Customer Reviews

La Belle Homicide: Manuscrit barbe

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a recording which truly challenges the accepted norms of musical recording and it does so triumphantly. The sound is full and rich, being recorded in a great church. Lislevand's control of sonority is at times stunning, his tone always sweet and strong. The pieces are tastefully arranged into suites, balanced and whole. And the disc even includes snippets of bird and animal sounds which invaded the recording sessions from the cool night air and nearby lake. Added to this, the liner notes are exemplary, full of insight into the composers' of the disc as well as the opinions and ideas on historical performance. Highlights of this recording are the Canaries by Gaultier and Tombeau du Mezangeau, by the same.

Worthy of five stars, easily.

The material on this CD was clearly chosen with an ear toward atmosphere, which, far from giving an overdone effect, is elegantly understated. Rolf Lislevand's performance is exquisite, and the acoustics are wonderful. If all baroque-era music and recordings were like this, I would become a dedicated fan of the genre.

- A year later, I've found the extraneous noises (mentioned by another reviewer) to be distracting or even annoying, while Lislevand's performance and the overall quality of the recording continue to shine in comparison to similar works. Six of one, half a dozen of the other.

I can't add anything to the other reviews concerning the music itself, the other reviewers have said it better than I could ~ it's wonderful music, but the bird sounds are really annoying. Who in the hell thought this was a good idea? Not just on subsequent plays but the first time through. omg. Finger nails on a blackboard. If the music weren't as good as it is I would've given it 2 stars. What a moronic idea.

This music is like a highly complicated, second-guessing, crebral yet intuitive dance...
Lislevand's playing is very open and sensitive.
Highly recommended!