Orlando di LASSO (1532-1594)
Prophetiae Sibyllarum [26.13]
Omnes de Saba venient a 8 [2.24]
Ierusalem, plantabis vineam a 5 [4.08]
Sidus ex claro veniens Olympo a 5 [3.51]
Cum natus esset Iesus a 6 [9.45]
Descendit sicut pluvial a 5 [4.38]
Mirabile Mysterium a 5 [3.32]
Verbum caro factum est a 6 [2.54]
Iubilemus singuli a 6 [3.00]
Resonet in laudibus a 5 [4.06]
Weser-Renaissance Bremen/Manfred Cordes
rec. Stiftskirche Bassum, 7-9 January 2009
CPO 777 468-2 [64.44]
Lassus’s Prophetiae Sibyllarum is a curious work; neither the
work’s date nor the circumstances of composition are known. So what
we have is a collection of twelve pieces plus prologue, setting the sibylline
prophecies. It seems to have been written specifically for Duke Albrecht of
Bavaria and but wasn’t published in his lifetime. The texts are not
specifically religious, but by the middle ages the prophecies of the ancient
Sibyls were perceived to pre-figure the coming of Christ and found their way
into liturgies.
For his settings Lassus used the chromatic mode, setting the test generally
homophonically. The results have the sort of instability that we associate
with Gesualdo, though without his biting dissonances.
They are performed by Weser-Renaissance Bremen using four singers accompanied
by harp; the disposition of the voice types varies as Lassus used different
clefs for different pieces. The key to the group’s performances comes
from the fact that they chose to accompany the sibylline prophecies with a
group of Lassus’s Christmas motets. In fact the prophecies and the motets
are interleaved.
True, the rather strange harmonic sound-world of the prophecies can get a
little wearing, but these are not motets; they are madrigals albeit ones of
a slightly sacred nature. On their 1994 disc of the sibylline prophecies,
Cantus Cölln accompany them with a selection of madrigals; surely the
correct way to go.
Though the performances here are nicely sung and tidily presented, they do
not really convey the music’s fascination and curiosity. The vocal performances
are cool, with a nice sense of line. But the singers are neither as perfect
as some UK ensembles nor as vibrant as some continental ones. They seem to
sit in the middle.
The words of the prophecies are curious and intense, but this intensity does
not emerge here. The singers could make a great deal more of the words than
they do.
The motets are admirably performed with a mixed vocal and instrumental choir
which no doubt reflects the practice of Lassus’s time and shows that
Manfred Cordes and his group have their hearts in the right place. That said
I did find the balance tended to favour the wind instruments a little too
much. They open with an eight-part motet, Omnes de Saba, performed
very grandly by the entire ensemble of six singers, cornet, two trombones,
two violas da gamba, dulcian and harp. But the five part Ierusalem, plantabis
vineam is done as an alto solo (Franz Vitzthum) with cornet, trombone
and two gambas; Descendit sicut pluvial is similarly performed. But
Mirabile Mysterium and Verbum caro factum form fascinating dialogues
as two lines of the motets are taken by voices with the remainder on instruments.
The booklet includes full texts and translations.
This is one of those discs which I wanted to like more than I did. Cordes
and his musicians fall just short of bringing these pieces to life. Put this
disc on and there is a real danger that you might dismiss the music out of
hand.
Robert Hugill
Cordes and his musicians fall just short of bringing these pieces to life.