Review by beardawgs January 20, 2005 (7 of 8 found this review helpful)
|
|
Talking of pure musical indulgence! Rare are the discs that can capture pure enjoyment of music making, but having heard Alessandrini and his band few times in live performances, the success of this recording doesn’t surprise me a bit. It’s difficult to praise something that is perfect in every way – music is accomplished as it can be, performers not only sing and play, they are genuinely excited and the recording exceeds anything done so far in baroque music.
Listener is in the middle of two orchestras and choirs, while popular feature among baroque composers, ‘echo’ effect, when one word or musical phrase is repeated by two different groups, is for once captured properly (comparing to the similar feature in Bach's Christmas Oratorio, where Channel Classics recording team decided to scrap this feature altogether!) . Listening to this disc is a true live musical experience, all my senses were drawn into the acoustics, while the performers have the ability not just to perform, but to engage.
As much as this recording is a genuine ensemble work, Sara Mingardo must be mentioned separately. Her voice is just divine, she effortlessly floats through Nisi Dominus. Also, the opening concerto for two violins and two organs is a true gem, again full of echoing effects, once again captured perfectly in this stunning recording. What a shame that we are given just a selection of the complete recording, available on 2CDs!
|
Was this review helpful to you?
yes |
no
|
|
Review by LC October 25, 2004 (5 of 6 found this review helpful)
|
|
This is not a full review.
A finalist in two of the 2004 Gramophone Awards categories and winner of one (Baroque Vocal), this reconstructed Vivaldi Vespers is a musical and musicological treasure. These flawless performances range from the delightful to the mesmerizing to the heart-wrenching, and although I've not heard the 4.0 mix, the stereo mix achieves a wonderful clarity and spaciousness. I am grateful to have this excellent recording on SA-CD, and recommend it unreservedly on its own terms.
However:
Do note that this is an "Extracts" version. It is 64 minutes of a 156 minute project. I am disappointed that Naive/Opus111 seems to have regarded their first, and so far only, SA-CD release as something of an experiment rather than making a complete offering for those who love this music, which is so beautiful and so varied (and so rare) that the full-length CD version should be seriously considered.
|
Was this review helpful to you?
yes |
no
|
|