King David's Lyre

Editorial Reviews
Fanfare Magazine
"It can take its place beside Mischa Elman's (collection)...equal in musicianship and superior in recorded sound. Highly recommended"

American Record Guide
"one of the most beautiful recordings of Jewish music I've heard. Schiff is a great violinist in every way."

Album Description
A CELEBRATION OF JERUSALEM 3,000 CRITIC'S CHOICE - BEST OF 1997, AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE

King David's Lyre

King David's Lyre, Music, Zina Schiff, Classical

Monteverdi: Madrigals / Rooley, The Consort of Musicke
Average customer rating:

The 'step' toward a new style

Hear the Renaissance dissipate before your ears...

Monteverdi: Madrigals / Rooley, The Consort of Musicke
Claudio Monteverdi , Emma Kirkby , Evelyn Tubb , The Consort of Musicke , Anthony Rooley , Mary Nichols , Joseph Cornwell , Paul Elliott , Andrew King , and David Thomas
Manufacturer: Oiseau Lyre
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

All Works by Monteverdi | Monteverdi, Claudio | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Madrigals | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B0000042HQ
Release Date: 1997-10-14

Tracks:

Fourth book of madrigals: I. Ah dolente partita!
Fourth book of madrigals: II. Cor mio, mentre vi miro
Fourth book of madrigals: III. Cor mio, non mori?
Fourth book of madrigals: IV. Sfogava con le stelle
Fourth book of madrigals: V. Volgea l'anima mia
Fourth book of madrigals: VI. Anima mia perdona Prima parte
Fourth book of madrigals: VII. Che se tu se'il cor mio Seconda parte
Fourth book of madrigals: VIII. Luci serene e chiare
Fourth book of madrigals: IX. La piaga c'ho nel core
Fourth book of madrigals: X. Voi pur da me partite
Fourth book of madrigals: XI. A un giro sol de begl'occhi
Fourth book of madrigals: XII. Ohime, se tanto amate
Fourth book of madrigals: XIII. 'lomi son giovinetta'
Fourth book of madrigals: XIV. Quel augellin che canta
Fourth book of madrigals: XV. non piu guerraa pietate
Fourth book of madrigals: XVI. Si chi io vorrei morire
Fourth book of madrigals: XVII. Anima dolorosa
Fourth book of madrigals: XVIII. Anima del cor mio
Fourth book of madrigals: XIX. Longe da te cor mio
Fourth book of madrigals: XX. Piagn' e sospira
Con che soavita, labbra odorate
Mentre vaga Angioletta
Tempro la cetra

Tracks:

Fifth Book of madrigals: I. Cruda Amarilli
Fifth Book of Madrigals: II. O Mirtillo, Mirtil',anima mia
Fifth Book of Madrigals: III. Era l'anima mia
Fifth Book of Madrigals: IV. Ecco, Silvio
Fifth Book of Madrigals: V. Ma se con la pieta
Fifth Book of Madrigals: VI. Dorinda, ah! diro
Fifth Book of Madrigals: VII. Ecco, piegando
Fifth Book of Madrigals: VIII. Ferir quel petto
Fifth Book of Madrigals: IX. Ch'io t'ami
Fifth Book of Madrigals: X. Deh! bella e cara
Fifth Book of Madrigals: XI. Ma tu, piu che mai dura
Fifth Book of Madrigals: XII. Che dar piu vi poss'io
Fifth Book of Madrigals: XIII. M'e piudolce il penar
Fifth Book of Madrigals: XIV. Ahi, come a un vago sol
Fifth Book of Madrigals: XV. Troppo ben puo
Fifth Book of Madrigals: XVI. Amor, se giusto
Fifth Book of Madrigals: XVII. 'T'amo mia vita!'
Fifth Book of Madrigals: XVIII. E cosi a poc a poco
Fifth Book of Madrigals: XIX. Questi vaghi concenti
Fifth Book of Madrigals: Ogni amante e querrier

Customer Reviews:

The 'step' toward a new style.......2003-03-18

This is a very fine presentation of some of the greatest madrigals ever written. Part of a whole series of recordings of the famous Books of Madrigals by Monteverdi, this double CD presents earlier recordings made by a group of distinguished singers led by Emma Kirkby together with Anthony Rooley's Consort of Musicke. One of the seminal groups of the Early Music movement, the Consort is known for its contributions to the performance of Renaissance music through the 1970s, 80s, and 90s.
I found this collection useful for the historical connotations of the program. One of the most important aspects is the birth of the new style in the first years of the seventeenth century. With the last six pieces of the Fifth Book, Monteverdi specifically demands the use of continuo instruments and through this he clearly marks the transition to the Baroque era. The seconda pratica (second practice) characterizes most of these two books of madrigals. The opening of the madrigal "Sfogava con le stelle" (Communing with the stars) represents an ensemble declamation on one chord in the rhythm of the text. In the new style, the words should govern the music, the sonorities must be in accordance with the textual images and ideas. The theatrical style is reinforced in the pieces of the Fifth Book by the particular dissonance treatment, such as unprepared sevenths and ninths. They were characterized at the time as improper.
The importance of the text is also evident through the thinner textures that Monteverdi uses at different moments in a piece. The composer writes passages where only alternating pair voices sing or if there are three voices at a time, one of them has a functional role while the other two move in parallel thirds, as in "Io mi son giovinetta" (I am young). Polyphony is not abandoned (a few madrigals have reminiscences of the prima pratica), but enhanced to smaller groups of voices competing or completing with each other.
The present recording sets apart through the clarity of the voices and the delicate ornamentation of certain passages, including a perceptible vibrato often used to enrich the sonority of such a small group. An impeccable vocal technique, which doesn't show off but serves the communication of emotions, an elegant treatments of the dynamics, including expressive accents, and an impeccable Italian diction are defining elements of this performance. Balance is sometimes a very difficult task in the context of Monteverdi's madrigals, but these singers are well coordinated and prove a highly trained sense of awareness.
To give this recording an even more interesting angle, the collection is rounded off by other four substantial accompanied madrigals. "Con che soavità" and "Tempro la cetra" come from the 7th Book, while "Mentre vaga Angioletta" and "Ogni amante è guerrier" are taken from the 8th Book. These pieces give the listeners an idea about the direction of Monteverdi's music.

Hear the Renaissance dissipate before your ears..........2001-03-26

... dissipate and morph into something quite extraordinary: the early Baroque in the hands of its first great master, Monteverdi!

Never has a composer been so generous in gradually but persistently 'easing' his audience into a new art, a new music. True the fourth book of madrigals has Sfogava con le stelle (marvelously rendered with the rest of the book here by the Consort of Musicke), but the fifth - therein lies the rub. It all begins with the familiar (but dissonant and daring!) sonorities of the Second Practice, but by the end these teeming harmonies have been reduced to chordal instrumental accompaniments to the most gorgeous monody and, yes, Baroque choral singing... you can quite literally hear the Renassiance tradition slowly dissolve into the Baroque, one of the most engaging 'moments musical'. It takes a mind of rare genius to father a new age of music... Monteverdi did just that and in THESE very madrigals.

Tracks:

Gianni Schicchi: Lauretta's Solo - 'Oh, My Beloved Father'
Idomeneo: Act III - Illia's Aria - 'Gentle Zephyrs, Soft Caressing'
The Indian Queen: Act I - Aerial Spirit's Solo - 'I Attempt From Love's Sickness'
Rinaldo: Act II - Almirena's Aria - 'Hear Thou My Weeping'
Linda From Chamonix: Act I - Linda And Carlo's Love Duet - 'Linda! Linda!'
The Pearl Fishers: Act II - Leila's Recitative And Aria - 'I'm All Alone Here In The Night' - 'As Once Before, With Night To Hide Him'
Thanks Be To You, O Gracious Patrons!, KV 383: Thanks Be To You, O Gracious Patrons!, KV 383 - Concert Aria For Soprano And Orchestra
King Arthur: Act V - Venus' Song - 'Fairest Isle'
Joshua: Achsah's Air - 'Oh! Had I Jubal's Lyre'
Semiramide: Act II - Semiramis And Arsaces' Duet - 'Dark Day Of Dread!
LaWally: Act I: Wally's Aria - 'I'll Float Into The Distance'
William Tell: Act II - Mathilde's Romance - 'Dark, Sombre Wood'
The Pearl Fishers: Act II - Leila And Nadir's Love Duet - 'Leila! Leila!' 'Lord Brahma! He Is Here!' - 'Your Heart Was Never Tuned To Mine'
The Rake's Progress: Act III - Anne's Lullaby - 'Gently, Little Boat'
The Mikado: Act II - Yum Yum's Song - 'The Sun, Whose Rays'
The Bird Seller: 'When You're Sent Roses In This Land'
Kiss Me, Kate,: Act I - Lilli Vanessi's Song: So In Love - 'Strange, Dear, But True, Dear'
The Immortal Hour: Act II - Midir's 'Faery Song' - 'How Beautiful They Are'

Customer Reviews:

Excellent collection of beautifully sung arias and songs.......2000-12-05

I am a newcomer to Yvonne Kenny's singing. Her performance at the Olympic Games in Sydney (at which she sang the Olympic Hymn) certainly left an impression on me. I was struck by the richness of voice, and this recital disk shows that quality off to great effect.

At this point in her career, Kenny's voice is not flashy; there are no coloratura fireworks or even high C's. What there is however, is someone who sings with clarity, charm, and ultimately with beauty. Kenny, like a great actor with the words, lets the music do the "talking" and proves an elegant and impassioned conduit for the composer whose work she is interpreting.

Hers is a mature voice, an intelligent voice perfect for Mozart and Strauss, the former of whom is represented here. On the disk she excels in the arias by Mozart, Purcell, and Handel. She also dispaches with class the songs of Gilbert/Sullivan and Cole Porter (in truly disarming fashion in the latter case). There is a elegance to her singing that is rare, but she does not sacrifice passion or committment. She comes across as a consumate musician above all.

On the technical side of things: Her diction is pristine. Enough said. She has one of the most beautiful middle registers of any soprano active today, and her vibrato is fresh and lively without being obtrusive. To be picky, the upper register can sound the tiniest bit forced. Yet taken into consideration with the rest of her efforts, this is a minor quibble which seems silly when I think of Kenny's deft negotiating of Handel's ornamentation or her solid trill throughout the disk.

Outstanding contributions also come from tenor Barry Banks in duets from "The Pear Fishers" and "Linda di Chamonix" (where he really shines) and mezzo Della Jones in a duet from "Semiramide".

This is one of the most satisfying recital disks I have ever heard, and I recommend it for anyone who is a fan of a simply beautiful voice.

A treasurable record of a truly great musician.......2000-08-26

Those who have not seen Yvonne Kenny in the theatre have really missed out. I have been fortunate to experience many of her great performances in the UK both in Handel and Mozart(perhaps the composers to whom her light, silvery soprano is best suited) but also her fabulous Feldmarschallin, a performance that for its subtlety and understanding of this enigmatic lady stands with the all time greats. It is partly preserved on a Chandos recording of Rosenkavalier highlights which for those unfamiliar with it is a real gem.

Kenny's voice has changed over the years both for better and worse. There is some scratchiness at the top nowadays (the aria from La Wally suffers seriously here and could perhaps with profit have been omitted) but her gorgeous timbre in the middle range remains seductive and fascinating, with its deliciously rounded production and seductive, resinous edge. She can still float a sensuous pianissimo. Above all, for a recording of arias in English. her diction is exemplary, and her understanding and use of text a model for others to follow.

The selection of works here is certainly eclectic and contains a number of relative rarities. Leila's and Mathilde's arias are beautiful pieces, beautifully sung; there is some lovely Handel and - especially - Purcell ("Fairest Isle" is all the more powerful for its simplicity) and the operetta and musical numbers are delivered with charm. She is probably too mature now for Ann Trulove, though "Gently, little boat" is touching. As a reminder of her past achievements in Bel Canto, she sings a duet from Semiramide and one from Linda di Chamonix ably partnered by Della Jones and Barry Banks respectively. Banks returns as Nadir to her Leila in a passionate account of an Act 2 scene from Pearl Fishers. The highlight of the set? Perhaps for me it is "So in Love" from Kiss me Kate, a performance that captures the bitterness and tragedy of this great piece perfectly.

David Parry, seriously underrated here in the UK, conducts stylishly and sympathetically. A serious blot on the recording is the horrible cover, though the English texts are all in the booklet along with some photos of Kenny's great performances. Her retirement from the opera circuit may be in sight before too many years, but at least this disc captures many of her best qualities for posterity.

King David's Lyre
Average customer rating:
King David's Lyre
Zina Schiff
Manufacturer: 4-Tay Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Classical | Indie Music | Stores | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000009M1N
Release Date: 1997-06-03