William Rose: Celebrity who recovered

robin farro has taken co-responsibility for restoring Rose’s memory, first with a recording of this music released last September, and then relying on innovative staging, beyond one well-worn musician emerging from the back of the audience. At the beginning of the recital, Faro stepped out alone and belted out a highly baroque musing on death, fame, or memory over days, weeks, years, or even centuries, delivering words he had memorized with subtitles providing the translation.

He then relied on the lights until the stage was at its usual brightness, but at the end of the recital it went dark again. He also surprised us by placing three singers on the upper terrace (we saw them placed on either side of the stage, in boxes in the side corridors, but I don’t remember the upper part being used mostly in fanfare characters) “Music, the master of your art is dead.”is essentially an apocalyptic and portentous announcement.

From the beginning, unbalanced soundI don’t know if each musician wanted their own way of playing, or if they were resigned to their own way of playing. Light, intensity and “liveness” were the roles assumed by the violinist, supported by a harpsichord player who kept the volume up all the time, while the others murmured their parts more than they played.

But most impressive was the sound of the ensemble’s music director. The bass viola was a shadow of the violin.a whisper. And another thing I’ve never seen before is that the length from the end of the beater to the bridge of the viola could be about 15 centimeters, maybe 20 centimeters. The bow has to choose the point of contact, and it can change depending on what you want to express, and even create a certain effect (we discussed this with a representative the other day) Diotima Quartet (when talking about “Sul Ponticello,” which explores a “terrifying and disturbing” sound). But I’ve never seen a pro move the distances mentioned above, from diagonal to vertical positions, and all the possibilities in between. The violinist played as usual, which may be considered the playing style of the time. It’s true then that it didn’t seem to affect the sound, other than enough to achieve the mentioned “rumors”.

The presence of the harpist Pernelle Marzorati It was pleasant, colorful, precise with a certain depth scale, and very clean and well-executed. And above all, you can collaborate very effectively with theorists. Simon Waddellwhich also has very little sound, but I’ve already mentioned that that’s the group’s tendency. It has a beautiful finish, is transparent, and is almost the same color as the harp.

Although I had many opportunities to sing, I also had more opportunities to sing. Mezzo Fiona McGown They were all very high up, some higher than others. McGown had a very appropriate volume, a very attractive coloration, well supported and a natural, if sparse, bass, his timbre suited the work presented very well.

Bass also became noticeable immediately. Alex Rosenis already in ‘IOh, I’ll follow.” Although he already displayed a rich, powerful voice with the elasticity that comes from youth, this first intervention had a dark spot, though not significant, that was not repeated.

in “O sing to the Lord” Although headlined by imitative entries, a kind of model was established, distinguished by a mastery of homophone textures, all of which gave the opportunity to hear three voices together, and were truly enjoyable. I can’t say it was part of this arrangement, but the polyphonic “Hallelujah” was very appealing, and another song later served to close the song.

“Ne Irascaris” This trio, also the first to combine voice and organ, emphasizes the bass tremendo of “Populous,” an unexpected rhythm that she shares with her companions, a word that is more “cacophonous” than choppy, attesting to the composer’s interest in bold harmonies.

in “Come, sing the praises of the great Jehovah.”Faro changed his bass gamba to soprano, and violinist Emile Poupard did the same with tenor. The conductor’s voice could be heard very clearly here. This was not only because the viola sounded high, but also because before the performance was over, both of them switched to the instrument they had been playing and continued playing so that the faro bass could be heard.

“Resurrection of Tua Domina” It was a dramatic and agonizing moment, with the coupling between the soprano and alto, the echo-like bass slightly behind it, and the long notes and strong chromaticism of the song’s revival. And at the end of the song is the other “Hallelujah” mentioned above.

Save yourself in the end, soprano Mairis de Villoutray From the back of the room began with the most beautiful song of the night, “Oh, my Clarissa.”with beautiful sound, phrasing, dynamics adjustment, color and above all text adaptation (thanks again for the overtitle).

big applause As with the previous day, despite this, no tip was given either as it was considered as a whole rather than a collection of disjointed pieces. And the audience, although not full, had the demeanor and enthusiasm befitting these two nights.