SITE RATING: 6/10
SITE
REVIEW: This live
recording, released in April of 2022, was
recorded in November of 2021, and features the
highly polished sound of the Music of the
Baroque ensemble, under the direction of
Nicholas Kraemer. It's a technically
proficient performance, with 'high baroque'
mannerisms and flourishes evident
throughout, As such, it revels in the
clean, "white" sound which is lauded by
purists, but lacks the richness and warmth
which more resplendent readings bring to the
text. And, being a live recording
(although there is no discernible audience
noise in the recording), it lacks some of the
true sparkle and polish which a studio
recording and multiple takes could have
offered. Kraemer's tempi are often
careful, and the Music of the Baroque ensemble
feels tightly reigned-in, but with its smaller
forces, individual voices and timbres stick
out. Among the soloists, Bass-Baritone
Matthew Brooke gives an impassioned, fiery
performance which I quite enjoyed; while tenor
Brian Giebler seems more remote and studied,
although equally proficient in his
solos. Mezzo-Soprano Allyson McHardy
seems a bit earth-bound and unsteady in her
melismas and tone, her natural vibrato a bit
at odds with the demands of the role. Soprano
Sherezade Panthaki has a curious, piping tone
to her voice, which I found interesting, and
occasionally child-like - I'm still deciding
whether it suits the needs of the role
adequately. More distracting is the
director's odd insertions of pauses or breaths
in the sung lines, with the result that
certain words get emphasized which don't call
for that distinction. It's an affected
way of tackling the strictures of Baroque
singing, trying to maintain clean, articulated
singing, but not serving the text. An OK
performance, which I'm not surprised hasn't
received a wider release profile.
|
