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 "page of FAQ" 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.
Nothing new to report these months.
However, there is now a backlog of material I will report on after some summer traveling.
The Tallis Scholars continue their Josquin series with a volume devoted to two masses on polyphonic songs. This would seem to confirm earlier remarks about a complete series being underway, and such a series would indeed be welcome. I'd like to reiterate my desire that they re-record the Josquin masses they had recorded prior to this. The series continues to impress, performance-wise, in its second volume, but one drawback should be noted: Recording only the masses leaves Josquin's motets, some of his greatest works, languishing in mostly dated interpretations. That said, this is perhaps the most coherent & lucid recording of mass cycles of this generation to date, and was added to my personal list.
The latest from The Sound and The Fury is also an easy addition to my personal list. These are two of Obrecht's most characteristic & enjoyable masses, performed with verve & precision. Another performance perspective on this repertory is certainly welcome, and suddenly, after a period during which there was not one recommendable recording devoted to Obrecht, his discography is the most satisfying of any composer of the period. Note that this 2-disc set is being sold as a single CD.
The latest from Capilla Flamenca is their most accomplished performance of c.1500 sacred polyphony to date, continuing to develop their style & technique in this area. The program, devoted to "War and Peace," contains some very interesting tracks (Obrecht's Quis numerare & La Rue's Da Pacem come to mind as premieres), but the choice to construct a Missa l'Homme armé out of movements from multiple composers is a strange one. It seems to harken back to earlier days of recording this music in anthologies, and is not very satisfying.
Obsidienne's latest also consists of a mixed program, with a variety of repertory drawn from more light-hearted as well as more seriously textured early Renaissance songs, including even some sacred music. The instrumental technique and approach to accompaniment & improvisation really ring true from this perspective, representing a continued step forward in technique & performance practice. I am less impressed in that area with some of the larger choral forces, although the energy brought especially to the lighter pieces is certainly enjoyable. Despite its improvisational focus, this release also reminds us that major chanson composers such as Busnoys & Compère do not have dedicated programs in the CD era, whereas those devoted to Josquin are also becoming quite dated. Here we do find some very accomplished interpretations of that major repertory within a program that has a different focus.
The Binchois Consort continues to focus on recordings of Dufay (perhaps they should have chosen a different name?), most recently with a recording devoted to the Se la face ay pale mass. This recording makes a natural comparison with another recent recording, that by Diabolus in Musica. The tight precision of the Binchois Consort contrasts with the more sumptuous sound of Diabolus in Musica. This recording has been added to my personal list.
A previously unknown-to-me ensemble from Switzerland has released a recording devoted to mourning pieces, mostly in the motet-chanson genre. Josquin is the most-represented composer in the program, which includes several relatively more obscure pieces from the period. This is interesting repertory, skillfully performed, although including the plainchant & instrumental selections tends to detract from the program for me. This release deserves more attention, and I look forward to more recordings from this ensemble.
The Sound and the Fury continues to release recordings at a healthy pace, the latest being devoted to Faugues. Unfortunately, these releases also continue to be unavailable (to my knowledge) in the US or UK, making it difficult to learn of their existence. This is the first recording devoted entirely to Guillaume Faugues, a composer cited by Tinctoris as of particular merit, although a full mass cycle had been recorded by Obsidienne previously. Perhaps amusingly, this release also contains some of the most apologetic liner notes I recall for music of this era. Rob Wegman, while certainly having his facts straight, does not exactly act as a salesman for the music. Nonetheless, I find it quite enjoyable, and the performance is among the best available for music of the period. I found it to be quite illuminating regarding stylistic developments in the 1460-70s, helping to place other mass cycles in better focus. This has been added to my personal list.
Perhaps the most intriguing release late in the year is the newest from Tetraktys, devoted to the Chantilly Codex. My interest is certainly piqued by the stated intention to record the entire Chantilly Codex, which should make for a landmark series. Regarding the performances, they are enjoyable, following upon what this and other groups such as Mala Punica have done in the Ars Subtilior arena. This is not a rethinking of performance style or anything of that nature, but rather an attempt to apply it systematically to an entire source, providing us with an opportunity to hear many previously unrecorded works. As such, the first issue is basically a teaser for the finished product.
Gothic Voices continues to record post-Christopher Page, this time with an album devoted to Landini and related music. This is an enjoyable disc of enjoyable music, performed in the classic Gothic Voices style. It does not come off as very Italianate to me, but there are certainly things to like about the crisp rhythms & clear tones. Still, I do not feel as though I learned anything about the music from this release.
The latest recording of Machaut's Mass is from Diabolus in Musica, an ensemble which has already undertaken a large amount of repertory both pre- and post-dating this cycle. Their style of performing plainchant continues to be very enjoyable. The three isorhythmic motets are also a definite feature, clearly illustrating this ensemble's mastery of late medieval music. Of course, the Machaut Mass itself is already available in an array of interesting interpretations, but Diabolus in Musica manages to add something of substance to this impressive discography. Their work with the English conductus genre of this era is particularly appropriate, as the style had become relatively old-fashioned, but was adopted by Machaut for his Gloria & Credo pairing. This section of the Mass has proven more challenging to interpreters over the years, after the isorhythms were solved in the more rhythmic movements, and here is a fine approach combining good declamation with a solid underpinning in chant. This recording was added to my personal list.
The latest from Paul Hillier & Ars Nova continues a look at Taverner & Tudor Music. For those interested in this repertory, this is a quality recent interpretation, albeit with a fairly large choir.
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>