COMPOSERS: Jenkins
LABELS: NAIVE
ALBUM TITLE: Jenkins - Fantazia
WORKS: Works for chamber ensemble
PERFORMER: Ensemble Jérome Hantaï
CATALOGUE NO: E 8895
Among viol enthusiasts, John
Jenkins (1592-1678) towers:
prolific, virtuosic and versatile, he
skilfully moved from polyphonic
to harmonic writing in his mining
of the viol’s expressive potential.
Since his 400th birthday, top
ensembles have shown why his
music deserves recognition outside
circles of viol amateurs.
This recording by the Ensemble
Jérôme Hantaï, an offspring of
a festival performance, rivals
and sometimes outshines
earlier interpretations. Whether
illuminating Jenkins’s contrapuntal
mastery or executing extravagant
diminutions, the Ensemble imbues
each phrase with conviction. Its
strengths shine forth particularly
in the ‘Newark Siege’, whose
programmatic aspects elicit a panache
unmatched in other versions. The
problem is that the Ensemble’s
pleasing muscularity and rich
textures largely result from replacing
treble viols with two violins, adding
an organ and enriching the venue’s
acoustic in the studio. Few works on
this disc seem late enough to justify
the violins, and such a beefing-up of consort playing may offend
Jenkins devotees. Purists will prefer
performances of the same pieces by
the Hespèrion XX (also Naïve) or
the Rose Consort (Naxos), who fit
their interpretations around the viol’s
sonorities. But all said, this recording
will at least entice newcomers to
explore Jenkins. Berta Joncus