This recording is quite a treat! The blunt sensuousness depicted on the CD sleeve effectively prepares the listener for the strikingly luscious and constantly varied sound dominating the recording. The opening Sinfonia from Ballo delle ingrate makes it clear that the singers of I Fagiolini are supported by a first-class instrumental ensemble.
Born in Turkey, but trained in France, musicologist and soprano Chimène Seymen is perhaps better placed than anyone to bring a comparative study of 17th-century Ottoman and European music to vivid life on the concert platform. This superb release features live performances from two ensembles, La Turchescha & Cevher i Musiki, both under the artistic direction of Seymen.
The sacred-erotic poetry of the Song of Songs has attracted many musical settings over the centuries. This anthology focuses on settings from the 16th and 17th centuries, opening with Lassus and Palestrina and closing with Purcell’s My Beloved Spake. In between we are treated to settings by Schütz, Mazzochi, Tomkins and Charpentier.
