The ensemble Gallicantus is an all-male group known for skilful
interpretations of music from the late Renaissance. Made up of just seven
singers - including their director, Gabriel Crouch – they have already built
a formidable reputation for bringing the Renaissance back to life through
dynamic performance and intense interpretation.
I was delighted to find out that they had released this cycle of sacred
madrigals and a motet by Orlande (or Roland) de Lassus, one of the best
composers of the Renaissance. Composed in 1594, the
Lagrime di San
Pietro was to be the composer’s last work, and it was published
posthumously in Munich in 1595. It’s a wonderful piece depicting St. Peter’s
grief after the denial of Christ. Many excellent groups have recorded it
including the Collegium Vocale Gent under Philippe Herreweghe and the
Huelgas ensemble and Paul Van Nevel. I was excited to get listening to this
version.
These madrigals are renowned for their spiritual and confessional tone.
Lassus was no stranger to scandal, and he was mischievous and playful for
most of his life - a fact that was well known throughout Europe even during
his lifetime. The sequence is dedicated to Pope Clement VIII, and Lassus
spoke of his ‘personal devotion in … burdensome old age’ in his dedication.
The music is intensely poignant and reflective. As an expression of the
depths of a man’s soul in the face of death, reaching and maintaining the
right emotional tone from the start can be a difficult task indeed.
Gallicantus hit the nail straight on the head from the off. The ensemble,
tuning and blend are phenomenal from the first chord, and never wanes.
Whether moving in chords or counterpoint, the ensemble remain tight
throughout, dealing with the technical demands not only with consummate
ease, but also with an absolute level of artistry that deserves nothing but
awe and respect. On top of this, the group engages with the music on an
intense emotional level, and this is crystal clear throughout. This is
magnified further still by the diction, the clarity of which brings a great
rhetorical gravity to the whole piece.
Each single voice is wonderfully strong, but never overwhelms. Even at the
extreme ends of the musical range - particularly that of the countertenors,
which is often soaring high above the rest of the texture, but never outside
it - no single voice dominates. This is secured despite the awesome strength
of each voice. Each is always subservient to the ensemble, the music, and
the bigger picture. The resulting balance is sublime. This is all helped
along by the very detailed and well-researched programme notes, which
greatly enhanced my experience.
It is nigh on impossible to put just how good this recording is into
words, so I am going to stop trying, and just say this: this recording is
something that absolutely must be experienced. You will not regret it at
all.
Jake Barlow
www.jake-barlow.com
Previous review:
Johan van Veen
Detailed Track-List
1. Il magnanimo Pietro, che giurato havea
2. Ma gli archi che net petto gli aventaro
3. Tre volte haveva a l’importuna e audace
4. Qual’ a l’incontro di quelli occhi santi
5. Giovane donna il suo bel viso in specchio
6. Così tal hor benchè profane cose
7. Ogni occhio del signor lingua veloce
8. Nessun fedel trovai, nessun cortese
9. Chi ad una ad una raccontar potesse
10. Come falda di neve, che agghi acciata
11. E non fu il pianto suo rivo o corrente
12. Quel volto, ch’era poco inanzi stato
13. Veduto il miser, quando differente
14. E vago d’incontrar, chi giusta pena
15. “Vattene, vita, va!” dicea piangendo
16. O vita, troppo rea, troppo fallace
17. Ah quanti già felici in giovinezza
18. Non trovava mia fe si duro in troppo
19. Queste opre e più, ch’ el mondo et io sapeva
20. Negando il mio signor negai qu’el ch’era
21. Vide homo, quae pro te patior
