5.0 out of 5 stars
A Perfect Pairing, January 10, 2012
This review is from: Bendetto Marcello: Salmi di Davide (Audio CD)
Rinat Shaham/Fuoco e Cenere - SALMI di DAVIDE - Atma
Renaissance and Baroque religious music is definitely an acquired taste; in this case, Benedetto Marcello's musical setting of Girolamo Giustiniani's Italian translations (from the Latin text) of the Psalms of David achieves its additional, international flavor through his use of melodies from Sephardic and Ashkenazic songs and chants collected in Venice's Jewish ghetto. Popular in its own time, the music is given new life in this excellent recording.
Led by viola de gambist, Jay Bernfeld, the band Fuoco e Cenere combines a thorough and scholarly understanding with passionate virtuosity. Their performance of the C minor and B-flat major sonatas would, alone, make this recording worth having. When accompanying the beautiful voice of mezzo-soprano, Rinat Shaham, their skill as musicians becomes even more apparent.
Ms. Shaham's singing is sensitive and inspired; her voice is clear and pitch perfect and she possesses masterly dynamic control.
Only one small complaint might be made regarding the separation of the instruments in the recording process; the harp and theorbo sometimes seem to get a little lost in the mix. This is, however, a very minor quibble.
All in all, "Salmi di Davide" is a unique collaborative project, one that defies easy categorization. It will, of course, interest students and fans of early music, especially early Catholic religious music, but it can really be recommended to anyone seeking the timeless and beautiful.
9 1/2 out of 10 Oscar O. Veterano
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
