Customer Reviews

Praetorius: Magnificat

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Praetorius is one of those composers who is well known by name, and everyone knows a few of the famous pieces, but most of his music goes unheard by the average listener. This disc by the Huelgas Ensemble has none of the "greatest hits" of Praetorius, but is none-the-less filled with beautiful, if understated, music.

It is anchored on each end by substantial works, a contrapuntal Magnificat based on a rising scale motive, and a setting of Psalm 116. In between are five motets on German or Latin texts. Being a pragmatic man, Praetorius gave great latitude regarding the performance of his music, and suggested that the distribution of the forces be determined by what forces were available. This means that much of this music can be sound either intimate or very grand depending on what the performers choose.

Van Nevel always seems to opt for a relatively subdued, yet deep sound. There is a certain earthiness to the sound his singers and instrumentalists produce; a reediness that is richly textured, not overly brilliant. I find it very attractive.

All of the music presented here is good, but my two favorites are Aus tiefer Not schrei and Venite exultemus Domino.

Mainly vocal church music, performed with grace and beauty by The Huelgas Ensemble. Well recorded with clear vocals, yet with enough ambient reverberation to bring to mind a cathedral setting. Instrumentals add support but are not highlighted and blend beautifully with the voices.

For any one who loves complex vocals and beautiful harmonies, this is well worth adding to your collection.

Como siempre, la curiosidad de conocer más sobre este artista, de los grandes teóricos de la música y sus instrumentos, me ha traido a la compra de este ejemplar. Este disco es una buena muestra del excepcional talento, creación y experimentación musical de Praetorius. Recomiendo ampliamente este disco. Con seguridad lo encontrarán atractivo.

This is my first serious acquaintance with M. Praetorius - and what an acquaintance!
Almost every piece here is a sheer beauty of structure and melody.
The only exception, i feel, is the first piece - the Magnificat - which is rather an experiment in architecture of notes.
It is so refreshing to find such a deep difference between Praetorius's music and the music of, e.g., his Italian contemporaries - so different from today.

The Huelgas Ensemble is one of the best ensembles in the last generation, and here they are in their zenith! (by the way, the Altus here is Claudio Cavina, the founder of La Venexiana.)
The instrumentalists are top notch musicians, and the playing of the recorders is fabulous.
Of course, all the gratiae are to the great Paul van Nevel.

The recording is crystal clear with a very deep stage and excellent ambience.

BRAVO!