Opinions on the merits of recently issued CDs have been in demand here at the FAQ. Generally speaking, we try to concentrate on factually-based information. However, I am now doing the present editorializing. I will be writing some remarks every month on recordings which inspire me to make remarks.
These are brief remarks, not real reviews. The remarks may assume that the reader is familiar with various other items, or even the recording in question. I urge you to always look at "FAQ references" links in the referenced files, as well as the CD files themselves. For more comments on what a "review" means to me, as well as links to some other opinions, see the bottom of this page.
Comments are updated at the end of each month, and appear in months during which the CDs actually make their way to me, allowing a few days at the end of the month to prepare the comments. I do not delay in requesting new releases of interest, but the vagaries of shipment from Europe can mean that items arrive here in later months. I do not consider CDs to be "new" if I did not attempt to hear them when they first appeared.
Last ended with a lot of activity, but there's nothing more to note this month.
The Tallis Scholars' Josquin series continues with a disc featuring the two masses making arguably the most impression from the previous most high-profile traversal, that by A Sei Voci (never completed). They're also quality, significant music. Although it seems wrong to complain about such a fine series as this, I do lament that it is exclusive to the masses (and mass movements?). Josquin's motets have generally been considered his finest music, and they are languishing, relatively speaking — although not as much as is his secular music. Although mass cycles do have a certain cachet, they aren't automatically a composer's best music, even if somehow that's the way the current recording industry (probably audience-driven) operates. This disc also returns to a common Tallis Scholars practice of not including the recording date(s) on a release; whereas it would be inaccurate for me to characterize this as "unacceptable" given the mostly positive attention I'm giving this release, it's a practice I strongly dislike and see no good reason for it to happen. That said, this recording went straight onto my personal list.
Capilla Flamenca's latest recording is devoted to Isaac, with a program designed to show Isaac's versatility in a broad range of musical styles from the three main musical centers where he worked. I don't know any major ensemble that records as many partial works as does Capilla Flamenca, and I find it kind of an idiosyncratic choice. In this program, we find three mass sections, along with a wide variety of other material, all performed well, by a wide range of performers. The brass ensemble playing is particularly impressive, as those techniques continue to develop. Indeed, various tracks are setting interpretive standards for the genre, but they're immediately followed by something else entirely.
Ensemble Graindelavoix's releases have become major events, and this month brings an Ars Subtilior program, in something of a departure. They perform this music entirely vocally, as opposed to most recent interpretations, which include instruments. Although it would be fascinating to watch the associated dance production, the music by itself is a bit ponderous, and did not make much impact, although I do have a soft spot for an all-vocal version of Le ray au soleyl. The packaging for this release is also a bit bizarre, with a large fold-out of the lyrics, and a foldout graphic with the CD holder, and no discussion of the music or approach. I suppose this fits in with ideas on cross-boundary art, but just seems like an inconvenience, if you ask me. Still, it's a thought-provoking release and keeps us wondering what Graindelavoix might do next.
After its interesting program of Josquin instrumental works earlier this year, the Christophorus label has produced a fairly similar program devoted to Jean Japart, by a different but overlapping ensemble. There is some intriguing music here, and I certainly value this move to tackle more of the secular music of the era. Attention continues to lag in this area, generally. Japart's music ends up being rather distinctive, making this a valuable release that was added to my personal list.
The disc Extreme Singing by the Vox Early Music Ensemble of Ann Arbor is a much more obscure release, but manages to be the first to record La Rue's Requiem in its full original range, together with some other music featuring notes below the usual gamut. Although there isn't conclusive evidence that these extremely low notes were intended to be sung that way, I don't find any reason to believe otherwise either. As the liner notes argue, La Rue had access to perhaps the greatest vocal ensemble in history, so the idea that difficult parts could be executed is not far-fetched. The basses of the Vox ensemble do a great job with these low parts, and the recorded sound also represents them well. Of course, simply singing low would be nothing but a curiosity without good music and an otherwise credible interpretation, and this recording features both. La Rue is one of my favorite composers, and this is some of his most striking music, particularly with the virtuosic extremes of the part-writing restored, making this disc a choice for my personal list. Otherwise, the performance does tend to be a bit stiff, although enjoyable. The other music is also worthwhile, particularly the Weerbeke Stabat Mater. Weerbeke has the distinction of receiving the least modern attention of any composer who had an individual publication by Petrucci, with zero dedicated recordings of his music, and only a handful of pieces appearing on other programs.
Ensemble Syntagma's second recording of Trecento music has just arrived, and presents an excellent addition to the discography, immediately added to my personal list. Since Ensemble Syntagma also produced the previous Trecento recording that I added here, it's safe to characterize them as the current leaders in the field. This next volume, albeit on a different record label, continues the basic approach of the first: An emphasis on relatively less well-known repertory, a variety of sensitive instrumental accompaniment, with some instrumental tracks. Here there are appealing solo tracks for chekker & carillon. One difference in this second volume is that, whereas I had characterized the first as understated, this recording has a particularly resonant acoustic for the voices, and a much more in-your-face quality to the singing. It's almost too much, but is more of an attention-grabber than the softer first recording. The performance style also continues to gain polish & sophistication overall. This is an easy recording to enjoy.
Somehow I missed Phantasm's release of Byrd's Complete Consort Music when it appeared over the summer, but I'm including it here now. This is one of those programs where expectations are immediately high, and indeed this recording was promptly added to my personal list. It's amazing to think that it's now been over 20 years since most of the Fretwork release was recorded. That recording was a definite favorite at the time, but a new recording with updated technique, more experience with the music, and more modern sound is certainly welcome. Although this is a great CD, I have to say it really isn't revelatory, which I thought it might be. I guess Fretwork and others had pretty much found what there is to find in this music over the years, and the main development is refining the details. My other comment concerns the packaging: I'm not sure who designed the SACD jewel box, and it isn't only Linn using it, but it seems like more hassle than anything. In any case, this recording is one of those "obvious" releases that needed to happen. Now it would be nice if Phantasm would record the remainder of Gibbons' consort music.
Naxos finally released the recording of Byrd Fantasias by Glen Wilson. This recording was announced many months ago, and possibly available for download, but the CD did not actually appear until recently. In any case, it is appealing to have a program devoted to this facet of Byrd's keyboard output. The fingerwork and articulation of voices in this performance are excellent, making some of Byrd's best keyboard music very easy to follow. The downside of this recording is the rather harsh sound of the harpsichord used (a Ruckers-style instrument), which makes the performance more difficult to enjoy from a purely sonic perspective. The other issue, of course, is that it's very difficult to compete programmatically with Maroney's amazing complete recording. However, this recording remains notable for both its continued advance in technique, and its emphasis on first-rate repertory that had been a bit of an afterthought otherwise in Byrd's discography.
Although I do not usually feature plainchant recordings in this space, I want to note a recent release by Geoffroy Dudouit. Although in many ways the Gregorian repertory is well known, there are also ways in which the medieval style remains something of a mystery: the rhythm, the phrasing, and the style of vocal production & ornament. These things, of course, have a lot to do with both the structure of the music and how it ends up sounding. I happen to believe that, over the years, and with a variety of study & experimentation, we get closer to a medieval sense of structure & sonority for this and other music. Geoffroy Dudouit has produced a striking interpretation in that sense, backed by some quiet (mostly) drone vocals. It presents a compelling view of French plainchant style from the centuries immediately prior to the emergence of polyphony — or at least a reasonable guess, less contaminated by subsequent developments than most. This is a passionate performance, a trait that might not normally be associated with plainchant.
Nothing to report.
The second volume of the Chantilly Codex series by Tetraktys appeared this month. It had been three years since the first volume, and I had started to believe the series had been abandoned. Originally, I did not add the first volume to my personal list of recommendations, because I was waiting to hear others and treat them more as a unit. I only gave up on that idea a few months ago and added it, thinking perhaps I had ruined a chance to encourage more volumes in the series. And now, here is volume 2! Obviously, I am glad this series is ongoing. The Chantilly Codex is such a major source for the period, the opportunity to hear it in its entirety, and really get a clear view of what it contains, will be very valuable. There are some changes in the performance style with this second volume, most notably the absence of Jill Feldman. The current constitution of Tetraktys does a very nice job, though, with an overall quieter texture and more subtle doubling. I tend to believe this is more representative of the period of the Chantilly Codex, but it's also more of an evolution of the sound of Kees Boeke's groups than a dramatic change. In any event, I do intend to treat this series as a unit, and am hopeful that future volumes will now appear at a faster pace.
There is only one item to note this month, but it is a rather significant one: The second recording of Ciconia's complete works. There has been further revision to Ciconia's accepted output since the CD reissue of the original 1982 5-LP recording, making for some differences in the program. In the present program, only securely attributed works are presented, allowing it to fit on 2 CDs. Between the two complete recordings and a variety of other dedicated programs, attention paid to Ciconia on record dwarfs that paid to any of his contemporaries. With this fairly definitive product having appeared, perhaps that situation will begin to change. However, it is also clear from this production that Ciconia's mastery of a wide range of forms & styles is particularly impressive, perhaps even singular. Although his known output is relatively modest, I begin to see his musical achievements on par with Machaut and Dufay, or at the very least not a terrible dip in genius along a Machaut – Ciconia – Dufay chronology. So the attention has certainly paid off in that sense, and this recording was promptly added to my personal list. It was something of a surprise to realize it has been so long since the Alla Francesca recording of Ciconia. It was released in 1994, the first year of the Early Music FAQ, an amazing 17 years ago. Raphaël Boulay participates on both that recording and on the Diabolus in Musica portion of the new release.
I intend to keep 4 to 6 months' worth of comments on this page, depending on the length of the individual entries. Once the comments expire, they are gone forever, and rightly so.
My opinion of "reviews" is as such: It takes a good deal of work to write a proper review. Simply paraphrasing the liner notes and adding something to the effect of "It sounds cool to me; check it out!" or "It doesn't seem like the performance from which I learned the work" does not do the job justice. Any time someone is asked to churn through a long list of recordings to regularly write reviews, there is almost no chance that the reviews will be fully informed. The only chance is if the reviewer is intimately familiar with the music in question, the requisite interpretive decisions, and the intentions of the performer. This can only be true rarely, even for a scholar. We do not attempt to write regular reviews for the FAQ, nor do we call them that. Beyond not wanting to inject more opinion than necessary into our information, this is an admission of our own failings, and frankly, many reviewers should admit the same instead of pretending to write reviews about something with which they have little familiarity (that this happens frequently is patently obvious).
I sometimes write reviews, but I am not attempting to write any here. Hopefully the editorializing I am doing will, however, be interesting. I usually restrict FAQ comments to be positive only, but here I will give some negative comments too, if that is the notable thing about a release. As for what silence says? I leave it to you to infer.
To more of Todd McComb's personal opinions:
See also: discussion of "progress" in interpreting this music, or links to other recordings lists.
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Todd M. McComb <mccomb@medieval.org>