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Reviewer: Catherine
Moore This very fine program is tenor Karim Sulayman’s solo recording debut. In the booklet essay he writes that not only has he put together a program of 17th-Century vocal and instrumental chamber music but also he acts “as a storyteller”. The three program sections are “1. I LOVE YOU...”; “2. ...TO HELL...”; “3. ...AND BACK”. In powerful performances Sulayman demonstrates mastery of his art. Parts 1 and 2 tell the familiar story of Orpheus losing Euridice to death, the gods promising Orpheus that he can travel unscathed to Hell to retrieve her (knowing full well that Orpheus will not be able to meet their condition that he not turn around to look at Euridice), and Euridice being lost again forever.
Excerpts from Monteverdi’s 1607 Orfeo range from the vigorous and extroverted ‘Vi Ricorda O Bosch’ Ombrosi’ to the introversion of ‘Rosa Del Ciel’ and the palpable aching sadness of ‘Tu Se’ Morta’. Instrumental sonatas carry the story along by bridging moods. For instance, a Cima sonata begins by extending the unhappy scene from Caccini’s 1602 Euridice (just solo voice with lute) where Orpheus grieves in Hell. Then Cima’s music becomes happier, an appropriate introduction to the start of Monteverdi’s ‘Qual Honor Di Te Sia Degno’ (from Orfeo) where the hero is confident and optimistic about his reunion with Euridice. But doubt creeps in, Orpheus looks back, and the music weeps again.
A fine Castello 4-part concerted sonata opens Part 3 and acts as an overture to five vocal pieces that show off Karim Sulayman’s vocal prowess and the top-level skills of Apollo’s Fire. The pieces—by Landi, D’India, Brunelli, and Merula—supply ample opportunity for the performers to explore and give vent to the extreme passions, rages, frustrations, furies, betrayals, and snares of love. After all, Sulayman is depicting not only the tale of Orpheus’s journey to Hell but also celebrating the hero’s status as the finest singer in mythological tradition.
All aspects of this release are well thought out and beautifully executed. It may seem a small point, but the use of a “double” headshot of Karim Sulayman on the cover perfectly captures the moment when Orpheus looks back. It’s artful, simple, and captivating.
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