Gesualdo: Tenebrae Responsories for Maundy Thursday [Import]

Gregorian Chant (Composer), Carlo Gesualdo (Composer), King's Singers (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: King's Singers
• Composer: Gregorian Chant, Carlo Gesualdo
• Audio CD (May 25, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Signum UK
• ASIN: B00022XEEA
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #253,681 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just a little bit magical, October 18, 2005

By 

Jared Zehring "merricmaker" (Kansas City, MO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gesualdo: Tenebrae Responsories for Maundy Thursday (Audio CD)

The King's Singers have been in decline of late. Let's not mistake this statement for one in which I say, "it's crap." What I mean is, most of the more recent King's albums haven't had the same sort of cohesive synergy which characterized their very first albums back in the Carrington-era incarnation of the group. Very very good, probably better than anyone else on the scene; but not quite as good as the King's Singers of 1976 or '77 (I forget when they actually started).

They are now back to fighting trim.

The Carrington-era group was not quite as aggressive in terms of individual vocal production as they are in this album, which is fine, a different ethic is at work here. A large portion of blame for the new and wonderful sound can be laid at the feet of new countertenor, Robin Tyson, who seems to act as an anchor for the upper end of the group's sound just as the equally wonderful Stephen Connolly has done for the bass end of the scale for many years now. The group's musicianship has never been so forward, yet so...well... musical, as it is here.

And then there's the material... Gesualdo is one of those lurking genuises who hide in Renaissance repertoire. He's always there, just overlooked more often than is fair. I think of what Bach must have been before Mendelssohn reintroduced him to the world--then I think of Gesualdo. The King's drive straight for the odd little turns that populate Gesualdo's music and reveal them in ways which I have not experienced before.

In short, this album is unearthly perfection.