Search - Orlande de Lassus, Bo Holten, Ars Nova Ensemble :: Lassus: Lagrime di San Pietro (Spiritual Madrigals)

A superb recording of Lassus' final masterpiece

Sator | Sydney, Australia | 07/12/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Orlando Lassus (1532 - 1594) by all accounts seems to have been a colorful character. Throughout his life he outrageously used works with quite frankly erotic overtones as the basis of his sacred works in blatant defiance of the Counter Reformation puritanism whose mood was set by the Council of Trent. However, at the end of his life Lassus suffered a fit of deep depression accompanied by a sudden paroxysm of religious penitence, the result of which was his Lagrime. For once parody of erotic chansons are absent but the work is still typically gushing with emotion, only this time they are of penitence, guilt and melancholia, replete with a kaleidoscopic madrigalian display of emotional color, which lies only partially concealed beneath a noble veil of austere outward dignity, reflecting the escalating religious severity of the Counter Reformation. Tasteless these works are never, nor histrionic - that is something of which Lassus really is incapable. They represent a truly convincing blend of the most avant-garde madrigalian style of composition with the heritage of polyphony of which Lassus was a true heir. Remarkably for a composer at the end of his career, Lassus displays all of the latest fashions in music, which can be seen here - not only in the use of a more arioso madriagalian style than usual for him - but also in the use of antiphonal, and even homophonic passages. The work represents a beautiful and masterly balance of color and austerity, of the traditional and avant-garde. Six weeks after the completion of the Lagrime, Orlando di Lasso passed away, making it the final legacy of this truly great composer of Western music.



I have several recordings of this work and this one from one of the leading European choir - latterly directed by Paul Hillier - is a good as any of them. The Ars Nova Choir of Denmark has to be one of the most sorely under-recorded choirs around. It was something of a minor coup that Naxos managed to sign them up for a recording. Others may have added insights here and there, but overall this performance holds it own against the best while adding plenty of insights of its own. Some absolutely swear by the Herreweghe recording, but even then Bo Holten and his Ars Nova choir perfectly hold their own against it, even though Fabrice Fitch of Gramaphon goes so far to say that the Herreweghe is about as good a performance of anything he has ever reviewed. The sound of the choir is also absolutely gorgeous - remaining refined and understated while emphasizing the full spectrum madrigalian color and feeling that this works has hidden deep within it in such abundance. If that wasn't enough the recorded sound is superb, reflecting the excellent choice of recording acoustic chosen. In fact the recorded sound on this version is significantly better than on most rival recordings.



This is one of the great buys in the Naxos catalogue.



Very highly recommended."