This disc contains
motets by Italian composers from the
16th to the 20th century written for
jubilees, but the liner notes don't
tell us which jubilees. There is also
no information about the choir; apparently
it is the choir of a French church in
Rome. That may be concluded from the
words of the 'First councillor to the
French Ambassador to the Holy See',
Laurent Stefanini: "I hope that this
CD will make the French religious establishments
in Rome and Loreto, whose 500th anniversary
we are celebrating this year, better
known."
This disc may contribute
to them being better known, but I doubt
if it is going to enhance their reputation.
To be honest, this is by far the worst
disc I have ever heard. I really can't
mention a single aspect which could
make it recommendable.
First of all, the repertoire
may span about four centuries, there
is not that much difference between
the 20th century motets and those of
previous centuries. And if there are
any differences, one doesn't notice
them from the performance by the choir,
which is very old-fashioned. The tempi
are almost always the same, the choir
which consists of 12 singers (4/3/3/3)
produces a thick and muddy sound and
the lyrics are very hard to understand.
Secondly, the quality
of the recording is below any modern
standard. The spatial acoustics don't
make it easier to understand what the
choir is singing, but the way the reverberation
is cut off at the end of every piece
- and sometimes after a section of a
piece - is simply unprofessional. The
two organ pieces on the disc are even
faded in, something I have never heard
on any professional recording before.
And on the basis of the sound one could
think this is a mono recording.
From the second track
onwards there are some strange noises
which suggest the disc is technically
deficient. That is quite unbelievable,
but considering the overall quality
of the recording it doesn't really matter.
Nor does the fact that Tactus has made
a complete mess of the track-listing
in the booklet and on the tray. Hardly
any piece is given its correct track
number. The list given at the top of
this review is the correct one.
If possible I would
give Tactus the 'Prix de Citron' for
this release. The producers really should
be ashamed of themselves.
Johan van Veen