In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

Notes 58.4 (2002) 901-906


[Access article in PDF]

Sound Recording Reviews

Rick Anderson

Nicolas Gombert. Magnificats 1-4. Tallis Scholars/Peter Phillips. Gimell CDGIM 037, 2001.

Following a brief sojourn in the ever-expanding Universal universe as a subsidiary of the Philips label, the Gimell imprint has returned to the independent fold and appears to be back to business as usual—for which all lovers of Renaissance polyphony can be enduringly grateful. The latest entry in a long and praiseworthy catalog of recordings by Peter Phillips's Tallis Scholars is this compact disc, the first of two planned releases that will present the eight Magnificat settings of the underappreciated Flemish composer Nicolas Gombert (the second is planned for release in 2002). Contemporary anecdote indicates that Gombert intended this set of late compositions to serve as his masterpiece, a summing-up of everything he had been working toward in his life as a composer. And indeed, these works have that feeling about them—Gombert's promiscuous use of dissonance and unusual suspensions (which at times anticipate the work of Carlo Gesualdo) and the density of his part writing, both apparent in earlier works as well, seem to have arrived at a logical conclusion in these pieces. On this recording, the fact that the details of these compositions are never less than sumptuously clear and the overall impression is one of caressing loveliness is due in part to the quality of the works themselves and in part to the masterful singing of the Tallis Scholars, who are expanded by several members for this recording in order to meet the demands of scores written for as many as nine parts. As usual, the recording was made in the Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in Norfolk, and as usual the acoustic offers a perfect balance of resonance and intimate warmth. Highly recommended.

 

Antonio Vivaldi. Gloria. George Frideric Handel. Gloria; Dixit Dominus. Monteverdi Choir; English Baroque Soloists/ John Eliot Gardiner. Archiv 462 597-2, 2001.

What might appear at first glance to be yet another easily digestible program of choral baroque favorites is, in fact, something much more exciting—in addition to the easily digestible choral baroque favorites that are included here as filler, this lovely disc offers Handel's recently discovered setting of the hymn "Gloria in Excelsis Deo" for soprano, violins, and continuo. The date of composition is unknown, though a tentative scholarly consensus currently places it near the beginning of Handel's career. The work itself is not exceptionally difficult but does place some demands on the soprano soloist's upper range, demands which are ably met here by the impressive Gillian Keith, whose skills are beyond question but whose voice may sound just a bit heavy to some listeners; old-school aficionados of period performance practice may find themselves wondering what Emma Kirkby could have done with this same piece fifteen or twenty years ago. But overall the performance of this beautiful new discovery is a joy, as are the renditions of the more familiar pieces that are also included. As usual, John Eliot Gardiner coaxes performances from the Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists that nicely balance the twin demands of majesty and delicacy imposed by this repertory.

 

Johann Sebastian Bach. Johannes-Passion. Collegium Vocale Ghent/Philippe Herreweghe. Harmonia Mundi HMC 901748.49, 2001.

In the wake of the 250th anniversary of J. S. Bach's death, there has been a bumper crop of fine Bach recordings, not least [End Page 901] among them this new performance of the Johannes-Passion by the Collegium Vocale Ghent under the direction of Philippe Herreweghe. This recording, along with an exciting series of reissues...

pdf

Share