 TELDEC Das Alte Werk 0630-12097-2 |
Domenico
Mazzocchi Lagrime Amare Tragicomedia Barbara Borden, Suzie Le Blanc, Viveca Axell - sopranos Steve Dugardin - alto Paul Agnew, Marco Beasley - tenors Harry van der Kamp, Jelle Draijer - basses Veronika Skuplik, Milos Valent - violins Paulina van Laarhoven, Anne-Marie Lasla - viola da gambas Erin Headley - viola da gamba, lirone Stephen Stubbs, Elizabeth Kenny - chitarrones Siobhán Armstrong - harp John Toll - harpsichord Directed by Stephen Stubbs & Erin Headley |
Early Music Review
"This generous selection drawn from a cross-section of Mazzocchi's major
publications would be welcome under most circumstances; but these intensely
vivid and thrillingly dramatic performances elevate it to the 'must have'
category for anyone remotely interested in 17th-century Italian music. Whether
realising the sumptuous (and frequently startling) harmonies of the madrigals
as a group of Mazzochi's long, melodious recitatives, the seven singers are all
superb in the total commitment brought to the performances. The continuo
playing has a spine-tingling depth of sonority that is allowed to make its full
impact in a recording of demonstration quality. Unquestionably a magnificent
achievement."
The Daily
Telegraph
"Domenico Mazzocchi was a generation younger than
Monteverdi, and spent the greater part of his life in the service of the family
of Cardinal Ippolito Aldobrandini in Rome. The ensemble Tragicomedia - aptly
named in this repertory - has made a Teldec recording of a selection of his
Latin and Italian settings, including extracts from one of his operas, La
catena d'Adone. His music is sumptuous in its polyphony, which the voices here
sing with tremendous virtuosity. Tragicomedia's timbre is attractively
unmannered, direct in its dramatic appeal, alert to the switches of mood and
the distinctions between the robust and the reserved. A piece like the Lagrime
amare of the disc title - a lament for Mary Magdalene -.shows how natural
Mazzocchi's poignant word-setting could be; others highlight his succulent,
clashing harmony. All of them display a fertile imagination in composition, a
dynamic response in Tragicomedia's interpretations."
BBC Music Magazine
"The title of this disc,
Lagrime amare, comes from an astonishing setting of lament for Mary Magdalene.
Its rich, entreating melody and daring harmonies show how Mazzocchi, who lived
in Rome in the early 17th century, brought the newest experiments in style to
sacred as well as secular music. And the Tragicomedia group, with its varied
and intelligent singers, serves this music extremely well. This recording
prompts us to question the division of history into great composers (who are
assumed always to be interesting) and obscure composers (who are not)."
Classic CD
"Roman baroque music was always
characterised as lacking in imagination. This CD shows how wrong music
historians were. Tragicomedia has assembled an excellent team for this
recording. Mazzocchi's various publications (including secular) are
represented, and even the religious pieces cover the full emotional range of
the contemporary madrigal. The CD takes its name from Lagrime amare, a highly
affective chromatic lament of the repentant Mary Magdalene, sensitively
performed by Suzie Le Blanc, and the four-voice Lament of the Virgin, Cristo
smarrito, is a Monteverdian highpoint. Do not be deterred by the unfamiliarity
of this composer's name; this is the musical equivalent of baroque
architecture, and equally fine."
The Observer
"Domenico Mazzocchi (1592-1665)
was not only a master of composition, but also of interpretation whereby he had
rules to which he expected singers to perform his works which would, at times,
move audiences to tears due to heightened emotional intensity. One needs only
to listen to this new offering titled "Lagrime Amare" (a lament for Mary
Magdalene) beautifully preformed by the group Tragicomeida under the tutorship
of Stephen Stub and Erin Headley. Quite entertaining from beginning to
end."
Toronto Early Music News
"Mazzocchi's music,
of which there are many fine examples on this recording, pays tribute to what
was a dying art in his time - the art of vocal polyphony. With singers
possessing the resonant basso voice and amazing agility of Harry van der Kamp
(listen to his solo "Padre del ciel"), and the keen musical understanding
combined with the focus and clarity of sopranos Barbara Borden and Suzie
LeBlanc (particularly notable in "Peccantem me quotidie"), the beauty of
Mazzocchi's art is revealed in a most appealing way. With Viveca Axell in
"Folle cor", the three sopranos move together in a way that would impress (or
inspire?) the Andrews Sisters three centuries later! The program is varied with
upper voices (SSAT) in "Verginelle festeggiana" and lower voices ('I'I'BB) in
"Tempeste furibonde", and with several other singers and instrumentalists, the
opening track, "Chiudestri i lumi", is definitely one of the most sonorous,
richly expressive pieces from this era! Highly recommended."
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