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Product Description
2CD English Baroque Soloists, J.E. Gardiner, Monteverdi Koo
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
35 of 37 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
To quote somebody-or-other, if this doesn't turn you on you've got no swithches! The whole work is achingly beautiful. It was recorded in St. Mark's Cathedral and the accoustics and atmosphere are both stunning. Gardiner has an academic streak, and the insert booklet reads, in places, like a very good undergraduate essay, where he argues about the degree to which the counter-reformation influenced Monteverdi. I'm sure he's right, and his interpretation doesn't sound up-tight enough to be heavily influenced by some kind of post-Tridentine fortress mentality. Gardiner uses these insights to give his interpretation an authentic, oriental feel.
The first time I heard the Vespers, these were recorded by Jurgen Jurgens. I bought it as a boxed set of LPs, many years ago, now disintegrated. Jurgens is much more precise - the plainsong, for example, could have been done in the Cisteine Chapel. I must admit I like Jurgens the best in this particular instance, although his interpretation is probably less authentic. But that's my personal quirk, and Gardiner, as always, is just wonderful.
The first time I heard the Vespers, these were recorded by Jurgen Jurgens. I bought it as a boxed set of LPs, many years ago, now disintegrated. Jurgens is much more precise - the plainsong, for example, could have been done in the Cisteine Chapel. I must admit I like Jurgens the best in this particular instance, although his interpretation is probably less authentic. But that's my personal quirk, and Gardiner, as always, is just wonderful.
42 of 45 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
First up, cards on the table. Rightly or wrongly, I am an unashamed lover of "Grand" Monteverdi, as opposed to quiet, devotional Monteverdi. The Andrew Parrott version, beloved of the Seventh Day Authenticists, is beautifully sung and played, but doesn't do a thing for me. This does - it is spine-tingling. So Gardiner uses extra brass in the climaxes - so what? It seems just right for Venice, which liked its music grand. The glory of the set is the Monteverdi Choir, which sings simply wonderfully. In short, a brilliant achievement and one in which I'm hard at work wearing out the pits. This is IT, accept no imitations! (Best of all, there's a video of the performance that can be bought from Gardiner's Monteverdi organisation).
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By Ralph Moore
TOP 50 REVIEWER
Format:Audio CD
Odd how differently people hear this recording. A number of English reviewers' pale sensibilities are offended by the robustness of this performance, whereas American contributors are by and large much more welcoming of Gardiner's large-scale approach. Personally I love its grandeur and attack; it epitomises the renewed confidence and momentum of Catholicism in the Counter-Reformation. If you want restraint and understatement, Andrew Parrot's one-voice-per-part version is for you, but I think his approach severely undermines and mischaracterises the nature of the music and its spiritual inspiration. For me, twenty-five years on, for all that I am by no means an indiscriminate fan of Gardiner's musicianship, this account leaves all others in the dust. It marks a huge improvement on his earlier version and provides the most alluring and seductive introduction possible to Monteverdi's sound-world.
Gardiner's almost aggressively phrased and paced introduction raises fears that he is going to be a gung-ho pace throughout, but he soon relaxes into the lyrical sections of the score and permits his singers the requisite space and freedom to do justice to the lovely melismata, gorgeous suspended harmonies and spicy discords. The spacious acoustic of St Mark's lends weight and nobility the sound without obscuring detail; the recording engineers have achieved a very satisfying compromise between reverberation and clarity. Gardiner has used substantial forces: a big choir and baroque orchestra, sometimes doubling the singers with instruments and choosing soloists who sing out without sounding either "white", hooty and precious or, at the other extreme, too "operatic". In fact the singing is the best feature of this account; both the soloists and choir are stupendously good, especially tenor Nigel Robson.
I place this amongst Sir JEG's finest achievements, something of a benchmark recording. I have certainly never felt the need to own or listen to any other.
Gardiner's almost aggressively phrased and paced introduction raises fears that he is going to be a gung-ho pace throughout, but he soon relaxes into the lyrical sections of the score and permits his singers the requisite space and freedom to do justice to the lovely melismata, gorgeous suspended harmonies and spicy discords. The spacious acoustic of St Mark's lends weight and nobility the sound without obscuring detail; the recording engineers have achieved a very satisfying compromise between reverberation and clarity. Gardiner has used substantial forces: a big choir and baroque orchestra, sometimes doubling the singers with instruments and choosing soloists who sing out without sounding either "white", hooty and precious or, at the other extreme, too "operatic". In fact the singing is the best feature of this account; both the soloists and choir are stupendously good, especially tenor Nigel Robson.
I place this amongst Sir JEG's finest achievements, something of a benchmark recording. I have certainly never felt the need to own or listen to any other.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Real drama in this performance
There are weaknesses in this performance, but the overall the drama and passion of the music is captured to a high degree. Read more
Published 3 months ago by charles whitworth
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent
Having read the previous reviews, I agree that this is a beautiful version of Vespers. Good quality recording and sounds wonderful
Published 4 months ago by PhilB
3.0 out of 5 stars
A decent interpretation, but dubious recording quality and high price.
While not maybe all things to all men this is still, for me, the best rendering of this music. The sheer drama and flair of the performance is captivating and beautifully played... Read more
Published on 29 July 2010 by R. Fraser
3.0 out of 5 stars
A musical dichotomy.
Although the ensemble and chorus are superb, if rather numerous (something which some may dislike), the soloists are embarassments: the very opening of the Vespers is sung in such... Read more
Published on 29 Dec 2008 by Cantor
2.0 out of 5 stars
It's Monteverdi, not Puccini!
Whilst this recording is, indeed, exciting it provides a very different view of Monteverdi's work. Read more
Published on 19 Nov 2005
5.0 out of 5 stars
Incredible compositions from the very beginning of music.
I first listened to this when studying A level music.
The piece starts with a Gregorian chant style, in which I held my head in my hands and thought - "Dear God! Read more
Published on 16 Oct 2005 by Dominicz
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