Two Words, One Answer.
Greta Van
 Samuel Scheidt: Concertuum Sacrorum $18.98 Samuel Scheidt (1587-1654) wrote a lot of instrumental 'banquet' music -- Ludi Musici, Musical Playthings -- of the sort we historical woodwind players used to perform at weddings, bar mitzahs, amicable divorces, and royal receptions. Acoustic wallpaper, which over the course of time evolved into the classical symphony. That's what you'll hear on nearly all of the CDs that bear Scheidt's name. But Scheidt also wrote sacred vocal music in the most advanced 'stile concertato' imported from Venice and North Italy, the sort of music expected from Heinrich Sch«ätz and Claudio Monteverdi. Sch«ätz gets most of the credit these days for introducing Italian forms and style to Germany, but Scheidt, a less traveled man, was thoroughly abreast of his contemporary. The publication of his Concertuum Sacrorum in 1622 proves as much. Scheidt's magnificent Magnificat Tribus Choribus, the 18-minute first track on this CD, sounds remarkably like the Monteverdi Vespers of 1610. Scheidt's vocal music is a well-hidden secret treasure. There are only two worthwhile CDs of it available, and this is easily the better of the two. The combination of the Ricercar Consort, with the superb soprano Monica Mauch, and the instruments of La Fenice, with cornettist Jean Tubery, is a case of musical synergy. Just the first 'overture' of the Magnificat will convince you that the "cornetto" was not a weird wooden trumpet but a virtuoso's instrument of the highest art. The two cornettists, Tubery and Gebhard David, decorate these sacred concertos as piquantly as black truffles decorate "tournedos Rossini" in the finest restaurants of France. The four trombonist of La Fenice also artfully redeem that instrument from the blatty quality lesser musicians often produce; this is trombone-playing with vocal subtlety. Scheidt disposes his singers and instruments in polychoral splendor redolent of Gabrieli and Venice, but his handling of his Latin texts is more expressive and less formulaic than Gabrieli's. This is as fine a performance of music of the Monteverdi era as any on a CD. But wait! There's a second CD in the package! Talk about a well-concealed secret! Although no sign of it appears on the cover of the box, or on the amazon listing, the second CD here is a musical jewel, a collection of miniature masterworks -- Geistliche Konzerte -- recorded by Ricercar with different singers at various times between 1981 and 1991. Nine of the seventeen tracks are works by Heinrich Schuetz, and four are by Johann Herman Schein, Scheidt's greatest contemporaries. Thus the Three SCH's of German Baroque. Ricercar Consort is unique in producing its recordings on its own label, but Man Alive! they could use a marketing consultant. To include a spectacular recording of Sch«ätz, a far better-known composer than Scheidt, without even mentioning him on the cover? That's feeble. This second CD is fully as artful as the first, though the musical forces are less showy -- one or two violins, gambas, and continuo. Sch«ätz and others wrote volumes of such small vocal concertos for the musical benefit of cantors and chapel-masters in the towns and even villages of Lutheran Germany during the Thirty Years War, a time when even the great courts and cathedrals were dealing with reduced musical resources. These performances are remarkably 'tight' (a complimentary term in musical parlance) in their balance of voice and continuo. Countertenor Henri Ledroit has a warm, natural alto that reminds me of Gerard Lesne; I wonder why he hasn't emerged as a star in the field. Basses James Weaver and Max van Egmond are indeed stars on their field. Four polished sopranos, especially Greta de Reyghere, also shine on the Schein selections. Even if you already have some or all of these Sch«ätz pieces in your collection, you'll hear new beauties in them as performed on this unheralded CD. Now, class, who are the Three SCH's? Heinrich Sch«ätz: (Sch«ätz Edition, vol. II cantiones sacrae - Cappella Augustana) Johann Herman Schein: (Israelis Br«ännlein - Philippe Herreweghe) Samuel Scheidt: this performance!  Fiocco: Missa Solemnis: Ave Maria; Homo Quidam $8.99 As Patrick Peire's rather brief notes to this CD indicate, Fiocco's work shows the influence of many masters of his day. But if this composer, who died relatively young, failed to cultivate a unique voice, his music is nonetheless enticing. Fiocco was a true eclectic: he synthesizes the best choral-music influences of his day, with the exception of Bach, who few outside of Germany would have known anyway when Fiocco was writing.Fiocco was the son of a Venetian who settled in Brussels. Joseph-Hector served at the court chapel in Brussels and at Antwerp Cathedral as choral director, and these opportunities obviously gave him the opportunity to write for a fine chorus, capable of coloratura singing, and an orchestra with first-rate trumpeters, as shown by the virtuoso writing for the trumpets in Fiocco's Mass.While I can't speak to Peire's assertion that Fiocco incorporates Flemish musical strains in this work, the Italian influences are immediately recognizable, and if you enjoy, say, Vivaldi's celebrated Gloria, you will almost certainly admire Fiocco's works. But whereas Vivaldi can be somewhat foursquare, Fiocco's music dances. Peire credits the influence of Couperin and Lully for this dance-like quality. However, I think more along Italian lines again--that eminent "Italian" master George Frideric Handel, whose choral music so often dances as well. Handel apprenticed in Italy and never abandoned his Italian musical roots but instead filtered Italianate style through the native English strains of Purcell (or vice versa). Maybe that's what's happening in the case of Fiocco, who gives the Italianate a possibly Flemish spin. Whatever the case, you will hear music in Fiocco that reminds you of Handel, such as the lovely Qui tollis, an excellent piece of contrapuntal writing that is very reminiscent of "Lift Up, Ye Gates" from the Messiah, just as Fiocco's Cujus regni recalls "Arise, Shine; for Thy Light Is Come." These should probably be called pre-echoes, since the Messiah was composed around the time of Fiocco's death. But it is clear that both masters are going to the same well for their inspiration.If Fiocco's music finally lacks the majesty and melodic memorability of Handel, certainly the Mass is more accomplished than much of Vivaldi, whose choral-vocal music, as critics point out, often sounds like transcribed instrumental music. In fact, Fiocco's Mass is clearly the work of a thoroughgoing church-music master. So thanks to Patrick Peire and Naxos for the opportunity to hear this interesting and attractive work. All of Peire's forces are as committed to the project as he. His soloists and chorus sing with suavity and grace, and the orchestra is equally fine, especially those all-important trumpeters. The choice of recording this work in a studio rather than a church results in an intimate, well-balanced recording so important to reproducing the clarity of Fiocco's contrapuntal lines. Warmly recommended.  The Strawberry Statement $2.99 You had to be there or at least you have to be intrigued by the on-going concept of polarization (which is what "The Strawberry Statement" , both the James Kunen source book and movie, is really about). Others should give the film a wide berth which should be easy to do as ownership complications with the music rights continue to keep this interesting counter-culture film from a DVD release. The title comes from a statement made by a Columbia University administrator in response to student demands for more say in the administrative decisions of school. He said something to the effect that the opinions of the students meant no more to him than whether they liked the taste of strawberries. Needless to say this simply played into the hands of the most radical of the students and became a rallying cry for the protests that would rock the university. The film transports the events from NYC to a fictional university in San Francisco, at least in part because "The City By the Bay" was quick to offer its location to film makers; even though the area had its own considerable student protest legacy (The Free Speech Movement, The Oakland 7, and People's' Park come to mind). Taking its character motivational elements and cinematography style from Haskell Wexler's "Medium Cool" (1969); it is all about a "Man With A Movie Camera" (1929) observer gradually being pulled through his lens into the action itself. A little broken camera symbolism. In both there is a surprisingly authentic feeling romance, which serves as both a tension release and as a source of character motivation. The action he has been observing is essentially a "Hellbound Train Effect" as the young students aggressively test the system and the authorities stubbornly refuse to defuse the situation. The film includes a great period soundtrack which I owned before I had even seen the movie. The songs nicely complement what you are seeing on the screen. Neil Young's "The Loner" gets an especially good montage effect. Joni Mitchell's "The Circle Game" (sung by Buffy Sainte-Marie) bookends the film and the morphing of the hero (played by Bruce Davison) from distanced jock (crew team) to involved student. There is a curious foreshadowing of Davison's signature role in "Willard", a film he made just a year after "The Strawberry Statement". Instead of conversations with a house of rats he talks to the cockroaches in his kitchen. There is probably a metaphor there but just exactly what it is escapes me. Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child. |
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