I begin with a WOW! What a choir!
Guillaume Bouzignac lived in the first half of the XVII century in France and was Chapel Master in many French Cathedrals. He is not among the favourite authors of the record labels, so this record that contains so many nice recordings is really welcome. The counterpoint game is of good quality, the originality of the author and his mastery too. His compositions are permeated of that virtuosism that is typical of the age of Louis XIV. He makes also the spiritual material spectacular. On the other side, to understand the musical climate of the time, it is enough to think about the two most famous Te Deum, that by Charpentier and that by Lully. Magnificence and beauty were at the heart of everything at that time, in France.
The choir here expresses at best the spirit of each piece, the mottetto Ego Gaudebo Domino is really jolly, happy; it recalls to mind the gushes of the fountains in Versailles; or the Jiubilate Deo that ends the CD. When there are notes that must be kept high, in the Vulnerasti Cor Meum for example, the choir is perfect and has no yielding.
I referred before to the Te Deum by Charpentier and Lully, also in this Cd there is a mottetto on the Te Deum but the composition here is more liturgic if compared to what is offered by the two Court musicians. It is apt to be sang in church without a music accompaniment, all the compositions are sang “a cappella” in fact.
This is a repertoire that is easy and can be enjoyed also by all those that are not used to listening to this kind of music.
The Choir is excellent. They are all very skillful and the sopranos have a high pitched voice that is always perfect in intonation and has a beautiful sonority.
The director is Matthias Jung. He knows how to motivate the choir that gets this joy across the listener. The favourite voice are very beautiful.
The recording is great, it gives a beautiful Cathedral effect that is pleasant and important. The timbre is accurate, the soundstage is large and the listener is taken in front of the choir without screens.
Domenico Pizzamiglio
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