Gramophone – September 2019

gramophone.co.uk GRAMOPHONESEPTEMBER 201997

Obrecht’smodestmodernprofile.

ThePragueMadrigalSingersin 1969

(Supraphon,6/72–nla),singingpre-‘break

ininterpretation’,tookarobustapproach

alternatingachamberchoir–completewith

consistent/persistentvibrato–withpassages

ofstaunch-tonedvocalduets.Theyalso

employedafeastofinstrumentalcolours

onthecantusfirmus.TheTallisScholars

in1992,presumablyemblematicofa‘break

intradition’,mademuchlighterworkof

Obrecht’sbusycontrapuntaltextures.Their

smallerensembleandminimalvibrato

createdforwardsmomentumthrough

gracefullyphrasedarcs,andtheysubtly

embeddedthelong-notesoftheMaria

zartsonginthepolyphonictexture.Beauty

Farmsitbetweenthesetwoapproachesbut

muchclosertoTheTallisScholars:their

toneisricher,withoutpersistentvibrato,

andwithonevoiceperparttheydelineate

eachpolyphonicstrandthroughdifferent

huesofvowel-soundsandshadesofvocal

effort.Theyaremoreconfidentinbusier

passageswheretheyhaveanicetone,

balanceandmomentum.Longer,two-

voicetexturesspawnoccasionalsourtuning

(‘QuitollisI’intheGloriainparticular)but

ingeneraltheysingwithtendernessand

maintainattractivelybriskertemposthan

eitherotherrecording.

IadmireBeautyFarm’ssoundand

choiceofrepertoirebuttheirrhetoric

failstodeliver.Theonlynotablereaction

tothe1980searlymusicmovementhereis

inconsistenttuning.EdwardBreen

MissaMariazart–selectedcomparison:

TallisScholars,Phillips(3/96)(GIME)CDGIM032

Rossini

PetiteMessesolennelle

EleonoraBurattosopSaraMingardomez

KennethTarvertenLucaPisaronibass

ViennaSingakademie;Luxembourg

PhilharmonicOrchestra/ GustavoGimeno

PentatoneFÍPTC5186 797

(82’• DDD/DSD• T/t)

ThePetiteMesse

solennellewasfirst

performedinParis

in 1864 asachamber

workfor 12 singers,twopianosand

harmonium,thoughshortlybeforehis

deathRossinialsopreparedanorchestral

version,whichwaspremieredafterhis

deathunderthetitleMessesolennelle(there

isnothing‘petite’abouttherevisedscore,

thoughtheoriginaltitleisnowadaysused

forbotheditions).Opinionshavediffered

overtimeabouttherelativemeritsofthe

two;andwhilemanyhaveexpresseda

preferencefortheintimacyoftheoriginal,

itisthealtogetherloftier,perhapsmore

overtlyoperaticsecondversion that has of

latecometoassumeprominence both in

theconcerthallandondisc.

GustavoGimenoandhis Luxembourg

orchestragiveusasombre, devotional

account,carefullyavoiding grand gestures

oranythingthatsmacks of overt

flamboyance.Gimenoplaces the emphasis

ontheprayersandpetitions for mercy that

formboththework’semotional kernel and

itsmomentsofdeepestreflection, and the

uneasymood,established in the turbulent

openingKyrie,persiststo some extent

throughoutdespitethegrandeur of

muchthatfollows.Theplaying is superbly

accomplished,theorchestral textures clean

yetdark,whilethechoral singing, from

theWienerSingakademie, is exceptional.

Counterpointiscrystal-clear, even in the

complexfuguesthatbring both Gloria

andCredotoaclose,while the ‘Christe

eleison’isprofoundlyaffecting in its

raptintroversion.

Soit’ssomewhatregrettable that the

soloistsarelessthanideally matched,

particularlywhenplaced beside Riccardo

Chailly’smoreconsistently cast Bologna

recording.KennethTarver sings with his

customaryelegancebutis pushed in his

upperregistersin‘Domine Deus’, while

LucaPisaronitakestime to get into his

strideafteratentativestart, only really

strikingformat‘Quoniam tu solus sanctus’.

VOCAL REVIEWS

Gustavo Gimeno leads his soloists and the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra in a devotional account of Rossini’s Petite Messe solennelle

PHOTOGRAPHY:

SÉBASTIEN GRÉBILLE/PHILHARMONIE LUXEMBOURG