"Spunky"
M. Figg | USA | 04/01/2010
(4 out of 5 stars)
"If you prefer your period music to be straightlaced and strictly by the score or historical record, you should probably avoid this one. French soprano Patricia Petibon relies both on steadfast technique and eccentric personality in her performances. I tend to like it when performers let loose, especially with some of the arias on this work which have probably been recorded hundreds of times, but some may find her effects (vocal and non-vocal) a bit off-putting.
Some might be surprised it took her this long to release a recital of Baroque vocal arias, seeing as how her voice is pretty much identified with this and similar repertoire. Since her superb debut CD of French Baroque arias, the voice has darkened slightly (even more evident on her last recital of arias by Mozart, Haydn and Gluck), but it remains light, silvery, for the most part vibratoless and can still turn creamy warm as the music/text requires. She adds subtle inflections of tone, attentiveness to dynamics and an actress's sense of timing to heighten the emotional impact; I bought this one as an MP3 download i.e. no liner notes or translations, and nonetheless I was completely involved with the music. Stradella's "Queste lagrime e sospiri" was mesmerizing and Alcina's "Ah mio cor" by Handel was a tortured, gripping lament. On the other end of the spectrum, Sartorio's aria from Julius Caesar was confident and seductive (with earthy percussion moving it along), and Scarlatti's "Se il mio dolor t'offende" includes some borderline cacophonous exclamations that make its rage blunt and exciting. To be fair, some of the numbers don't come off as well: her "Lascia ch'io piangia" is beautiful and moving, but I was expecting some idiosyncratic ornaments in the da capo, not just a reprise. "Tornami vagheggiar" is well sung except for an unpleasant slurring in the coloratura passages that were at odds with the nervous energy of the aria. She is spiritedly supported by the Venice Baroque Orchestra, largely relegated to accompaniment but nontheless sensitive and incisive.
"
Track Listings (14) - Disc #1