Customer Reviews

Alfred Deller - Portrait of a Voice

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This DVD/CD package really doesn't do justice to the man who, back in the '40s & '50s, was responsible for re-establishing the artistic legitimacy of countertenorism after centuries of neglect. I was fortunate to hear, in person, Deller while he was in his prime, & still treasure - & play! - my now-antique LPs of Deller in his favorite repertoire of Purcell, Dowland & Elizabethan songs.

So I was disappointed when I bought & screened the DVD, a made-for-TV documentary from the mid-'70s, consisting mostly of an interview in which Deller explains & defends countertenorism. The interview is of historical rather than musical interest, now that countertenors like David Daniels, Graham Pushee, Daniel Taylor & so many others are, thanks mainly to Deller, no longer "curiosities" but taken for granted as integral features of today's musical scene.

The DVD also includes 5 English songs & scenes of Deller rehearsing madrigals with his Deller Consort. The singing on the DVD, as well as on the CD included with it, presents Deller late in his career, still a consummate artist though his voice, understandably, isn't as fresh-sounding as it once was.

At best, this set offers a historically significant memento of a major musical pioneer, but not representative of this great musician at his best.

Just a quick review to say that seeing Deller discuss counter-tenors and his voice is new to me and therefore very interesting for me. I knew he was an essential figure in the development of contemporay counter-tenors and the early music movement, but I didn't know how courageous, intelligent and modest he was. He gives a clear idea of how he thought and acted to develop his new ideas, physical and mental. Then he demonstrates his ability and judgment.
The documentary may be regrettably short but I don't know of any others about him, and the CD is a beautiful demonstration of his talent.