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The album opens with a silvery string rendition of Ist keiner hie, der spricht zu mir, which in a Beechamesque catch-22 one can only enjoy for its sounds and textures, since there is no translation in the booklet. It is a generous and atmospheric acoustic, and in the instrumental rendition of the first ‘Kyrie’ from the Missa ferialis, the addition of the harp adds an impressive depth of colour. Mass movements are interspersed through this programme, with both ‘Kyries’ performed instrumentally (with translation!). Listen for splendid colours from the winds of the alta cappella in Missa Cognovi Domine. It was, however, the motets that caught my attention, Laetatus sum in particular. Le Miroir de Musique find grandness in the big blocks of homophonic texture yet still allow for attractive string flourishes to shine. When voices and instruments combine there are several fleeting moments when instrumental bass notes lose clarity in the resonant acoustic: the very opening of Eolo crudel come turbasti l’onde is a case in point. However, the vocal consort is nicely delineated when the occasion requires, such as the amusingly querulous tenor in Der Wein, der schmeckt mir also wohl, a comical drinking song. The ensemble is quite outstanding in Im Maien hört man die Hannen kreen (‘In May one hears the cock crow’), with its predictable pestering of a brunette. Here, the male singers are witty, engaging and find just the right balance of humour and clarity. The atmosphere, however, completely changes for the Italian madrigal Qual meraviglia se mi piacqu’il bosco (‘How marvellous it was to find pleasure in the forest’), which has both stunning chromaticism at the start (sinking into a bed of leaves?) and the delicate swaying of ‘amorous mistletoe’. This is superb music, beautifully sung. |
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