Brabant Ensemble

[ardcarp]

Today's lunchtime concert was devoted to the Brabant Ensemble's concert at the 2013 Utrecht Early Music Fetival.
Absolutely lovely singing from this very English group under their director Stephen Rice.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b040ht9d

[jean]

Oh no! I missed it - why didn't you tell me earlier? It'll have to be LA as I see no sign of a repeat.

They are a fine group, and I don't understand why they don't command larger audiences, especially as they contain the twin sopranos from Stile Antico, whose concerts nearly always sell out.

I last heard them at the concert they gave as part of the St Johns Smith Square Christmas Festival 2013, and the hall was half empty, while the Tallis Scholars were sold out.

[DracoM]

Well, jean, sorry we didn't post it earlier. Nostra culpa.
AND
I hope you find it as beautifully blended, fine top line with rock steady intonation as one might expect from the rightly-lauded Stile Antico stable as I did. BUT that said, I just wondered a bit if they might have made a little more of the light and shade and drama in some of the Lassus material? But the pacing and mix were admirable, and in any event, many, many cheers to R3 for having an EMS on at its usual time!!

Very slightest gripe - the whole programme wasn't much helped by Jill Anderson's studio link work - she always seems to take some pride in pronouncing composers / Latin mass sections and motet titles etc as if they were really English. Maybe better than K.Derham who struts EVERYTHING foreign as if it were very nearly cartoon Italian

[Black Swan]

I am sorry as well that I missed the broadcast, I am a big fan of the Brabant Ensemble.

[ardcarp]

....she always seems to take some pride in pronouncing composers / Latin mass sections and motet titles etc as if they were really English. Maybe better than K.Derham who struts EVERYTHING foreign as if it were very nearly cartoon Italian

...but I've never heard anyone try Kyrie Eleison in cartoon (i.e. Stavros) Greek.

[WmByrd]

They are a fine group, and I don't understand why they don't command larger audiences, especially as they contain the twin sopranos from Stile Antico, whose concerts nearly always sell out.

Perhaps audiences, along with much of the music profession, prefer to leave this sort of blandness in 1970s Oxbridge.

[jean]

I don't know about pronouncing Latin as if it were English - I was more surprised to hear French pronounced as though it were Italian. I suppose she was confused by the l which hadn't yet disappeared from Doulce mémoire.

[ardcarp]

Perhaps audiences, along with much of the music profession, prefer to leave this sort of blandness in 1970s Oxbridge.

Ooh, that's rude!