Customer Reviews

Arcadia

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The countertenor voice leaves much space to hear in it, whatever you want to project into it.....From "strange effects" to angelic voices,androgyny....you name it.
Good news is that the new breed of countertenors like Daniels,Asawa and Scholl evolved from the "angelic voice" projection which,in all its beauty,gets soon pretty boring,to full grown singers.They try to approach each piece they sing individually,giving meaning to each word,using their voice with all its colors,rather than presenting "unreflected beauty".
The more operatic approach chosen by Scholl in this recording might turn down some "early music" fans who prefer the Harmonia Mundi recordings,where the young Andreas Scholl relies more on the beauty of his phrasings and his voice,than on truly "dramatic" singing.The guy grew up and the newly-gained opera experience certainly shows in this recording.The long and complex recitatives are skillfully executed with every bit of drama and "affetto" they need.The continuo group led by maestro Dantone on the harpsichord anticipates,reflects and comments the words of the singer,trascending mere "accompagnment".The "Accademia Byzantina" under Ottavio Dantone confirms once more why they are concidered to be the new star ensemble amongst european baroque orchestras.They manage to unite extreme precision in articulation,phrasing and dynamics with true "soulful" playing.Every bar they play "makes sense",nothing happens unreflected.First violinist Stefano Motanardi leads his string section with joyful and energetic playing,presenting some amazing virtuosity and creativity in his ornamentations.Scholl chooses to not overload the da-capi with ornamentations and therfore not to "re-write" them .Historically that may not be "authentic" (the castrati used to invent quite extravagant ornamentations) but,through giving each da-capo the right amount of new perspective, choosing different colors vocally,along with tasteful ornaments in the right moment Scholl and Dantone give a very lively, "organic" feeling to those beautiful cantatas.
Scholl sings now with more vibrato and chooses also a darker vocal color when the occasion demands it.Again that might not appeal to some early music lovers who prefer almost vibratoless voices (btw... historically vibrato was,in the 17th and 18th century,considered to be a sign of a "free" and healthy voice....) but it serves the words and the drama of each cantata well.
The strongest point of this recording are not singer, compositions or orchestra.The true strengh is the amalgamation of those three elements.Orchestra and singer do not compete against eachother,nor is the orchestra simply accompanying.Scholl and Dantone both put the "story" first and assit eachother in a congenial way,re-animating beautiful cantatas that "slept" in archives for the last 250 years.

Andreas Scholl continues to amaze his growing public. Not only is his voice now even more facile and beautiful, his sense of programming is reaching that level held by the singers who not only have a gorgeous instrument but also attach it to an intellect and respect for the composers of the past. How fortunate we are to live in a period when countertenors are popular and plentiful! David Daniels, Brian Asawa, Bejan Mehta etc for some reason do not present a feeling of competition but a celebration for opening opportunities for the countertenor repertoire.

In this collection of 'motets' or pre-operas the subject matter deals with that Elysian Grove or Eden that is 'Arcadia'. Though we know the works of Scarlatti and Corelli in other idioms, we here have a smattering of works that include composers as Gasparini, Marcello, Pasquini, and Bencini - all from the 17th and 18th centuries. The works are consistently fine, aided in no small part by the brilliant musicianship and vocal finesse of Scholl in collaboration with the Accademia Bizantina directed by Ottavio Dantone. Each work sets a mood and each work has its thrilling moments. But there is never a suggestion of sameness one might expect from this repertoire, and that is amazing on repeated listenings! No drolling background muzak here: this is Arcadian music at its finest. Andreas Scholl is clearly one of the major performers of the day! Highly Recommended.

'AHHHH.....ARCADIA! Nymphs and shepherds, soft grass and tender flowers, streams and babbling brooks-familiar images all from a generation of poets and composers. But in Italy in the 1690's, these meant more than pastoral landscapes; this was a reaction against baroque excess, a search for ancient classical truths - natural settings after the super-sophisticated music of the courts of Europe. But due to the Vatican's ban on opera all of this had to take place in private, in the secretive Adademia founded by that music lover Queen Christina of Sweden.

Scholl asks us to reflect upon these circumstances in which these almost unknown cantatas were composed. Some members of the Adademia are familiar (A. Scarlatti, A. Corelli) but the beauty of this CD is the thrill of discovery; the simplicity of Gasparini's 'Destati, Lydia mua'(Wake up Lydia!Already the birds are singing).

In Pasquini's 'Navicella, ove ten vai', a maritime metaphor is used to warn against the danger of the sea.

The Gaspirini Cantata: 'Ecco, che alfin ritorni' ( a shepherd returns to the woods)is another notable compositin on this disc; quite enjoyable and refreshing!

These would have been performed at that time by castrati, but Scholl's polished countertenor is suitably seductive; his interpretation engaging...however, it is somewhat annoying when he drops into his chest voice at the bottom of his range, and seems to advance forward in the mix.

The playing of the Italian ensemble Academia Bizantina performs sensitively and seems aware of the vocal nuances of the performer. The vocal selections are separated with instrumental selections by Pasquini and Corelli.

An interesting and pleasant listening experience! This is a very enjoyable disc including many less familiar composers such as Gasparini, Marcello and Pasquini. But then it includes the familiar like Corelli and Scarlatti.Although Scholl tends to the less dramatic renditions it didn't bother me as it would if he were singing Handel. The one Scholl album I would put above this one is his "German Baroque Songs".

I am, like so many people, fascinated by Scholl's voice. His Harmonia Mundi releases had 'this strange effect on me'. On this latest release his voice somehow does not match the music. Or may be the music does not match his voice.......