TAMARA MATTHEWS, SOPRANO, DEANNE MEEK, MEZZO-SOPRANO, MARY PHILLIPS, ALTO, DON FRAZURE, TENOR, STEPHEN POWELL, BASS, MARTIN PEARLMAN, CONDUCTOR, BOSTON BAROQUE; Vivaldi, Gloria; Bach Magnificat (Telarc) *** 1/2
CHRISTINE BREWER, SOPRANO, RUXANDRA DONOSE, MEZZO-SOPRANO, JOHN TESSIER, TENOR, ERIC OWENS, BASS, DONALD RUNNICLES, CONDUCTOR, ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA AND CHAMBER CHORUS; Mozart, Requiem (Telarc) ***
JANICE FELTY AND MARGARET LATTIMORE, MEZZO-SOPRANOS, DAVID HOOSE, CONDUCTOR, COLLAGE NEW MUSIC; John Harbison, "Mottetti di Montale" (KOCH International Classics) ***
Boston Baroque is without question the premier period instrument ensemble in the United States, and one of the leading early music groups in the world. Under the direction of founder Martin Pearlman, the ensemble gives dynamic performances that breathe fresh life into early music.
Boston Baroque's newest release, with Vivaldi's Gloria and J.S. Bach's Magnificat, continues the group's tradition of bringing vibrant performances of early masterpieces to CD.
With the remarkable playing of the orchestra and the compelling singing by the chorus and soloists, Pearlman elicits lively, heartfelt and, above all, sincere readings of these works.
WITH SO MANY CDS of Mozart's music out this year, during his 250th birthday celebration, and in the preceding year as well, one needs to have a compelling reason to release yet another recording of the composer's Requiem.
But in the case of Donald Runnicles and the Atlanta Symphony, they've found justification for their newest album by recording the new Robert Levin version of the work.
A few years ago, Levin, an American musicologist and performer, published his revision of Mozart's Requiem, which was intended to correct the mistakes and musical inconsistencies of the version completed by Mozart's pupil Franz Sussmayr.
And in truth, Levin's edition does capture Mozart's spirit more forcefully in the sections left incomplete at the time of the composer's death in 1791. It's a much more stylistically correct and viable version of this remarkable piece.
Runnicles and the Atlanta Symphony and Chamber Chorus, along with the vocal quartet, give a sincere and honest reading of the Requiem that captures the work's hushed awe and also its short outbursts of defiance wonderfully. It is a luminous performance full of subtlety and nuances that grabs the listener's attention dramatically.
JOHN HARBISON IS one of america's most successful operatic and orchestral composers. His popularity is clearly founded in his music. Even though he writes in a modern idiom, his music isn't atonal, nor too dissonant. It's fairly straightforward, although frequently dense in texture. It's almost early Schoenberg, but without Schoenberg's post-romantic excesses.
Harbison's "Mottetti di Montale" receives a dynamic interpretation in the capable hands of conductor David Hoose. His reading is cohesive, vibrant and potent. The musicians of Collage New Music and mezzo-sopranos Janice Felty and Margaret Lattimore perform the work fluidly.
E-mail: ereichel@desnews.com