Early Music on Record Review

[yorks_bass]

I don't think so - I think it just means he couldn't act!

I think that was the reason why he never sang Oberon in Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream, though the part was written for him:

Grayston Burgess...sang in the revived production of Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream, taking over from the American High Tenor Russell Oberlin in the part originally written by Britten for Grayston's mentor Deller.

(Interesting that Oberlin is here called a high tenor.)

Deller did sing Oberon, both in the original production (being replaced by Oberlin for, I think, the Covent Garden run) and on Britten's recording. I believe it is true that he wasn't, and never regarded himself as, an actor.

[Vox Humana]

Pegleg wrote:It is not known whether male altos from Purcell's time onwards were falsettists or high tenors. Even the works of S.S.Wesley exhibit some very low alto parts, suggesting they may have been sung by high tenors. A typical alto lay-clerk today will run out of steam down in those regions and will have to resort to a bit of 'chest voice' in order to be heard at all. (Ducks for cover again.) To be really controversial for a moment, I much prefer hearing Gibbons' Rcord of John sung by a tenor.

Current thinking on Tudor pitch, which arises principally out of recent research on the surviving fragments of Tudor organs (which do include a couple of unaltered pipes), is that it was stable (give or take some variation) throughout the Tudor period up to the to the civil war. It places choir pitch at one and a third semitones above A=440. It is an attractive theory which does much to reconcile the sometimes vociferously conflicting opinions about pitch that have been voiced and printed in the past. If correct, it must mean that the Tudor countertenor, tenor and bass voices were what we now term tenor, baritone and bass. In this light, Charles Butler's description of the tenor as "an ordinary voice" makes complete sense and it would explain why the tenor (=baritone) tends to get passed over for the solos in verse anthems and services. The other two voice types, trebles and means, were taken by boys or (in secular contexts) women. This leaves no place for an adult falsetto voice in this repertoire. Again assuming that all this is correct, the big question is: when did the male falsetto alto voice develop? I don't think anyone has addressed this. I wouldn't be surprised if changing pitch standards had a part to play and falsetto gradually crept in as a way of enabling countertenors to sing their top notes - but I am only guessing.

[Miles Coverdale]

To be really controversial for a moment, I much prefer hearing Gibbons' Record of John sung by a tenor.

I'm sure that it's a tenor piece (and I'm an alto). Transposing a tenor part up a minor third does not make it an alto part. However, one of the clinching arguments for me is that one of the sources has the verse up an octave for a boy, and unless you really want some hapless child wailing top B flats in Gibbons (I certainly don't) then it has to be in F or thereabouts.

[Nick Armstrong]

Interesting sequence of vocal music on this morning's show at 10.15 and 11.45

Highlights for me from singers whose names I'd never heard before:

1. the astonishing range (those top notes!! ) of countertenor Franco Fagioli on the disc of Caffarelli arias on Naïve with Il Pomo d’Oro

2. and above all

Handel: Cantate 01
HANDEL: Notte placida e cheta, HWV 142; Qualor l’egre pupille, HWV 152; Ne’ tuoi lumi, o bella Clori, HWV 133; Armida abbandonata, HWV 105
Roberta Mameli (soprano), Stefan Plewniak & Enrique Gomez-Cabrero Fernandez (violins), Marta Semkiw (cello), Contrasto Armonico, Marco Vitale (harpsichord & direction)
AYROS AYHC01

The extract suggested Roberta Mameli is truly a singer to seek out...

[Ruhevoll]

Interesting sequence of vocal music on this morning's show at 10.15 and 11.45

Highlights for me from singers whose names I'd never heard before:

1. the astonishing range (those top notes!! ) of countertenor Franco Fagioli on the disc of Caffarelli arias on Naïve with Il Pomo d’Oro

2. and above all

Handel: Cantate 01
HANDEL: Notte placida e cheta, HWV 142; Qualor l’egre pupille, HWV 152; Ne’ tuoi lumi, o bella Clori, HWV 133; Armida abbandonata, HWV 105
Roberta Mameli (soprano), Stefan Plewniak & Enrique Gomez-Cabrero Fernandez (violins), Marta Semkiw (cello), Contrasto Armonico, Marco Vitale (harpsichord & direction)
AYROS AYHC01

The extract suggested Roberta Mameli is truly a singer to seek out...

Cecila Bartoli she ain't.

One of an excellent crop of Italian singers who record for the Naive label, the others being Sara Mingardo ( - her 'Cum Dederit' with Alessandrini is a thing of wonder) and Roberta Invernizzi.

p.s. although her publicity photos are rather banal.

[Nick Armstrong]

Cecila Bartoli she ain't.

No higher recommendation than that, in my book

[amateur51]

I've rambled enough. Comments, anyone?

Only that is is a magnificent and educational ramble, ardcarp - many thanks

[amateur51]

Interesting sequence of vocal music on this morning's show at 10.15 and 11.45

Highlights for me from singers whose names I'd never heard before:

1. the astonishing range (those top notes!! ) of countertenor Franco Fagioli on the disc of Caffarelli arias on Naïve with Il Pomo d’Oro

By coincidence, I listened to extracts of Fagioli's latest CD yesterday and found them to be quite magical.

Better still it solved a September birthday present problem for me

[Black Swan]

No higher recommendation than that, in my book

I enjoyed the program as well. And I should reveal, I am a huge fan of Bartoli Had I not gone through a huge spending spree I would be ordering the
Fagioli CD
Porpora
Handel Cantatas - however, I need to check the overlap with the La Risonansa and Bonizzoni set if Handel's Roman Cantatas I already have.

I have just received the Disc 4 of Palestrina by the 16 and La Risonansa and Bonizzoni's recording of Aci, Galatea and Polifemo.

[doversoul1]

Renaissance Choral music

CD Review yesterday (21 September)
Caroline Gill joins Andrew live in the studio to discuss recent releases of Renaissance Choral music
10.40:
New Releases

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03bfdk3

Cipriano de Rore - Missa Doulce memoire and Missa a note negre: The Brabant Ensemble, Stephen Rice
Palestrina Volume 4: The Sixteen, Harry Christophers
Libera nos - The Cry of the Oppressed: Contrapunctus, Owen Rees (director)
Times go by Turns: New York Polyphony
MONTEVERDI: Vespro della beata Vergine (1610): Musica Alta Ripa, Jorg Breiding (conductor)
Monteverdi - Heaven and Earth: The King’s Consort, Robert King (conductor)

I very much enjoyed this slot and I thought Caroline Gill’s review was very good.


This should go on to the Early Music on TTN thread but I’ll add it here.
Through the Night: Friday

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03b2k9n

Jonathan Swain presents a performance of Alessandro Scarlatti's oratorio La Giuditta, considered by the composer to be the finest of his oratorios.

Plus, A&D Scarlatti and Charles Avison.

This was broadcast during the Baroque Spring but (I think) it is worth listening. The cantata is uncluttered and wonderfully performed.

Nothing can compensate the loss of an EMS but these programmes cheered me up quite a bit.

[doversoul1]

5 October

10.30 New Releases
Simon Heighes joins Andrew to discuss recent recordings of Baroque music

Corellii - Sonatas Opus 2 & 4: Chamber Sonatas: The Avison Ensemble: Pavlo Beznosiuk (violin and director), Caroline Balding (violin), Richard Tunnicliffe (cello), Paula Chateauneuf (archlute), Roger Hamilton (harpsichord and organ)

Robert de Visee - Confidences Galantes: Fred Jacobs (French theorbo)

LECLAIR: Flute Sonata in E minor Op. 9 No […]. 2: The Four Nations Ensemble, Andrew Appel (harpsichord and director)

BACH: Orchestral Suites Nos. 1-4 BWV1066-1069: La Petite Bande, Sigiswald Kuijken (conductor)

BACH: Brandenburg Concertos Nos. 1-6 BWV1046-1051: Dunedin Consort, John Butt (conductor)

Very good to see a new release (I assume it is new) from La Petite Bande although the choice of the work seems rather on the safe side.

11.40: Disk of the Week
VICTORIA: Tenebrae Responsories: Tenebrae, Nigel Short (conductor)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03c05pq

[aeolium]

The Simon Heighes/AMcG review was very enjoyable, especially the Corelli and Bach Suites extracts.

I must say that I have been a little disappointed in the coverage of the Corelli tercentenary (compared with the massive exposure to Wagner/Verdi and even quite extensive broadcasts of Britten works). There were some programmes on the Early Music Show back in July, IIRC from the York Early Music Festival, but comparatively few broadcasts during the year as a whole. And that's a pity, since Corelli was surely an important figure in the development of the concerto grosso and of violin-playing generally. His oeuvre is relatively small, and the Concerti Grossi op 12 are very well known, but it would have been good to hear more of his chamber works, the sonatas da camera and da chiesa. He's a composer I rarely tire of hearing.

[pastoralguy]

The Simon Heighes/AMcG review was very enjoyable, especially the Corelli and Bach Suites .

I thought Andrew McGregor was quite tetchy with Simon Heighes. He did, at times, sound as if he was trying to catch him out. Quite surprising since Andrew is usually such a sympathetic interviewer.

[Nick Armstrong]

Didn't notice that, pastoral... I just enjoyed the discussion and the music.

(Blissful absence of movie cues and warbling singers = a further bonus )

[pastoralguy]

(Blissful absence of movie cues and warbling singers = a further bonus )

I second that emotion...