No thoughts yet on the performance of The Sixteen in Monteverdi's Selva morale e Spirituale? I haven't had a chance to listen yet but was told at lunchtime today that it was a good performance.
Monteverdi from the Temple Church
Collapse
X
-
It was rather less agile and electric than I expected. Intonation VG, but just.....well...just a bit 'corporate'. Fine musicians all, of course. Difficult to put my finger on it. At times not terribly lean or pointed, and at others, a bit slow and solemn.
...but what I did keep thinking was: what size forces were these written for? Sometimes they felt as if they should be madrigal-size, and at others, I thought - yes, this feels good. Credidi etc really worked. In general, the bigger pieces were right in their comfort zone and were done really well. Possibly needed a bigger acoustic to resonate fully, but beautifully dovetailed. Nice instrumental stuff too. I liked the spritely, rhythmically complex and operatic Laudate Dominum. There were other pieces like that, and some of the chamber pieces were lovely.
Forgot to say how much I loved Martin Handley's quiet, almost whispered, undemonstrative presentation. R3 at its best.Last edited by DracoM; 09-11-11, 23:16.
-
Comment