des pas dans l\u2019all\u00e9e etc <br>Accentus\/Christophe Grapperon; Elo\u00efse Bella Kohn (piano) <br><em>Alpha Classics ALPHA 864 53:23 mins <\/em><\/p>\n\n<p>Mention Saint-Sa\u00ebns or Reynaldo Hahn and secular choral music is unlikely to spring to mind. As is clear, though, from this enchanting new collection, both composers are typically adroit. Mostly for a cappella voices, these pieces were generally written for the amateur singing societies that arose in 19th-century France, or the choral <span>ensembles formed by enthusiasts frequenting Parisian salons. The ever-shifting, rich harmonies of the title work, Hahn\u2019s <\/span><em>\u00c0 la lumi\u00e8re, <\/em><span>are testament that writing for amateurs meant a lack neither of challenge nor musical quality (how come this has never been recorded before?).<\/span><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">Nonetheless, it is luxury casting to hear works that could grace many local choirs sung by Accentus under Christophe Grapperon and, a couple of minor imprecisions aside, the results are ravishing. The sustained reverie of Saint-Sa\u00ebns\u2019s \u2018Calme des nuits\u2019, with its spine-tingling anchoring of the word \u2018profonde\u2019, is mesmerisingly and daringly sustained. By contrast, swinging tankards can be sensed in the men\u2019s vigorous romp through \u2018Saltarelle\u2019 with its youthful bluster and bravado. A less rambunctious carefree spirit pervades Hahn\u2019s \u2018Les Fourriers d\u2019\u00e9t\u00e9\u2019, a perfect foil for the deeply affecting, and aptly titled, \u2018Pleurez avec moi\u2019 (Weep with me). Piano underpins the final three Hahn songs, the aged-oak spirit of the introduction and postlude to the effulgent \u2018Le jour\u2019 reminiscent of the incomparable \u2018A chloris\u2019. Elo\u00efse Bella Kohn deftly judges the textures, not least the glistening shimmer in \u2018Aubade Ath\u00e9nienne\u2019, providing a radiant conclusion to an enchanting album. <em>Christopher Dingle <\/em><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\"><strong>PERFORMANCE <\/strong>\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\"><strong>RECORDING <\/strong>\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n<div class=\"no-tts wp-block-image article-in-image photo\"><figure class=\"no-tts alignleft is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/2fbea627-de63-44a8-b674-0bacc3425014.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-19751\" width=\"170\" height=\"170\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/2fbea627-de63-44a8-b674-0bacc3425014.jpg 227w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/2fbea627-de63-44a8-b674-0bacc3425014-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 170px) 100vw, 170px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<p><strong><span class=\"has-inline-color has-ccp-primary-dark-color\">Handel<\/span><\/strong> <br><strong>Chandos Anthems <br><\/strong>Florie Valiquette (soprano), Nicholas Scott (tenor); <br>Marguerite Louise Choir &amp; Orchestra\/Ga\u00e9tan Jarry (organ) <br><em>Ch\u00e2teau deVersailles CVS072 64:33 mins <\/em><\/p>\n\n<p>Putting aesthetics first, director-organist Ga\u00e9tan Jarry creates his own period version of Handel\u2019s <em>Chandos Anthems. <\/em>Instead of Handel\u2019s chamber choir, Jarry has five vocalists on each part; instead of Handel\u2019s eight-instrument band, Jarry leads 17 period players; instead of a parish church, Jarry performs at the Royal Chapel of Versailles. The result is glorious. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">Jarry fundamentally rethinks <span>the original scores, as did indeed Handel. Tasked from 1717 by the Duke of Chandos to supply anthems, Handel briskly re-arranged his earlier compositions. Addressing this material, Jarry re-imagines <\/span><span>textures, playing the Versailles chapel\u2019s bright acoustic like an instrument. He makes Handel\u2019s strict counterpoint lyrical, with long phrases and enriched doubling of vocal lines. His hefty continuo section erupts suddenly at climaxes. The euphony he coaxes from solos shared by voice and instrument, and the contrasts he creates between movements \u2013 intimate versus grand; spiky versus serene; rollicking compound meter versus stately duple meter \u2013 are stunning.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">Solo vocalists enrich the mix: pure-toned Florie Valiquette brings vibrant colours to her sustained passages, and tenor Nicholas Scott pivots from chorister-style to bravura execution on demand. But all of Jarry\u2019s wizardry can\u2019t improve the organ voluntary he chose for his solo tracks \u2013probably not by Handel. <em>Berta Joncus <\/em><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\"><strong>PERFORMANCE <\/strong>\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\"><strong>RECORDING<\/strong> \u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n<div class=\"no-tts wp-block-image article-in-image photo\"><figure class=\"no-tts alignleft is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/7c80c9c1-8420-4e7b-8a72-f4bddb2fe3f0.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-19753\" width=\"170\" height=\"170\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/7c80c9c1-8420-4e7b-8a72-f4bddb2fe3f0.jpg 227w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/7c80c9c1-8420-4e7b-8a72-f4bddb2fe3f0-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 170px) 100vw, 170px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<p><strong><span class=\"has-inline-color has-ccp-primary-dark-color\">Haydn <\/span><\/strong><br><strong>Theresienmesse; Symphony No. 103, \u2018Drumroll\u2019 <\/strong><br>Mary Bevan (soprano), Catherine Wyn-Rogers (mezzo-soprano), Jeremy Budd (tenor), Sumner Thompson (baritone); Handel and Haydn Society\/Harry Christophers <br><em>CORO COR 16192 74:02 mins <\/em><\/p>\n\n<p>Haydn didn\u2019t offer much guidance as to how he wanted the sustained drumroll that famously begins his Symphony No. 103 played: there\u2019s no dynamic marking, and above and <span>below the notated timpani part he wrote the words \u2018solo\u2019 and \u2018intrada\u2019. On his 1987 recording with the Concertgebouw Orchestra the evercontroversial Nikolaus Harnoncourt took this as an invitation to let the timpanist loose on a cadenza, and Harry Christophers follows suit on this new version with the Handel and Haydn Society. Yet here is the most sombre and mysterious of all Haydn\u2019s symphonic slow introductions \u2013 it\u2019s hard to believe he wanted it prefaced with a f lamboyant improvisation. Moreover, the introduction unexpectedly returns in its original slow tempo just before the end of the <\/span><em>Allegro, <\/em><span>a dramatic coup whose effectiveness depends on the reappearance of the earlier passage just as it was at the beginning, so to introduce a different timpani solo here, as Christophers does, makes no sense. The performance is otherwise decent enough, if rather under characterised and lacking in energy at times.<\/span><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">Fortunately, the <em>Theresienmesse <\/em>fares considerably better, and Christophers uses his long experience in handling choral forces to good advantage. His soloists respond well, too, to such memorable moments as the austere beginning of the Agnus Dei, or the Et incarnatus est in the dark key of B flat minor, with its aching dissonances, and its low repeated trumpet notes sounding like barely suppressed sobs in the passage setting the words \u2018passus et sepultus\u2019. <em>Misha Donat <\/em><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\"><strong>PERFORMANCE <\/strong>\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\"><strong>RECORDING <\/strong>\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n<div class=\"no-tts wp-block-image article-in-image photo\"><figure class=\"no-tts alignleft is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/04adab53-6a84-4005-880d-7e98d5f22c64.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-19754\" width=\"170\" height=\"170\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/04adab53-6a84-4005-880d-7e98d5f22c64.jpg 227w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/04adab53-6a84-4005-880d-7e98d5f22c64-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 170px) 100vw, 170px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<p><strong><span class=\"has-inline-color has-ccp-primary-dark-color\">Lusitano<\/span><\/strong> <br><strong>Motets: <\/strong>Praeter rerum seriem; Emendemus in melius etc <br>The Marian Consort <br><em>Linn Records CKD694 68:20 mins <\/em><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">The Portuguese composer Vicente Lusitano is actually best known as a theorist. He not only published a treatise in 1551 but four years later got involved with a debate about the exact harmonic classification of a setting of <em>Regina <\/em><em>caeli <\/em>\u2013 which he won. These motets come from his <em>Liber <\/em><em>primus <\/em><em>epigramatum <\/em>(1555). <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">As we have come to expect from the Marian Consort singers, their performances are well tuned, with an assured grasp of style throughout and with the sense of direction compellingly sustained. <em>Salve Regina <\/em>and <em>Inviolata integra <\/em>are particularly poised, and musically owe a good deal to their being modeled on motets by the great Renaissance master Josquin des Prez. Some of the other pieces (Aspice <em>Domine) <\/em>are harmonically rather lame, and their musical ideas are repeated a little too often. In <em>Preater rerum <\/em>the details of the imitative exchanges between voices are sometimes obscured by an over-prominent second soprano, though the brightness of the texture is nicely enhanced by the upward transposition. The booklet describes Lusitano as \u2018the first published Black composer\u2019 though its difficult to be certain, and for what its worth the only reference to his being mixed race dates from 200 years after his death. <em>Anthony Pryer <\/em><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\"><strong>PERFORMANCE <\/strong>\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\"><strong>RECORDING <\/strong>\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"no-tts wp-block-image size-large article-in-image photo\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1923\" height=\"1083\" src=\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/09_Marian_NickRutter_cmyk-edited.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-20202\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/09_Marian_NickRutter_cmyk-edited.jpg 1923w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/09_Marian_NickRutter_cmyk-edited-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/09_Marian_NickRutter_cmyk-edited-1024x577.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/09_Marian_NickRutter_cmyk-edited-768x433.jpg 768w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/09_Marian_NickRutter_cmyk-edited-1536x865.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1923px) 100vw, 1923px\" \/><figcaption><strong>16th-century treasures:<\/strong> the Marian Consort is assured in Lusitano <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n<div class=\"no-tts wp-block-image article-in-image photo\"><figure class=\"no-tts alignleft is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/fd6306f7-58a0-4a59-8bc9-4939cc55e37c.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-19755\" width=\"170\" height=\"170\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/fd6306f7-58a0-4a59-8bc9-4939cc55e37c.jpg 227w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/fd6306f7-58a0-4a59-8bc9-4939cc55e37c-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 170px) 100vw, 170px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<p><strong><span class=\"has-inline-color has-ccp-primary-dark-color\">El Rebelde <\/span><\/strong><br><strong>Gabriela Lena Frank:<\/strong> Cantos de Cifar y el Mar Dulce; Las Cinco Lunas de Lorca*; Cuatro Canciones Andinas; <strong>Shostakovich:<\/strong> Spanish Songs <br>Andrew Garland (baritone), *Javier Abreu (tenor), Jeremy Reger (piano) <br><em>Art Song Colorado DASP 005 68:31 mins <\/em><\/p>\n\n<p>Composer Gabriela Lena Frank (b1972) has little time for stylistic boundaries or creative limits. A prodigious musical talent, Frank grew up with high-moderate\/near-profound hearing loss, and her music often explores&nbsp;<span>her rich and complex cultural heritage, particularly her Latin-American identity (her mother was of Peruvian and Chinese ancestry).<\/span><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">This fine recording features performances of great versatility and power from tenor Andrew Garland, ably supported by Jeremy Reger\u2019s accomplished pianism. The album opens with Frank\u2019s substantial song cycle, <em>Cantos <\/em><em>de <\/em><em>Cifar <\/em><em>y <\/em><em>el <\/em><em>Mar <\/em><em>Dulce <\/em>(Songs of Cifar and the Sweet Sea) which sets poems by Nicaraguan poet Pablo Antonio Cuadra recounting the adventures of the harp-playing sailor Cifar. The cycle includes a terrific variety of characters, moods and sonorities \u2013 from the shimmering heartache of \u2018En La Vela de angeilito\u2019 (At the wake of the little angel) to the playful extravagance of \u2018Me Diste ioh Dios! una Hija (You gave me, oh God!, a daughter) \u2013 and demands any number of vocal styles and theatrical flourishes, all of which are delivered with total conviction by Garland. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">Alongside this beguiling work comes Frank\u2019s <em>Cuatro <\/em><em>Canciones <\/em><em>Andinas <\/em>\u2013 four powerful settings of Quechua poetry \u2013 and <em>The <\/em><em>Five <\/em><em>Moons <\/em><em>of <\/em><em>Lorca <\/em>which sets a text by Nilo Cruz describing the death of Lorca (and here featuring a powerful performance from tenor Javier Abreu). An expressive account of Shostakovich\u2019s spare but characterful <em>Spanish <\/em><em>Songs <\/em>completes the disc. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">It is baffling that such a thoughtful recording should be accompanied by neither sleeve notes nor texts and translations, but this is otherwise an excellent album of depth and imagination. <em>Kate Wakeling <\/em><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\"><strong>PERFORMANCE <\/strong>\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\"><strong>RECORDING <\/strong>\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n\n<section class=\"wp-block-uagb-section uagb-section__wrap uagb-section__background-color uagb-block-0d3aefe2-4d95-4728-9f66-9e9a6166b2e9 article-boxout\"><div class=\"uagb-section__overlay\"><\/div><div class=\"uagb-section__inner-wrap\">\n<div class=\"no-tts wp-block-image article-in-image photo\"><figure class=\"no-tts alignright is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/bebabb44-dfff-4267-aab6-b47c22b35b8e.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-19757\" width=\"187\" height=\"271\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/bebabb44-dfff-4267-aab6-b47c22b35b8e.jpg 273w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/bebabb44-dfff-4267-aab6-b47c22b35b8e-207x300.jpg 207w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 187px) 100vw, 187px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"sans-serif article-subhead\">BACKGROUND TO\u2026 <\/h5>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"has-ccp-primary-dark-color has-text-color\">Shostakovich\u2019s <em>Spanish Songs <\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">Following her involvement in the January 1955 premiere of Shostakovich\u2019s song cycle <em>From <\/em><em>Jewish <\/em><em>Folk <\/em><em>Poetry, <\/em>Zara Dolukhanova approached the composer with a set of folk songs from Spain. Hoping for a similarly esoteric and evocative set of pieces to perform, the Armenian mezzo-soprano was rather disappointed with what Shostakovich delivered. His take on the songs, including \u2018Farewell, Granada\u2019 and \u2018Little stars\u2019, actually represent very straightforward arrangements of the original tunes. Dolukhanova quickly tired of them, though other singers were more than happy to take them on. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n<div class=\"no-tts wp-block-image article-in-image photo\"><figure class=\"no-tts alignleft is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/aaa0d06a-323d-4bc5-a770-c3667cfa5d12.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-19756\" width=\"170\" height=\"170\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/aaa0d06a-323d-4bc5-a770-c3667cfa5d12.jpg 227w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/aaa0d06a-323d-4bc5-a770-c3667cfa5d12-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 170px) 100vw, 170px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<p><strong><span class=\"has-inline-color has-ccp-primary-dark-color\">The Mysterious Motet Book of 1539 <\/span><\/strong><br><strong>Works by Arcadelt, Cad\u00e9ac, Ferrariensis, Gombert, Jhan, Lupi, Phinot, Sarton and Willaert <br><\/strong>Siglo de Oro\/Patrick Allies <br><em>Delphian DCD 34284 67:14 mins <\/em><\/p>\n\n<p>There are several reasons why this collection is called \u2018mysterious\u2019. It was published in Protestant Strasbourg but contains Catholic pieces, the items were sent from Milan Cathedral but we don\u2019t know why, it contains 38 motets (12 recorded here) some of them unknown from other sources, and some of the composers are little known or otherwise completely unknown elsewhere ( Johannes Sarton). In short, this is precisely the kind of innovative project Patrick Allies and the Siglo de Oro like to get their teeth into. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">In some ways the less complex pieces come off best. Maistre Jhan\u2019s <em>Pater <\/em><em>noster <\/em>is performed with balance and formal control, as is Arcadelt\u2019s <em>Dum <\/em><em>complerentur <\/em>with its arresting opening of high voices. The latter\u2019s text contains one of the few dramatic events (a heavenly storm) in these liturgical pieces, but the composer makes little of it, and this rather typically sets a challenge for the performers to give shape or direction to this music. Willaert\u2019s <em>Laetare <\/em><em>sancte <\/em><em>mater <\/em><em>on <\/em><em>Augustine <\/em><em>of <\/em><em>Hippo <\/em>for example, is given a lively performance, but the lower voices are not clearly articulated and the polyphony is made to roll on rather than develop with purpose or with identified and focused goals along the way. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">The big surprise here is the impressive quality of the Christmas piece <em>Haec Dies <\/em>by the otherwise unknown Joahannes Sarton and which attracts a commendably persuasive and alert interpretation &#8211; just one of many rare insights on this disc. All of the tracks are premiere recordings. <em>Anthony Pryer <\/em><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\"><strong>PERFORMANCE <\/strong>\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\"><strong>RECORDING <\/strong>\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n<div class=\"no-tts wp-block-image article-in-image photo\"><figure class=\"no-tts alignleft is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/a4ede965-9b77-47d2-96f7-930bd573bb1a.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-19758\" width=\"170\" height=\"170\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/a4ede965-9b77-47d2-96f7-930bd573bb1a.jpg 227w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/a4ede965-9b77-47d2-96f7-930bd573bb1a-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 170px) 100vw, 170px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<p><strong><span class=\"has-inline-color has-ccp-primary-dark-color\">Nisi Dominus <\/span><\/strong><br><strong>Langa: <\/strong>Gies\u00f9 diletto sposo;<strong> Locatelli: <\/strong>Sinfonia Funebre; <strong>Razzi:<\/strong> O Vergin Santa non m\u2019abbandonare; O dolcezza; <strong>Vivaldi: <\/strong>Nisi Dominus; Sinfonia in B minor, \u2018Al Santo Sepolcro\u2019 <br>Deborah Cachet (soprano), Eva Za\u00efcik (mezzo-soprano); Le Po\u00e8me Harmonique\/Vincent Dumestre <br><em>Alpha Classics ALPHA 724 58:31 mins <\/em><\/p>\n\n<p>This imaginatively assembled programme has unusual features. The musical sequence is irregular and somewhat amorphous, consisting of mid- 16th-century laude and early-to-mid-18th-century solo motets and concertos\/sinfonias. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">The laude, by Fra Serafino Razzi, a pioneer of the genre in the second half of the 16th century, and Francisco Soto de Langa, are in the popular styles of the time, notably the <em>villanella <\/em>and <em>canzonetta. <\/em>Their spirit is captured, with a degree of instrumental licence, by some fine, resonant singing, above all by Eva Za\u00efcik and Deborah Cachet. Za\u00efcik is the foremost beneficiary of the programme. Her clear mezzo-soprano voice, with its tonal purity, tightly controlled vibrato and fluent virtuosity serve Vivaldi\u2019s motets <em>Invicti <\/em><em>Bellate <\/em>and <em>Nisi <\/em><em>Dominus <\/em>very well. In both pieces she is rewardingly supported by the strings of Le Po\u00e8me Harmonique under the experienced and crisply articulated direction of Vincent Dumestre. It is, though, in Vivaldi\u2019s <em>Sinfonia <\/em><em>al <\/em><em>Santo <\/em><em>Sepolcro, <\/em>RV 169, and more extensively in Locatelli\u2019s <em>Sinfonia <\/em><em>Funebre <\/em>that these instrumentalists can be appreciated to their full and considerable advantage. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">While the relationship between all these pieces feels on occasion tenuous, their single intent, divine praise and the strengthening of faith is effectively realised by Dumestre and his stylistically accomplished <em>\u00e9quipe. <\/em><span>Recorded sound is excellent and the booklet contains full texts with English and French translations. The <\/span><em>Nisi Dominus, <\/em><span>with its tenderly played viola d\u2019amore accompaniment in the Gloria, and imaginative continuo realisation throughout, is one of the most beguiling performances that I know. <\/span><em>Nicholas Anderson<\/em><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\"><strong>PERFORMANCE <\/strong><span class=\"has-inline-color has-ccp-primary-dark-color\">\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/span><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\"><strong>RECORDING <\/strong><span class=\"has-inline-color has-ccp-primary-dark-color\">\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605 <\/span><\/p>\n\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n<div class=\"no-tts wp-block-image article-in-image photo\"><figure class=\"no-tts alignleft is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dj9jqhxgw9833.cloudfront.net\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/a44b6387-b061-4ac8-9cd2-b5a5df573fe9.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"no-tts wp-image-19759\" width=\"170\" height=\"170\" srcset=\"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/a44b6387-b061-4ac8-9cd2-b5a5df573fe9.jpg 227w, https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/a44b6387-b061-4ac8-9cd2-b5a5df573fe9-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 170px) 100vw, 170px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<p><strong><span class=\"has-inline-color has-ccp-primary-dark-color\">Psalms <\/span><\/strong><br><strong>Works by Attwood, Crotch, Gauntlett, Hemmings, Prendergast, Christopher Robinson, Whitlock et al <br><\/strong>Choir of St John\u2019s College, Cambridge\/ Andrew Nethsingha <br><em>Signum Classics SIGCD721 51:48 mins <\/em><\/p>\n\n<p>Why sing psalms when they can be said, or read? That is one of many questions addressed in the outstandingly informative booklet of this new St John\u2019s College recording, where director of music Andrew Nethsingha\u2019s essay is a potted masterclass in how psalms work as music, and why they matter. In performance \u2013 if that is the right word in a liturgical context \u2013 Nethsingha treats each psalm as a mini tone-poem of vocal affects, each line inflected in distinctive ways to elicit meaning and emotion from the biblical text. The 19 verses of Psalm 18, for example, are rich in local incident. The chant is Hine and Gauntlett\u2019s, and abrupt dynamic shifts contrast the howl of nature in verses 12-15 with the divine deliverance which follows. The vowel in \u2018breath\u2019 is expressively extended, and words like \u2018quaked\u2019 and \u2018shook\u2019 have their onomatopoeic consonants sharpened. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">There is a danger, of course, that too much pointing and parsing of text can sound pernickety. Nethsingha largely avoids this, and his insistence on crisp articulation pays major dividends in a feisty reading of Psalm 52, where the come-uppance of the boastful tyrant is relished by the St John\u2019s singers. <\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\">The sessions for this disc spanned four years, and it\u2019s a credit to Nethsingha\u2019s mentoring of the three organ scholars featured that their accompaniments are so consistently insightful. <em>Terry Blain <\/em><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\"><strong>PERFORMANCE <\/strong>\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"article-full-body sans-serif\"><strong>RECORDING <\/strong><span class=\"has-inline-color has-ccp-primary-dark-color\">\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605 <\/span><\/p>\n\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n<p><strong>You can access thousands of reviews from our extensive archive on the BBC Music Magazine website at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/\">www.classical-music.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"footer\">KAUPO KIKKAS, NICK RUTTER, GETTY<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Choral &amp; song JS Bach Cantatas, BWV 78, 96, 100, 122, 127, 130 and 180 Hannah Morrison (soprano), Marion Eckstein (alto), Georg Poplutz (tenor), Tobias Berndt, Daniel Ochoa (bass); Chorus Musicus K\u00f6ln; Das Neue Orchester\/Christoph Spering DHM 19658710832 127:34 mins (2 discs) As this selection from the 1724\/25 cantata cycle proclaims, Christoph Spering is a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":20193,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ub_ctt_via":"","purple_page_number":"96","purple_custom_meta_purple_page_number":"96","purple_seq_number":"1","purple_custom_meta_purple_seq_number":"1","purple_source_article":"article_96-1.xml","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_article":"article_96-1.xml","purple_source_issue":"November-2022","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_issue":"November-2022","purple_external_id":"November-2022-96-1","purple_custom_meta_purple_external_id":"November-2022-96-1","purple_issue_code":"|0000086188||","purple_custom_meta_purple_issue_code":"|0000086188||","purple_android_product":"com.im.bbcmusic.380","purple_custom_meta_purple_android_product":"com.im.bbcmusic.380","purple_ios_product":"com.im.bbcmusic.380","purple_custom_meta_purple_ios_product":"com.im.bbcmusic.380","purple_web_product":"","purple_custom_meta_purple_web_product":"","purple_publication_id":"5b9287a1-9911-4f59-a9d7-30a805560f3d","purple_migrated":"","kt_blocks_editor_width":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2022-10-06T09:46:12Z","apple_news_article-theme":"","apple_news_api_id":"ed367b68-bb76-4684-b4d5-5fe30e7fedf1","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2022-10-06T09:46:12Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAD\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/w==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/A7TZ7aLt2RoS01V_jDn_t8Q","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":true,"apple_news_is_preview":true,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_article_theme":"","apple_news_sections":"[]"},"categories":[19],"tags":[13],"apple_news_notices":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/annaluciarichter_KaupoKikkas_cmyk-e1664547008370.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"15","apple_news_title":""},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/annaluciarichter_KaupoKikkas_cmyk-e1664547008370.jpg",2000,1340,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/annaluciarichter_KaupoKikkas_cmyk-e1664547008370-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/annaluciarichter_KaupoKikkas_cmyk-e1664547008370-300x201.jpg",300,201,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/annaluciarichter_KaupoKikkas_cmyk-e1664547008370-768x515.jpg",768,515,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/annaluciarichter_KaupoKikkas_cmyk-e1664547008370-1024x686.jpg",800,536,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/annaluciarichter_KaupoKikkas_cmyk-e1664547008370-1536x1029.jpg",1536,1029,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2022\/09\/annaluciarichter_KaupoKikkas_cmyk-e1664547008370.jpg",2000,1340,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Choral &amp; song JS Bach Cantatas, BWV 78, 96, 100, 122, 127, 130 and 180 Hannah Morrison (soprano), Marion Eckstein (alto), Georg Poplutz (tenor), Tobias Berndt, Daniel Ochoa (bass); Chorus Musicus K\u00f6ln; Das Neue Orchester\/Christoph Spering DHM 19658710832 127:34 mins (2 discs) As this selection from the 1724\/25 cantata cycle proclaims, Christoph Spering is a&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19760"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19760"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19760\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21157,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19760\/revisions\/21157"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20193"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19760"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19760"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19760"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}