The achievements of the Cappella Mediterranea and Chœur de chambre de Namur deserve to be combined with solo singing of equal accomplishment, and the team of soloists assembled for this recording delivers capitally. The poised, polished tone that sopranos Céline Scheen and Mariana Flores bring to their lines, particularly in the rapt account of ‘Pulchra es,’ is startlingly beautiful, and the zeal and merit of their singing is matched by the performance of countertenor Fabián Schofrin, whose firm, focused voice lends unexpected poignancy to the alto lines. Some of the most stringent bravura demands in this performance are made of the tenor soloists, and Fernando Guimarães and Zachary Wilder respond with breathtaking exhibitions of technical prowess, not least in the dazzling ‘Nigra sum,’ the glorious ‘Duo Seraphim,’ and the penultimate ‘Gloria Patri’ in the ‘Magnificat.’ Baritones Matteo Bellotto and Victor Torres and bass Sergio Foresti sing their parts superbly, supplying the strength and suppleness required by the music but so seldom heard in it. Among both the soloists and the choir, every individual number is performed unforgettably, but even in such a setting the grandeur of ‘Lauda Jerusalem’ is intensely stirring, the tension so masterfully built in the rise and fall of the music resolved with a cathartic statement of the concluding ‘Amen.’ The performance of ‘Ave maris stella’ aptly evokes both the disquietude of troubled seas and tranquil starlight, and the whole of the ‘Magnificat’ is performed with elating sincerity and unparalleled musicality. Purely in terms of possession of technical aptitude equal to the needs of the music, these soloists are among the best-qualified singers ever to record this music: their mastery of such elusive devices as the Monteverdian trillo is exceptional, especially in Mr. Wilder’s case, and all of the singers leave nothing to be desired in their negotiations of Monteverdi’s often exacting coloratura. More importantly, they truly comprise a team, not just among themselves but also with the choristers, instrumentalists, and Maestro García Alarcón. There are as many valid ways of interpreting Monteverdi’s enigmatic Vespro della beata vergine as there are performers willing to face the challenges of the music. As in music of any vintage, however, those interpretations that prove most valid are those that extrapolate least—those, that is, that look to rather than beyond the score. In the score of Vespro della beata vergine, there are many blanks to be filled in, and the evidence of the Vespers’ performance history and discography suggests that just enough is known about Monteverdi and period-appropriate practices to facilitate the commission of every sort of idiocy in alleged pursuits of authenticity. It may be argued that Leonardo García Alarcón’s interpretation of Vespro della beata vergine on this recording is unconventional, but the standards by which this judgment is made are flawed. If it is a flaw to defy trends guided by imperfect and egotistical scholarship, this performance of Vespro della beata vergine is splendidly fallacious. It seems certain that such deficiencies as these would gladden Monteverdi himself.
Posted on: Sat, 03 May 2014 13:08:29 +0000
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