COMPOSERS: Caccini,Dowland,Ferrari,Fresobaldi,Monteverdi,Purcell
LABELS: DG Archiv
ALBUM TITLE: Music for a while: Baroque melodies
WORKS: Weep you no more; In darkness let me dwell
PERFORMER: Anne Sofie von Otter, Jory Vinikour, Jakob Lindberg, Anders Ericson
CATALOGUE NO: 477 5114
Anne Sofie von Otter has structured
this recital in three contrasting
sections: songs by early Baroque
composers including Caccini, Ferrari
and Monteverdi, a group from Purcell
two generations later and, remaining
in England, back to Dowland at the
end. Each section is framed by an
instrumental piece from one of the
continuo players. Von Otter clearly
analyses texts in detail, considering
the impact of each word, each note,
but restoring them to beautifully
sustained musical lines. Impeccable
diction and intentional mistunings
intensify the wit of Ferrari’s ‘Amanti,
io vi so dire’; Dowland’s lament ‘In
darkness let me dwell’ is wonderfully
subtle. Her breath seems inexhaustible
as his ‘Weep you no more’ ends
‘softly... sleeping’. She is exceptionally
versatile: it’s hard to believe that the
same voice sings a gentle lullaby from
Monteverdi’s Poppea and immediately
after engages in a tirade against love
betrayed, Strozzi’s ‘Udite, amanti’.
The decision to dispense with a
bowed string bass instrument results
in a delightfully transparent texture.
Continuo forces range from a single
lute to all three players together, with
Purcell’s more knotty harmonies
supported by harpsichord. Jakob
Lindberg’s playing is outstanding for
its legato, a quality particularly hard
to achieve on a plucked instrument.
He and Jory Vinikour also contribute
the five instrumental interludes. The
recorded sound creates an effective
three-dimensional image, immediate
but free of extraneous fingering noise
from the plucked strings. While
most of this recital is not new to the
catalogue, such heartfelt performance
communicated through seamless
technique lifts this disc far above the
ordinary. George Pratt