Harry Christophers, The Sixteen - John Taverner: Missa Corona Spinea; Gaude plurimum; In pace
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Artist: Harry Christophers, The SixteenComposer: John Taverner
Conductor: Harry Christophers
Edition: Music CD
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Import
CD Release Date: 2000-05-09
Music Label: Hyperion UK
Soundtracks:
- Gaude plurimum
- Missa Corona spinea: Gloria
- Missa Corona spinea: Credo
- Missa Corona spinea: Sanctus
- Missa Corona spinea: Agnus Dei I
- Missa Corona spinea: Agnus Dei II & III
- In Pace
Music reviews of John Taverner: Missa Corona Spinea; Gaude plurimum; In pace
Music Review: Pure and Delightful
Rating: 4 Stars
Harry Christophers and the Sixteen were among the very first in recent times to return to the pure vocal style for which all choral and solo voice music was written prior to Beethoven and the dramatic expansion of the orchestra he pioneered. Before Beethoven, singers were able to hold their own against the small orchestras accompanying them. But with Beethoven and the growth of the orchestra, singers - and most especially soloists - encountered a problem. Forcing more air through their lungs created pressure blockages, which led to lung damage. The solution was the vibrato, the warbling of sopranos we are all familiar with today. While this is fine for nineteenth-century and twentieth-century operatic compositions, because the music was written for this style of singing, it is a huge problem for music written before Beethoven. Simply put, the aggressive vibrato practiced by modern singers is as appropriate for older vocal music as an electric guitar would be for Beethoven's piano sonatas.
The Sixteen trained to sing not as modern-day divas and tenors and rumbling basses but in the fashion of young boys and normal men: high, pure, steady notes rather than robust warblings in the higher registers, and clear straight tones for the mid and lower ranges. The result is astonishing and beautiful. For anyone who has suffered through, for example, Allegri's Miserere sung in the modern style, The Sixteen is akin to being given a drink of pure clean water in the middle of the Sahara desert.
The Missa Corona Spinea (mass of the crown of thorns) is one of Taverner's most complex and beautiful pieces, a seamless polyphony that praises the god of the period in a way that is truly sublime. Each section weaves and interweaves, the words lost in a melange of pure sensual sound. While the very best place to listen to this music must be a decent-sized church or small cathedral made of stone and filled with wood (especially the rafters, which ideally should be oak beams to absorb most of the reverberations and unwanted overtones), a good stereo is an excellent second-best. This performance is very close to superb (there was a better performance many years ago, but it was marred by poor recording techniques and was only available for a short while on vinyl 33 1/3rd rpm disc) and will delight all who listen to it. It's also a great introduction to medieval polyphony in general. For equally marvelous sounds the interested listener can pick up, also by The Sixteen, the piece noted above: Allegri's Miserere. Additionally the collected works of Palestrina are also highly recommended.
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