Francesc Valls was
one of the biggest names in Spanish Baroque music, but, while
the occasional title has appeared recently
there remains a disproportion in the quantity and quality of
the music he created, and the attention paid to it at present.
The programme on this CD contains two masses and three psalms
which were written for the liturgy. The emphasis in the psalms
is on communication of the text, and as a result they have a
more direct nature than the masses. Valls draws on Renaissance
motet style in the word setting of Confitebor tibi, the melodic structures and cadences following the flow of each
sentence. Lętatus sum reflects joy at being in the temple,
and the final Credidi, propter quod locutus sum, another
psalm of thanksgiving, is nonetheless a fitting conclusion to
the programme, carrying an intensity reflected in such parts
of the text as “How can I repay God for all the good He has
done for me?” The mass and psalm texts are given in Spanish
and or Latin in the booklet, but not translated into English.
The masses are basically
the Ordinarium missę – the usual texts used for each
mass, which are set to music and available for use regardless
of the religious feast being celebrated. Valls’ masses for higher
feasts have a more extended instrumentation, whereas the charm
of these masses is in their more intimate austerity. The Missa
quarti toni has two soloists, soprano and tenor, and uses
a typical Renaissance monothematic technique, the whole work
being based on a single motif – in this case an unidentified
fragment of a Gregorian-like melody. The Missa primi toni
has a more solemn air than the previous one, using two sopranos,
one alto and one tenor as solo parts. While missing the better-known
Missa Scala Aretina’s more adventurous harmonies, the
richer setting does in places recall some moments from that
work’s atmosphere. A descant part for the cornetto has
been reconstructed in this piece, the original having been lost.
Ensemble Exaudi
nos bases its performances on research into historical practice,
and in this they appear to achieve a successful balance in voices
and selection of instruments. In terms of an authentic approach
they might actually be said to have been a little too successful,
the overall result in these apparently live recordings might
possibly be said to represent a typical church service of the
time, but falls a little short of being an entirely enjoyable
listen. The singing is generally good, with only a few dodgy
moments, but rather betwixt and between when it comes to style.
Vibrato is the order of the day for most of the time – thankfully
not too heavy, but a cleaner, purer sound might have been less
wearing in the long run. The bass is a bit woolly and boomy,
the organ is very low in the mix and might have helped things
along with a bit more presence. Both the cornetto and
the bassoon sound a little sad, I’ve certainly heard better;
and there are certainly some moments when the ensemble sounds
a little tentative. The acoustic is relatively dry for a church
environment, and a photo on the back of the booklet indeed shows
a fairly restricted space – I would imagine something just a
little more resonant would have made a big difference. The left/right
separation of the voices is good however, with some nice antiphonal
effects.
The caveats mentioned
to one side, these works are recorded here for the first time,
and as such are deserving of at least some recognition. Those
keen to investigate Francesc Valls have little enough choice,
so any titles with new works are to be welcomed. It is a shame
that this CD is not more of an emphatic or eloquent statement
for his cause.
Dominy Clements
Exaudi nos: Alexandrina
Polo, Meritxell Olaya (sopranos) ; Elisenda Arquimbau, Montserrat
Bertral (altos) ; Albert Riera, Damią Carbonell (tenors) ;
Xavier Pagčs (baritone); Arnau Rodon (cornetto); Meritxell Ferrer
(bass); Josep M. Martķ (theorba); Santiago Mirón (viool); Mireia
Ruiz (organ)/Joan Grimalt
