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1 Toronto Early Music News Volume 29, No. 3
1Toronto Early Music NewsVolume 29, No. 3
2 Volume 29, No. 3
Is a news bulletin of the Toronto Early Music Centre (TEMC). Opinions expressed in itare those of the authors and may not be endorsed by the Toronto Early Music Centre. Unsolicited manuscripts, letters, etc. are welcome, as is any information aboutearly music concerts, events, recordings and copies of recordings for review.
Subscription is free with membership to the Toronto Early Music Centre. For ratesand other membership benefits, please call 4164647610, send email [email protected] or write to us at the Toronto Early Music Centre (TEMC),PO Box 714, Station P, Toronto, ON M5S 2Y4. Web site: www.torontoearlymusic.org
Frank Nakashima, President Michael Lerner, SecretaryKathy Edwards, Treasurer
John Edwards Jenni Hayman Paul Jenkins Michael LipowskiSheila McCoy Janos A. Ungvary
Toronto Early Music CentreBoard of Directors
The TEMC gratefully acknowledges the support of the City of Toronto through the TorontoArts Council, the Church of the Holy Trinity, Montgomery’s Inn.
Toronto Early Music News
3Toronto Early Music NewsVolume 29, No. 3
Contents of Vol. 28 no. 2
Contributors: Frank Nakashima; PaulJames Dwyer FEditor: Frank Nakashima
Graphic Designer: Sam Brushett
News Items 4Important Notice 4Speak Up 4Toronto Early Music Centre Phn # 4Email News and Updates 5Toronto Early Music Centre Renewal 5Toronto Early Music Center News Online 6Dolmetsch Recorders for Sale 7The Toronto Early Music Centre Vocal Circle 7Prima La Musica 8Toronto Early Music Centre Renewal Form 9Toronto Early Music Players Organization 10Calendar of Forthcoming Events 10Vocal Circle 10CD Reviews 11Book Reviews 27
4 Volume 29, No. 3
News Items
Speak Up!
The Toronto Early Music NEWSwelcomes your commentary!Please include your name, city ofresidence, email address, and phonenumber with allcorrespondence.
Send to:Toronto Early Music Centre,PO Box 714, Station P.O.Toronto, Ontario M5S 2Y4email: [email protected]
The Toronto Early Music NEWS reservesthe right to edit letters for clarity, style,
5Toronto Early Music NewsVolume 29, No. 3
Email News And UpdatesIf you would like to be notified ofupcoming concerts, early music news, andupdates, by email, just let me know bycontacting me at my NEW address –[email protected] – and I’lladd you to my list. Try it. Just make surethat my email address is included in yourlist of “contacts” so that the junk mailfilters don’t block me out. Keep up to datewith this special service. If you don’t likeit, or if there’s more than you can handle,don’t worry. It’s just as easy to cancel.
Have You Been Wondering If Your TEMC Membership Has Expired?If you can’t remember, or if you’ve lost your membership card, just give me a call 4164647610 and leave a message, or send me an email: [email protected] – I’ll checkyour membership status and then let you know. If your membership has expired, and youwould like to renew, please fill out the form at the back of this newsletter and mail it to:
PO Box 714, Station P Toronto ON M5S 2Y4 –Make sure to include your cheque or credit card number.We now accept American Express.
If you would like to make a payment by telephone (using any credit card – Visa,MasterCard, or American Express), please cal me, Frank Nakashima, at 4164647610,leave a message to tell me the best time to call you back. Thank you very much!
6Toronto Early Music NewsVolume 29, No. 3
Annual General Meeting
The Toronto Early Music Centreinvites nominations to the Boardof Directors on Saturday,September 27, 2014 following theEarly Music Fair at Montgomery’sInn, 4709 Dundas Street West.For further information, pleasecontact:
[email protected]4647610
The TEMC Vocal Circle
The Toronto Early Music Centre’s“Vocal Circle” usually takes placeon the last Monday of the month,at 7:30 p.m.NEW LOCATION: 96 Barker Avenue,Toronto M4C2N62 blocks N of Mortimer (note:becomes Lumsden on E side ofWoodbine), 1 block W of WoodbineAdmission to this circle is FREE tomembers of the TEMC. Otherwise,the cost is $5.00 per session fornonmembers.
Theoretically, the Vocal Circle wasmeant to be a symposium or forumfor historical choral/vocalperformance but, in actuality, it is anonperforming, recreationalreading group. This is intended tobe a certified stressfree,musicallyfriendly environment.While musical training and vocalability is helpful, anyone who hasan interest in this fascinating, littleknown, and rarelyperformedrepertoire to drop in and trysinging, or even just listen!
Please note that this is a scentfree environment. Please refrainfrom wearing cologne, perfume,aftershave, or scented products.Thank you.
If you have any questions, pleasefeel free to call me, FrankNakashima, anytime at (416) 4647610. Also, please try to keep meinformed as to your voice type andyour intentions to attend (or not)so that I can conscientiously planthe evening’s singing.
One more session this season:June 25.The Vocal Circle sessions willresume in the Fall, beginning onMonday, September 24.
7 Volume 29, No. 3
Prima la musica
Please allow me to quickly introduce you to a fantastic newcatalogue of "urtext" performing editions of Renaissance(soon to include music by de la Rue, Josquin, Clemens non
Papa and Gombert), Baroque (17thcentury Italian church music) andearly Classical music the company is "Prima la musica" (Brian Clark &Carlos Munoz Cutino) and the website is:http://www.primalamusica.com
Reasonablypriced and faithfully computerset, these editionsare an excellent source of beautiful early music. Please visitthe website. Look at the catalogue. Order directly from the
publisher, or from me.
"There are many fine musicologists and editors out there, but only afew of them have a gift for finding the pieces that really live in aconcert; Brian has got that."
Simon Carrington, former King's Singer, founder and directorof the Yale ScholaCantorum.
Frank T. Nakashima
4164647610
Distributor for:
Theodore Presser Co. www.presser.comAnne Fuzeau Productions – www.annefuzeau.comStudio Per EdizioniScelte www.speseditore.comPrima la musica www.primalamusica.comJohn Walker Tuning Forks www.granton.co.ukParaclete Press www.paracletepress.com
Broude Brothers Ltd "Performers Facsimiles" can be viewed on theSheet Music Plus website:
http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/publishers/BroudeBrothers/6?se=1827
8 Volume 29, No. 3
September
27 Saturday12:00pm to 4 p.m
Toronto Early Music Fair
Montgomery's Inn4709 Dundas Street West (at Islington Avenue),Etobicoke, ON M9A 1A8,
The 30th annual Early Music Fair will take place atMontgomery’s Inn on Saturday, September 27,2014 from 12:00 noon to 4:00.Come to Montgomery’s Inn, built in 1830, to hearsome of Toronto’s finest artists perform historicalrepertoire throughout the afternoon.
Admission is free.
Calendar of Forthcoming Events
9Toronto Early Music NewsVolume 29, No. 3
CD Reviews
My favorite DowlandPaul O’Dette, LuteHarmonia Mundi USA HMU907515www.harmoniamundi.com
Paul O’Dette has recorded the complete lute works of JohnDowland in the past, but this new recording documents hisfavorites. “The music of John Dowland (15631626) has been
a constant source of inspiration and wonderment for me ever since Ifirst picked up the lute more than four decades ago. His music is sonaturally and idiomatically conceived for the instrument, yet ittranscends the lute giving the player the impression of participating ingreat art rather than merely playing pieces on a musical instrument.”This is truly the marriage of a great composer, a senior artist who hasgiven his life to the promotion of the lute, and his repertoire of choice.
Awide crosssection of Dowland’s pieces is represented, with23 selections. The instrument is an 8course lute by MalcomPrior, Norwich, 2008, after Sixtus Rauwell, Augsburg, circa
1590. The performing editions used in the recording were preparedfrom original sources by O’Dette. This is a great introduction toDowland’s lute music by the leading lute player in North America.
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J.-B. LULLY: PhaetonLes Talens LyriquesChoeur de Chambre de Namur
Christophe Rousset, DirectionAparte AP061, 2 CDs
www.littletribeca.comwww.lestalenslyriques.com
After its debut at Versailles early in 1683, Phaéton played foralmost a whole year in Paris and was known the rest of thereign as “l’opera du people.” This recording restores that
popularity with an accessible and cogent reading of the work. The castincludes Emiliano Gonzales Toro (Phaéton), Ingrid Perruche (Clymène),Isabelle Druet (Théone, Astrée), Gaëlle Arquez (Libye), Andrew FosterWilliams (Éphaphus), Férdéric Caton (Mérops, Automme, Jupiter),Benoît Arnould (Protée, Saturne), Virginie Thomas (Une Heure, unebergère égyptienne) and Cyril Auvity (Triton, le Soleil, la déesse de laTerre).
The French tenor Auvity has had many triumphs over the yearsthis recording is surely one of his greatest. Though he onlyappears in three secondary roles his characterization of
Phaéton’s father, the sun god Apollon, eclipses all the other characterscompletely, except his presumptuous and rash son Phaéton, sung byEmiliano Gonzales Toro. Auvity may justly be called the king of Frenchtenors, his voice is more mature now and has a burnished quality aboutit. His emotional depth is staggering, listen to Act IV, Scene II as Lullysets the stage with some subterranean.
Threatening music in an orchestral interlude that sets up thefollowing section beautifully. This short piece carries the threatof death and destruction in a concise and viscerally impacted
fashion. The emotionally charged reaction of a father who had vowed togive his son anything he wants backfires as Phaéton demands to ridehis chariot across the sky even if it means death. Adding to theintensity, tragedy and paroxysm of emotional energy is the familiarityof Auvity’s and Gonzales Toro’s voices. Their range and colour are soalike, inexorably fixing the fatherson relationship in the listeners mind.This is another indication of the pure genius of Rousset who has addedto the catharsis of the drama immeasurably by this simple castingdecision. It also must be said that Gonzales Toro has acquitted himselfwell in this opera as never before, he has assumed true star status bythe power, assurance and emotionally charged delivery of the title role.
Mention should be made of the choir, the 20member Choeur deChambre de Namur, absolutely rocksolid, adding to thetheatricallycharged atmosphere of the work.
11Toronto Early Music NewsVolume 29, No. 3
Rousset is the musical gardener extraordinaire. He choosesvoices like a master planter placing them in such a way as tohighlight their individual colours and attributes, so they shine.
His attention to their inherent strengths, capabilities, and rigorousfocus on the importance of recitative, French diction, text and accentsmakes for great theatre and a natural musical delivery. Like a mastergardener, he allows the singer to “be” after intensive preparation; thereis a mutual respect and openness that is osmotic with his vocal casts.He matches singers to roles in an uncanny fashion and with greatpanache. If the gardener does his work well, the flowers, plants, andtrees will flourish and develop a lush verdant and harmonious world.Rousset’s ongoing series of live recordings of French 17th18th centuryopera has won awardwinning recognition all over Europe, vaulting himto the top of the Euro early music scene.
This lively recording is totally engaging. Such is the vividrealization of Rousset and his fine cast that this recordingwould satisfy even those who don’t think opera translates to a
soundonly medium. Lully was a genius of developing a three hourwork with his librettist Quinault that never bores. We must rememberthe French are a race that has always been easily bored. From a singlesinger on stage, duos, trios, to choral sections, lavish divertissements,dances sections, symphonic snippets and formulaic overtures heeffortlessly moved the attention of his audience in a seamless andorganic manner as in the transitions of nature, emotions andconversation develop. Rousset has captured this wonderfully in thisrecording ever fresh, ever moving but never in a hurried manner. Hehas captured the style but also the living breathing body of work thatwas 17th century French opera. He has also restored the “lyric” part tothe schemata. Bravo, Les Talens Lyriques!
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Friends of FerdinandAgave BaroqueVGo Recordings VG1021www.vgorecordings.com
This recording immediately engages the listener with a sprightlyChiacona by Antonio Bertali, establishing Agave Baroque as anenergized freespirited group from the start. The Ferdinand
referred to, are Ferdinand II & III, Hapsburg Holy Roman Emperors,placing these compositions at the courts of Vienna and Salzburg. Bertali(16051669), Marco Antonio Ferro (16001662), Giovanni BattistaGranata (ca.16201687) are three composers in total eclipse. The CDhowever has two wellknown composers on it, Johann HeinrichSchmelzer and Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber. Schmelzer and Bertali areboth credited as composers for the Sonata X from Prothimia Suavissima(Part I).
The marriage of serious liturgical music and lively profane courtmusic was known as stilus fantasticus – or as Schmelzer calledhis collection dedicated to the style, Sacro profananus
concentus musicus fidium. Agave Baroque led by the brilliant virtuosoviolinist Aaron Westman makes an effulgent case for this littleknownearly to mid17th century music. Schmelzer and Bertali were violinvirtuosi, and the repertoire is, to quote the CD notes “…written andperformed by a handpicked array of professional musical personalities– is characterized by a melting pot of disparate styles, some new, someold, and all at once groundbreaking, sublime, unique, and vibrant.”
Harpsichord, viola da gamba and baroque guitar round out theinstruments on the disc, with guitarist Kevin Cooper sharingthe glory for his powerful presence supporting the profound
violin playing of Westman. Cooper shines in the Granata Sonata diChittarra, e Violino, con il suo Basso Continuo, the only Granatacomposition on the recording.
This young group of Californian virtuosi have created a strongfuture reference to the little known repertoire and a greatfollowup to their widely acclaimed premiere recording Cold
Genius: The music of Henry Purcell and his contemporaries, released in2012.
13Toronto Early Music NewsVolume 29, No. 3
Le Jardin De Monsieur RameauLes Arts Florissants, William ChristieÉditions Arts Florissants, AF002www.artsflorissants.comwww.artsflomedia.com
Les Arts Florissants has finally decided in spite of the currentfinancial crisis to launch theirown recording label, distributedby Harmonia Mundi. This is their second release, the first being
Handel’s Belshazzar. Le Jardin De Monsieur Rameau is a seamlesscelebration of the group’s 6th edition of their academy for youngsingers, Le Jardin des Voix, that tours internationally to great acclaim.The singers are the latest crop of “Christie Stars” with guaranteedfuture careers – they are all trés brillante! This CD is only the secondrecorded Jardin …, the first being the 2005 version for Virgin.
Among the many treasures on this disc are excerpts fromCampra’s L’Europe galante (Deuxième entrée: La France). Thisseminal work (1697) has not appeared on a recording in many
years, and is a welcome treat. The Rameau sections contain generousselections of his operas Dardanus and Les Fêtes d’Hébé, with snippetsfrom Les Indes galantes, and Hippolyte & Aricie.
Also included is a slice of Monteclair’s Jephte, truly a lyricmasterpiece that is not wellknown, and two Canons fromRameau’s theoretical publications, recorded for the first time,
as far as I am aware.
Included in this verdant box set is a separate bound essay inFrench and English by French writer Adrien Goetz entitled“Dans Un Jardin En Normandie”. The story purports to be a
chateau gardener’s surprise return to his estate during an outdoorgarden party (circa 1905) where the strange music of the 18th centuryis heard outdoors, played by musicians en costume with guests whohave imbibed Bacchus aplenty and proceeded to practise the rites ofVenus on the lawns, and in the flower beds. Guests in various states ofundress play at 18th century postures, with a cameo of Marcel Proustthrown in for good measure.
An essay by French baroque pronunciation scholar ThomasGreen, entitled “A wander through the heart of French vocal artfrom the Enlightenment /Promenade au Coeur de l’art vocal
français de siècle des Lumières,” is more to the point. The range ofcomposers represented on the CD covers most of the greatest, of theperiod: Monteclair, Dauvergne, Gluck, Rameau, Campra, along with theunique and outrageous Cantata, Rien du tout by Racot De Grandval(16761753). A fivepage interview with Christie and his associateconductor Paul Agnew (who actually set the repertoire programme forthis academy) is also included. A beautiful overview of the French 18thcentury music world if this CD was Les Arts Florissants swansong, itwould be a worthy tribute to their over thirtyfive years of creation!
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Johnathan Cohen started off as a cellist and keyboardist but has gone onto conducting Arcangelo, one of the fastest rising new groups in theEnglish early music world. He is now Associate Conductor of Les Arts
Florissants, along with fellowEnglishman Paul Agnew, both touted to succeedWilliam Christie when he retires. This offering is very highly polished and featurestenor James Gilchrist, leading a chorus of two sopranos, two tenors, a singlecountertenor and bass. The instrumentation includes twelve players; recorders,violins, viola, cello, viola da gamba, lute, lirone, harp, violone and Cohen onkeyboards. A fine essay by musicologist John Whenham, is included.
The repertoire includes the major works Combattiment diTancredi e Clorinda, Ballo: Volgendo il cielMovete al mio belsuon (3 selections from Madrigal, Book 8), Sestina:Lagrime
d’amante al sepolcro dell’amata (6 selections from Madrigals, Book 6),plus a Ciaconna by Tarquinio Merula (1594/51665).
Hyperion now has all new releases booklets available as PDFfiles, available on their website. This is a new inducementwhen shopping for new recordings to get a better idea what
repertoire is being offered and the ideas behind new product. See theirwebsite!
Claudio MonteverdiLove And Loss: MadrigalsArchangeloJonathan Cohen, DirectionHyperion CDA68019www.archangelo.org.ukwww.hyperionrecords.co.uk
15Toronto Early Music NewsVolume 29, No. 3
The Art of Melancholy: Songs By JohnDowlandIestyn Davies, CountertenorThomas Dunford, LuteHyperion CDA68007www.hyperionrecords.co.uk
The Art of Melancholy was a late 16th and early 17th centuryfascination, or as some with a psychological or psychiatric bentmight call an obsession. We now see this period through a
rosecoloured veil. The time was the late reign of “Gloriana” ElizabethI and the early years of James I. But it was a time of high angst,unrest, transition, intrigue, political instability, and religious persecutionfor Catholics, with many courtiers finding themselves ahair’sbreadthaway from the scaffold. Much has been made of the references in theDowland songbooks as to who the songs characters were in real life,with various court personages coming under close scrutiny. Dowland’slibrettists were often anonymous, or the great poets of the day, thoughsome scholars credit him with some lyrics. The subject matter is mostoften “love” but this “art of melancholy” really indicates for thisreviewer a world view of something unattainable in this life orsomething lost, regrets of the past and sorrow for this life. Were theseheavy emotional works part of poseur style developed to allow ideasthat may have been unacceptable in public in any other form other thanas art songs? These are all considerations of these masterpiecesbrilliantly performed by Davies and Dunford.
Countertenor Davies, born in York, England has made a stellar careeralready for someone of his age, appearing in recitals, residences andopera houses on both sides of the Atlantic. His recent recordings include
two with Jonathan Cohen and his group Arcangelo; cantatas by Porpora and ariaswritten for the castrato Guadagni.
Lutenist Dunford, born in Paris has quickly gained a greatreputation in England and France, performing with most of theleading conductors and singers working today. On this CD his
solos includes Fortune my foe, Lachrimae, Semper Dowland semperdolens, and My Winter’s Jump.
There are seventeen songs on the disc, the lyrics are enclosed in thebooklet, and an excellent overview of Dowland’s art in an essay byRoger Savage. On a Canadian note, these two young virtuosi toured
Western Canada this past spring (Vancouver March 30, Calgary – April 4, Banff– April 5). It is unfortunate they didn’t come to Toronto!
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Marie et Marion: Motets & Chansonsfrom 13th-century FranceAnonymous 4Harmonia Mundi HMU807524www.harmoniamundi.com
Anonymous 4 is one of the most famous vocal groups in theearly music world. This is their 22nd recording andconcentrates on a famous manuscript, the Montpellier Codex
(c. 1300). This recording is a second visiting of the Montpellier Codex,and earlier CD Love’s Illusion (now only available as a downloadedversion) concentrated on motets on the topic of courtly loveexclusively. This second program from the codex explores thejuxtaposition of courtly/pastoral love themes with ardor and praise forMary. In Marie et Marion they present the common and contrastingthemes in 13th century French motets and trouvère chansons theearthly (and earthy) Marion and the heavenly Marie, who werefavourite subjects of the poetry and music of the age.
The 24 pieces selected from the codex have the texts in Frenchand English and cover 54 pages in the CD booklet. The grouphas utilized pronunciations as adapted by linguistic research by
Harold Copeman for the Latin texts and Robert Taylor for the 13thcentury French. This research is published in Singing Early Music(Indiana University Press, 1996). This CD, as all their releases, issuperlative and a fine exploration of one of the greatest extant Frenchmanuscripts.
17Toronto Early Music NewsVolume 29, No. 3
Stabat Mater dolorosa: Music forPassiontideChoir of Clare College, CambridgeGraham Ross, DirectionHarmonia Mundi HMU907616www.harmonia mundi.comwww.clairecollegechoir.com
This program is built around the music of Passion Week or HolyWeek; Palm Sunday to Holy Saturday, and is a wonderfulcompilation of masterpieces done in the English choral style.
The composers represent the 16th to the end of the 20th centuries; T.L. De Victoria, T. Tallis, John Stainer (18601901), C. Gesualdo,Graham Ross (1985), John Sanders (19332003), A. Lotti, J. S.Bach, W. Byrd, A. Bruckner, M. Duruflé. All the texts are in Latin twoselection; God so loved the world (Stainer) and The Reproaches(Sanders) a Liturgy for Good Friday, which are both sung in English. Anovel sequence, this rich Passiontide sequence is polyphonic settings ofthe great texts of Holy Week are interwoven with a plainchant renditionof the Stabat Mater the traditional Medieval poem meditating on thedeath of Jesus and the grief of his mother Mary.
Afine release with twentyseven singers listed under the
direction of Graham Ross who is also director of the DimitriEnsemble and starting to make a reputation as a composer
himself. Harmonia Mundi has recorded a series with this group underRoss’s direction including composers Imogen Holst, Blow, and Handel.
18 Volume 29, No. 3
Thomas TALLIS: Missa Puer natus estnobisThe Cardinall's MusickAndrew Carwood, DirectionHyperion, CDA68026www.hyperionrecords.co.uk
Century English music and have established themselves as oneof the leading groups in this field, since their founding in 1989.Having had an illustrious career as a soloist, Carwood went on
to conducting and choral direction. In 2007 he was appointed Directorof Music at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. The Cardinall’s Musick isnamed after Henry VIII’s protoAnglican Cardinal Thomas Wosley. Thegroup has won numerous awards internationally. Carwood and hisgroup have carved out a legacy as a ensemble dedicated to 16thcentury music. They have also become widely acclaimed for recordingsof their modern commissions. One of the strengths of the group lies intheir combination of solid academic research with the ability of itssingers to perform as soloists, while being part of a vocal team.
Repertoire on the recording includes Salvator mundi Domine,Puer natus est nobis, Missa Puer natus, Quod chorus vatum,Benedictus, Magnificat a 4, Audivi vocem,de caelo, Videte
miraculum, a judicious overview of Tallis’s masterworks. The CD creditssixteen voices, with Carwood penning the three page essay on themusic and is an exemplary offering in a winning series.
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This CD is a revelation! C.P.E. Bach (17141788) still remains inthe shadow of his father, but this recording proves his uniquevoice and a genius capable of stellar creations like his
illustrious pater. The works on the CD are a great crosssection of hisoeuvre and reproduce a historical concert conducted by C.P.E. Bachhimself, in Hamburg, on Palm Sunday 1786.
The pieces represent an overview of his achievements ascomposer, with a varied programme that opens with theMagnificat Wq 215, followed by the Hellig ist Gott Wq 217 and
finishing with the Sinfonie DDur Wq 183/1, three totally differentmasterworks. The Magnificat is in nine sections and is one of the keycompositions from his Berlin period. Frederick II, King of Prussia wasn’tinterested in religion at all, so it is probable that Bach wrote thisbeautifully embellished and magnificent work as a presentation piece tofind a new job, in another part of Germany. A position that would gavehim more artistic flexibility, than just being another principleharpsichordist in a court musical household.
The Hellig ist Gott is a setting for double choir, composed in1776, in Hamburg and was considered a famous work all overGermany, published in 1779. It is a setting of the Sanctus and
permeated with a deep spirituality with an unconventional protomodern structure, utilizing numerous keys, a solemn work, but withgreat simplicity in spite the elaborate artfulness of his setting.
The Sinfonie DDur comes from a set of four OrchesterSinfonien mit zwölf Stimmen (Symphonies for an orchestra intwelve obbligato parts), published in 1780. They are also his
last orchestral compositions, written when he was 66. They are trulyunique, Peter Wollny writes in the CD notes “The innovative power ofthese four OrchesterSinfonien has secured them a status aspioneering and paradigmatic works of art that have far outlasted theirown time.” The large wind section dominates the strings and isunconventional for 18th century Germanic symphonic style. Performedwith a large orchestra, the winds emerge as soloists, usually in pairsproducing some highly unusual sonic effects. The humour and joy inthis three movement symphony recorded, is both enchanting andhighly engaging.
Akademie Für Alte Musik Berlin (36 musicians) is in fine formunder the baton of HansChristoph Rademann along with theRias Kammerchor (34 singers + 4 soli), and have created a
recording that is second to none in this composer’s repertoire. This CDwould make a great introduction to his art and is this reviewer’s pickfor one of the greatest recordings of 2014. C.P.E. Bach has never beenof my favorite composers, but this CD has changed my mind. Bravo!
C.P.E. Bach: MagnificatRias Kammerchor,Akademie Für Alte Musik BerlinHansChristoph Rademann, DirectionHarmonia Mundi, HMC902167www.harmoniamundi.com
20 Volume 29, No. 3
The Sacred Spirit of Russia is a setting of a Christmas Liturgyfrom a Russian Cathedral. The title is slightly misleading asthis disc contains a total of nine different composers on top of
the three mentioned on the cover, including Mikhail IppolitovIvanov(18591935), Vladimir Martynov (1946 ), Pavel Tchesnokov (18771944), Georgi Sviridov (19151998), Andei Ilyashenko (18841954),Nikolai Kedrov, Sr. (18711940). This is an excellent overview of theliturgical composers of the mid19th to the end of the 20th centuryRussia. As a programme, it works integrally, is very absorbing listening,and one is easily drawninto this Modern Russian soundscape. Althoughnot strictly an early music offering, this is an amazingly powerfulrecording from a Grammy nominated choir in Austin, Texas. TheDirector, Craig Hella Johnson was formerly Artistic Director of SanFrancisco based Chanticleer and is the founder of the 43 member choirConspirare.
The also features the formidable American basso profundoGlenn Miller, an internationally acclaimed singer, who singswith great power and a beautiful tone.
A. GRETCHANINOV, A.KASTALSKY, S. RACHMANINOVThe Sacred Spirit of Russia: ConspirareCraig Hella Johnson, DirectionHarmonia Mundi HMU807526www.harmoniamundi.com
21Toronto Early Music NewsVolume 29, No. 3
This recording is a rerelease of a 2004 offering. These worksare for the feasts of January 1st and the Feast of theEpiphanrecordingy, January 6th. January 1st was celebrated
in Rome and the West as the start of the New Year; later, it became agreat feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In the Eastern capitalConstantinople, January 1st was celebrated as the anniversary of oneof the great Fathers of the East, St. Basil of Caesarea, Cappadocianbishop, theologian and ascetic, who died in 379. There are sevenselections of the Divine Liturgy of January 1st.
The Feast of the Epiphany was first celebrated in the East as theappearance of God on earth as Jesus Christ, before spreadingto the West. But both continue to celebrate it in different ways.
“In the East, January 6th became Theophany, a feast devotedexclusively to Christ’s Baptism in the Jordan by John. Although notunknown in the West (especially in Gaul) the theme of Christ’s Baptismwas overshadowed in Rome by the visit of the Magi. It is this laterguise that the feast became popular in the West as the “twelfth day ofChristmas”, writes Dr. Lingas. There are six selections from the liturgyfor this feast on the recording.
Byzantine chant is the purification and distillation of the ancientGreek and Roman musical heritage, as it grew out of the rootof these seminal ancient civilizations. But that shoot
blossomed into the flower of the Christian Eastern Mediterranean andMiddle East. One can posit that the best of this Byzantine musicalheritage, which this recording represents to a high degree, is theclosest thing (we can find on this earth) to the angelic choirsthemselves, although the high voices are missing. This a primordialartform with a direct connect to a root civilization over a thousandyears old, in a deeply human and visceral style of music that istimeless as it is addressed to the eternal and operates outside of timewhile occupying and projecting into limitless space.
The repertoire on the disc all come from manuscripts datedfrom the 8th to the 15th century. The nine singers were guestdirected by Ioannis Arvanitis an internationally recognized
musician, scholar and professor of the Byzantine school of chant. Hiseditions have been recorded by numerous ensembles includingRomeiko Ensemble, The Greek Byzantine Choir along with his owngroup Hagiopolites. Dr. Arvanitis and Cappella Romana Artistic Director,Dr. Alexander Lingas both supplied the editions for this recording. Thesound of this recording could be qualified as Eastern Christian chant asits genesis, it strikes deeply into the core of the listener, a veryhaunting sound.
Epiphany: Medieval Byzantine ChantCappella RomanaIoannis Arvantitis, Alexander Lingas, DirectionCappella Romana CR408CDwww.cappellaromana.org
22 Volume 29, No. 3
Boesset (15871643) was court composer to Louis XIII but isalmost totally unknown in our own day. A few of his secularpieces have been recorded but his work is not valued, as the
post 1660 period glory years of Louis XIV’s musical world have beenalmost exclusively focused upon, when it comes to 17th century Frenchmusic. Boesset turned almost exclusively to religious music in theperiod just before his death, receiving the permission of his patron.Daucé and his group of young virtuosi have uncovered thesemasterpieces of great power and beauty delivering a rare recording ofsuperlative integrity, charm and unity. This composer deserves a fullhearing. It remains to be seen if other artists take up the challenge.Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles (cmbv.fr) published threesmall scores of Antoine Boesset, in 2001, a Mass and two volumes ofMotets (à voix mixtes et à voix égales).
There are smaller pieces by Henri Du Mont (3) and ÉtienneMoulinié (2) and Giuseppe Giamberti (2), though from thesame era, but there are no notes to support the reasoning for
these selections. Ensemble Correspondances are totally committed tothis early 17th century period, and their next recording with bededicated entirely to Moulinié (15991676). It seems this is last periodof early French music to be brought forward for reexamination and rediscovery.
Antoine BOESSETL Archange & Le Lys: Messe & MotetsEnsemble CorrespondancesSébastien Daucé, DirectionZigZag Territoires ZZT110801www.outtheremusic.com
23Toronto Early Music NewsVolume 29, No. 3
Though this is a debut recording, there is already a signaturesound. One almost visualizes this group as a single unit, asolitary artistic statement of the score and composer’s intent
as envisioned by the director of the group, Daucé. Such is the unity,integrity and collective effort of these twelve musicians including threesingers. Daucé writes: “Having frequented his (Charpentier) music formore than ten years, through such varied activities as reading theMélanges, listening to and editing his music, and musicologicalresearch, I suggested…that we should devote a period of severalmonths to work on the composer.
Hence we wish to present this recording as a fruit of a year ofresearch and collective work aiming at producing a specificsound and specific tonecolours…of pieces composed around
1680…the quintessence of the composer’s style during this period.
Marc-Antoine CHARPENTIERO Maria! Psaumes & MotetsEnsemble CorrespondancesSébastien Daucé, DirectionZigZag Territoires ZZT100601www.outtheremusic.com
Claudio MONTEVERDI: Vespro DellaBeata Vergine (1610)Choeur De Chambre De NamurCappella MediterraneaLeonardo Garcia Alarcón, DirectionAmbronay AMY041 2 CDswww.cappellamediterranea.comwww.ambronay.org
September 1610, Ricciardo Amadino published Monteverdi’ssecond liturgical set of compositions, comprising of twodifferent cycles. A mass (Missa ‘In illo tempore’) and the 14
piece work for concertato vespers, Vespro della BeataVirgine. Thismonumental vespers work is a mystery to us today, but it is generallyaccepted that it is not confined to a specific office, but is a compilationof the composer’s liturgical compositions. There is some speculation hewas looking for work in Rome as the dedication is to the Pope Paul VBorghese, and he travelled to Rome, shortly after the publication topresent the pontiff with a copy. The other part of the mystery is how isthis work to be performed and by what forces. The magnificence of thecompositions indicates a ducal court and his employer the Duke ofMantua. Dennis Morrier writes in the enclosed essay “…the vespers ofthe 1610 collection are very probably to be counted among the finalmasterpieces conceived for the princely liturgy of Santa Barbara.”Referring to the Gonzaga family court in Mantua, they may have beencomposed for a family marriage in 1608 or a baptism in 1609.
Alarcón and the two ensembles he directs on this recording arein fine form on this release. The diction is perfect, the sound
24 Volume 29, No. 3
rich, clear and majestic, the dynamic sound he directs is scintillatingand totally affecting, demanding your attention. One quibble, sadlythis set should be sub-titled “Monteverdi Goes to the Races.” Maybethe tempi are acceptable to concert goers in the 21st century.However, no liturgical rite taken at this pace would have beenacceptable to those who first experienced this masterpiece, and eventoday it would put a considerably strain on the capabilities ofmusicians and singers alike, to maintain this pace for the 80-minuteduration of the set. It tarnishes the powerful and brilliant realization ofthe score by this lauded young conductor.
The Choeur de Chambre de Namur since its founding in 1987has become one of the leading choirs of Europe, in demand,and widely acclaimed. The choir credits 21 singers + 9 soli and
23 musicians make up the instrumental ensemble.
Nicolas LEB GUE, Jacques HARDELComplete Works for HarpsichordKaren Flint, HarpsichordPlectra PL21401, 3 CDswww.brandywinebaroque.orgwww.plectra.org
Both of these composers had great success in Paris and at courtof Louis XIV, in their own day but have never resurfaced in ourown generation to any extent. Hardel died young at thirtyfive,
unpublished, in 1678, which accounts for his eclipse today. Lebègue’sorgan works have had some play but his harpsichord compositions, notso. This CD is a passionate and excellent introduction to these lostmasters of the French harpsichord. Karen Flint also plays with greatclarity, one of the hallmarks of the true French musical tradition.
Flint is a Renaissance woman who has taken her passion for theharpsichord to a new level, patronizing concert series, othervirtuosi, launching a recording label, education and mentoring
the next generation of players, conservation of historical instruments ofmuseum quality, with a generosity that that matches the greatest artpatrons in American history. In addition she is focusing on little knownmasters of the repertoire, like Hardel and Lebègue that would neverhave a hearing on this side of the Atlantic, and in the case of Hardel isalmost totally unknown, even in his own country, France.
25Toronto Early Music NewsVolume 29, No. 3
Memorandum in the Webster’s Dictionary is defined as “a note ofsomething to be remembered.” In the Preface XavierVandamme the Director of the Utrecht Early Music Festival,
writes “These essays by and interviews with Skip Sempé haveappeared over two decades in a number of different formats –programs notes for concerts, press interviews, liner notes forrecordings – but gain in impact when published altogether for the firsttime…This publication…is a passionate communication for the nextgeneration.”
This offering is a compilation of Sempé’s research, the evolutionof his career as a harpsichord virtuoso, conductor, scholar,researcher, writer and educator, musically, aesthetically and
intellectually. But this is not an exercise of rampant opinion, but therumination, thought, writings and communication with peers; decadesof study, experience and performance practise. The moulding of thisunique American artist, who made Paris his home also includesglimpses into his philosophy that can be summed up succinctly as thepast answers for the future/le passé reponds à l’avenir.
There are important sections Sempé’s book that giverecognition and honour to two early music legends that wereseminal in the development of Sempé as a musician and artist
in early music; his principle European teacher and mentor GustavLeonhardt and Wanda Landowska.
Sempé has championed Landowska for many years in the faceof almost total indifference from the rest of the early musicworld. She has not been forgiven for the harpsichord
reproductions (i.e. Pleyel) she played on and helped generate, that arenow considered anathema and monstrosities by the early music fieldplayers. There is a direct connection between Memorandum XXI andLandowska as it follows in the grand tradition of Landowska’s ownpioneering 1909 book Musique Ancienne.
Leonhardt who passed away recently is discussed numeroustimes in the book and also represented as author with one ofhis own essays entitled In Praise of Flemish Virginals of the
Seventeenth Century. The quiet and unassuming genius of Leonhardt isevident in many of the timeless ideas that this volume is chockfull of.
BOOKS
MEMORANDUM XXI: Essays &Interviews on Music & PerformanceCapriccio Stravegante, Capriccio StraveganteRenaissance OrchestraCapriccio Stravegante Les 24 ViolonsSkip Sempé, Author & ConductorParadizio PA0012, 2013
26 Volume 29, No. 3
It should also be mentioned that Sempé studied art earlier inhis formation as a musician, conductor and educator. This hashelped mould him into a musicalartist, not just a musician.
This is something the many young professional musicians of ourcurrent generation have eschewed in their education training, andformation. Compartmentalization has done untold damage to theformation of wellrounded professionals, of those studying all theartistic disciplines, especially in North America.
The 380 odd pages book contains five CD’s of music releasedover the course of Sempé’s career. North American musiccritics have laboured to view Memorandum XXI as a greatest
hits package or as a book with CD’s? In a recent discussion with Sempéfrom Paris, he posited that the project was principally conceived as abook. This writer would have to agree such is the importance of thefourtytwo essays and interviews. Sempé has recorded for Sony, Alpha,Deutsche Harmonia Mundi, Astrée/Naïve and his own label Paradizioover the years, so it is also a unique opportunity to also enjoy his workfrom the Renaissance to the late Baroque period with music from theEnglish, French, German, Italian schools on the five discs. Thecomplete texts are published in both English and French.
This release should be required reading in all early musicacademy’s and university programs. The study of an earlymusic instrument, the acquiring of its technique is only the
beginning of a musical artist’s formation. Many of the quotients ofartistic development are never discussed in university, schools orcollegiums, except in the intimacy and mentoring of a master/virtuosoand their individual pupil. The real secrets, what we might call thebetweenthebarlines, the mysteries of early music are focused uponin these essays and interviews with a plethora of ideas that constitute amountain of potential rumination, discussion, debate and absorption,for students and professionals alike.
Sempé because he has the guts of his own convictions, iscontroversial, but that only makes this book more important,as his thoughts are far beyond the normal run of the mill early
music musings. I am reminded of two quotes by Germaine de Staël awoman of the late 18th and early 19th century who was herself nostranger to controversy. “…they say that anyone who is taller thanthem must be walking on stilts.” and “Those who danced were thoughtto be quite insane by those who could not hear the music.”
Memorandum XXI is an important addition to the knowledge,understanding, the veracity and history of the transmission ofnot only early music, where and how it developed in the 20th
century but how to properly pass on early Western European music tothe future generations. Strongly recommended for all students of earlymusic, opera, baroque dance, and historical staging practise.
27Toronto Early Music NewsVolume 29, No. 3
Cynthia Verba begins her book with a perspicuous introductionand short chapter titled “Rameau’s concept of musicalexpression: In theory and in practise.” She continues with a
detailed evaluation of the composer’s first opera Hippolyte et Aricie,which premiered in 1733, followed by a comparative study of five ofRameau’s tragédie lyriques, Hippolyte et Aricie, Castor et Pollux,Dardanus, Zoroastre and his final work, unperformed until the 20thcentury, Les Boréades. Verba uses first versions only, which isessential, since Rameau regularly altered his operas every time theywere remounted and, very often, during the course of a run ofperformances.
The central thesis of the book is a study of the three mainthematic strains in Rameau’s operas: scenes of forbidden loveconfessed, scenes of intense conflict, and scenes of conflict
resolution. Appendices after each of these investigations are laid out inlandscape format. The librettos for each opera, with sidebysideFrench and English texts, as well as appendices that examine in greatdetail historical issues and matters of emotional and characterdevelopment in the three categories, are invaluable, well organized andaccessible for study. The appendices alone are worth the price of thebook, especially for professional singers who are studying the operaticroles.
Verba refutes some longstanding misconceptions aboutRameau, such as the commonly held view that his operamodel changed little over the course of his career. The author
plainly states that this reevaluation should not be interpreted as a“progression narrative.” Rameau judiciously blended the codifiedtraditions of tragédie lyrique en musique developed by Lully and hislibrettist Quinault with the newest scientific and philosophic ideas of hisown day. She writes: …Rameau’s process of negotiating betweentradition and innovation engaged him in a series of tradeoffs…Heachieved reconciliation in highly individual ways from his first tragedyto his last…Inextricably linked to the opposition between tradition andenlightenment was Rameau’s dual role as both theorist and composer,which meant that he was engaged with music as both an object ofscientific enquiry and as an expressive art form.”
Dramatic Expression in Rameau sTrag dieen Musique: Between Tradition andEnlightenmentCynthia Verba, AuthorCambridge University Press, 2013327 Pages ISBN 9781107021563www.cambridge.org
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Rameau embedded his various scientific, philosophic,theoretical, and artistic ideas within his operas, similar to theway classically trained painters utilize hidden geometrical
forms as a structural basis for the layout of a painting. The author ablydiscusses Rameau’s extensive use of symbols, widely understood in hisown day but mostly lost in our time, as her dissection of Rameau’sintentions lays bare for the first time much of his foundational work.Moreover, Verba posits that the heroes in Rameau’s operas embodythe Enlightenment ideal of rational control, whereas “…the heroines arethe main beneficiaries of the interplay between rational design and theportrayal of feelings, since they are the likeliest to deal with conflictedfeelings, the likeliest to seek outlet in expressive and beautifullystructured da capo arias in monologue scenes reserved for thispurpose.”
In the preClassical era, music was universally equated with thefeminine in Europe. There was also ambivalence amongintellectuals towards music as an expressive art form. These
ideas are now longoutdated; in fact we find them strange. But theywere accepted or in transition during Rameau’s lifetime. That he was onthe forefront of change within these modalities proves that Rameauwas a forwardlooking creative genius. Verba cogently discusses theseideas as part of the important implications for the treatment of genderin his tragedies, writing the Conclusion “…in regards to works of art,either explicitly or implicitly, gender has now become an essential partof theory and criticism in the arts.”
Verba has written extensively on her subject in the past,including such titles as “The Development of Rameau’sThoughts on Modulation and Chromatics” (J.A.M.S., 1973);
and Music and the French Enlightenment: Reconstruction of a Dialogue17501765 (Oxford Clarendon Press, 1993). This important new bookhas shifted emphasis to Rameau’s musical practise, particularly hisconcept of musical expression and how it manifests itself in his tragédielyriques.
There is, however, one important omission in this book that thisreviewer considers glaring.
Rameau was the opera composer of the dance par excellence,not only in France but throughout 18th century Europe. It istherefore inconceivable not to consider dance central to all his
operatic works, but Verba makes no mention of it or its seminal role inRameau’s lyric works whatsoever.
The title of the book begins “Dramatic Expression…” What isdance, if not this theatrical tool? Verba can be partiallyforgiven, since all the choreographic notations for Rameaus’s
operas are now lost, probably destroyed during the Revolution, but theimportance of dance cannot be completely absent from any discussionof this composer.
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