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Site review by Geohominid March 15, 2008
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Performance: Sonics (S/MC): / |
Here is Hyperion's second SACD featuring Jeffrey Skidmore's repatriation of music from the Spanish-occupied New World. This time the music is mainly from one composer, Juan de Arahuo (1648-1712), who had a very colourful life before becoming a composer for the last 32 years of his life at the Cathedral of La Plata (modern Sucre in Bolivia). Another difference to Skidmore's previous discs is that only the ten elite voices of the Consort are used, rather than the full choir.
One of Juan de Arahuo's few sacred works, a three-choir Dixit Dominus, demonstrates his flamboyant approach, tossing phrases across the sound stage to exciting effect, and dropping into native mode with foot-tapping villancicos. The rest of his pieces are secular, although often with religious elements in their texts, and include a lovely double-choir lullaby - but the vagaries of love are his main preoccupation. One other composer, Diego José de Salazar' is represented; by his Salga el torillo hosquillo!, inspired by bull fighting. This was included on the Moon, Sun and All Things SACD, but is presented here in a different version. The final component of this generous programme (75'35) is the anonymous four voice processional hymn 'Hanacpacchap cussicuinin' sung in Quechua. This too appeared in the previous disc, but here is presented in full, its stately twenty verses fortunately divided into 4 interpolations within the programme. These have varied instrumental accompaniments, so its rather measured tread does not pall but is very atmospheric.
Sonically, the singing is enhanced by varied and delectable sounds from a C17th wind band, of the colourful type introduced to us by David Munro in the 1970's. This type of band persisted in South America long after it became defunct in Europe. As well as organ, there are harps, violins, cornetts, sackbuts, shawms, curtals, flutes, lutes, guitars and a battery of percussion. All of these are superbly realised by the excellent recording in a London church, which in 5.0 is very three dimensional. The deep bass drum accompanying the opening Hanacpacchap is most impressive, but sadly there is no attempt to simulate a real procession using the multichannels.
As on the previous discs, vocal performances are excellent, technically sure and respond imaginatively to the quixotic part-writing and vivid texts. However, I do confess to having a personal aversion to the mainly English Collegiate style of vocal production, which doesn't seem quite right for this volatile and passionate music. I long to hear it sung by more natural and open-throated voices, preferably of Latin origin. Having heard vibrant Spanish voices singing Victoria's religious music, and Italian voices soaring with Palestrina, I'm sure that these South American Baroque works would sound very different. The Ex Cathedra tone bothers me less in the faster pieces, when they don't have time to develop the fatiguing slightly lugubrious hoot and mid-line bulges.
My personal reservations apart, this is a most enjoyable and colourful exposition of Jeffrey Skidmore's retrievals from a nearly forgotten treasury of music. It is a sonic treat into the bargain.
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Copyright © 2008 John Miller and SA-CD.net
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