medieval.org
pneumapaniagua.es
Pneuma «Colección Histórica» PN-390
febrero de 2001
Utrecht
Joaquín MARTÍNEZ de la ROCA (1676-1756). Los Desagravios
de Troya, 1712
01 - “Nacer aun tiempo y brillar” [3:47]
soprano, trompeta & bajo continuo
anónimo, texto de Lope de Vega
02 - “Vuelve, vuelve barquilla” [3:39]
soprano & bajo continuo
Gaspar SANZ (±1645-1715)
03 - Jácaras para guitarra [3:59]
Joaquín MARTÍNEZ de la ROCA. Los Desagravios de Troya,
1712
04 - “Anche virtù e bellezza”
[1:57]
05 - “Suonin’ le trombe” [1:33]
soprano, trompeta & bajo continuo
Diego Ortiz (1510-1570)
06 - Recercada sobre “O felici occhi mei” para
viola da gamba & bajo continuo [2:29]
Gaspar SANZ
07 - Marizápalos para guitarra [3:14]
José MARÍN (1619-1699)
08 - “O como pasan los años”
[2:26]
09 - “Ojos pues me desdeñáis”
[4:22]
soprano y guitarra
Sebastián DURÓN (1660-1716). La Guerra de los Gigantes
(±1713-1716)
10 - “Quien primero que la fama” [3:10]
11 - “Animoso denuedo guerrero” [2:53]
soprano, trompeta & bajo continuo
Marin MARAIS (1656-1728)
12 - Variaciones sobre “La Folia” [2:53]
viola da gamba & bajo continuo
anónimo
13 - “Ay amargas soledades” [2:53]
soprano & bajo continuo
Gaspar SANZ
14 - Fanfare para trompeta & bajo continuo
[2:53]
Juan ARAÑÉS (?-1649)
15 - Chacona [2:53]
Joaquín MARTÍNEZ de la ROCA. Los Desagravios de Troya,
1712
16 - “Que siendo a mis iras” [2:53]
soprano, trompeta & bajo continuo
CLARINCANTO
Maria Luz Álvarez, soprano
Susan Williams, trompeta natural (clarín)
Mary Sayre, clave
Regina Albanez, guitarra barroca
Johannes Boer, viola da gamba
Recording: Jean van Vogt Productions
Depending upon the ensemble in concert or the theme of the night, you
might believe that secular music of the Spanish Baroque was entirely
bright and military, or grim, dark-edged flamenco, or filled with
light-hearted folk songs, or reflective, intimate, and melancholy.
Stylistically, Spain’s Baroque music was both forward-looking and
regressive, influenced by Italy, returning Castilians from the Spanish
colonies, the emerging Spanish theater, and the traces of Arabic and
Jewish music that remained long after the great expulsions concluding
the 15th century. Just about any of this, within reason, might be
expected from such a concert, and it’s all here, on this release.
According to the disc’s liner notes, Clarincanto collaborated on
the choice of works in “Canciones de Amor y de Guerra”
(“Songs of Love and War”) with musicologists Louise K.
Stein and Juan José Carreas. Together, they sought to produce a
versatile program of 18th century Spanish music that reflected the full
range of Baroque Spain, with an especial emphasis on voice and clarino
(Baroque trumpet). In this, they’ve certainly succeeded.
There’s something included of everything mentioned above, save
for the Jewish influence, presented with a regard for original context
that makes for great aural variety and a very satisfying program.
As for Clarincanto, it is not a group I’ve heard of before,
though its leader, Susan Williams, is known to me for her espousal of
the natural trumpet (or clarino) over the last two decades. Nor can I
find any previous recordings by this ensemble—though if it is a
debut album, that information isn’t conveyed anywhere in the
information I’ve received. In any case, Clarincanto is an
ensemble of five musicians: soprano Maria Luz Alvarez, trumpeter
Williams, harpsichordist Mary Sayre, Regina Albanez, Baroque guitar;
and Johannes Boer, viola da gamba. Their concert is extremely well
chosen for timbral variety, spotlighting all instruments in various
selections save the harpsichord, and offering a diversity of
appropriate settings that change both leads and accompaniment
effectively.
Despite several solos spotlighting Albanez and Boer, it is Williams and
Alvarez who receive the lion’s share of attention; so a few words
are necessary about the performance of each. As a trumpeter, Williams
uses techniques based on written 17th-century sources that describe the
clarino as mirroring vocal production and eloquence. Some of this can
be heard in de la Roca’s “Suonin’ le trombe”
(from Los desagravios de Troya), as exciting a performance of overtly
martial music as I’ve ever encountered for its accuracy and
spirit, rather than any sonic bombast.
Alvarez (who studied with the eminent Max van Egmond, a name that some
lovers of Baroque music might recognize from LPs made in the 1960s and
1970s), in turn, is among the more expressive singers of early music
performing these days. While some of her peers believe any display of
emotion based upon inflection of a song’s text is anachronistic,
she clearly doesn’t agree. She also employs discreet variations
in dynamics, vibrato, phrasing, ornamentation, and tempo to turn every
piece she sings into something distinctive. Whether it’s the
despairing vision of Marín’s “Ojos pues me
desdeñais” or an aria from Durón’s La guerra
de los Gigantes that features Immortality singing about the value of
heroic deeds, Alvarez offers an attractively designed assortment of
masks. She also possesses an evenly produced soprano with a gleaming
top and considerable flexibility in coloratura, though the latter is
only called upon sparingly in these works.
I do have two criticisms of this release. The first is that, despite
some excellent liner notes providing background on Spanish Baroque
music, only summaries and brief notes are furnished for individual
selections. Thus, we learn of “Vuelve, barquilla” that
“In this song, the image of a ship thrown to and fro by the
stormy waves is used to express the feelings of a person who is
undergoing the torments of love.” Well and good; but as Alvarez
is an emotive singer and the Spanish language itself a beautiful one,
why weren’t we given at least the original words in Spanish, if
not accompanied by an English translation? My second concern is over
timings. An early-music group appearing for the first time on records
wants to secure as large an audience for its efforts as possible, and
at slightly less than 52 minutes, “Songs of Love and War”
will turn off potential buyers who incorrectly but understandably
equate more content with value for money. All of this is true but
unfortunate, for Clarincanto has done a wonderful job with this music.
Factor in excellent sound that is both intimate and resonant, and you
have a release that should certainly please any fan of Baroque music.
FANFARE: Barry Brenesal — http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=126851