Monteverdi: Pianto della Madonna

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Monteverdi's larger choral pieces are so masterly that they tend to overshadow his chamber-scale sacred music--the solo works in particular. Occasionally one or two of these exquisite motets will appear on a collection such as Paul McCreesh's Venetian Vespers, but rarely do they become the focus of an entire recording as they are here. The much-admired early-music diva Maria Cristina Kiehr has a slightly constricted quality to her voice that won't appeal to everyone, but her very narrow vibrato colors her sound without affecting her accuracy of pitch, spotless coloratura, or blend with period instruments (played beautifully here by Concerto Soave). Kiehr also uses her command of dynamics and phrasing with a subtlety that really puts the rhetoric of each piece across--check out her echo effects and crescendos in the motet "for solo voice in dialogue" Jubilet and the joyful Laudate Dominum. Her gentle manner works especially well with the title track: the Pianto della Madonna is Monteverdi's own reworking of his famous Lamento d'Arianna as a solo depicting the Virgin Mary's grief at the foot of the Cross. The slightly overwrought distress of the original Lamento could be inappropriate to such a sacred subject, but Kiehr's emotive yet dignified approach in the Pianto has a genuinely moving effect. --Matthew Westphal

Tracks:

Pianto della Madonna: Confitebor a voce solo con violini
Pianto della Madonna: Sinfonia Terzo Tuono
Pianto della Madonna: Currite Populi
Pianto della Madonna: O quam pulchra es
Pianto della Madonna: Venite, videte
Pianto della Madonna: Jubilet a voce sola in Dialogo
Pianto della Madonna: Pianto della Madonna sopra il Lamento dell' Arianna
Pianto della Madonna: Ricercar del Decimo Tono
Pianto della Madonna: Salve, O Regina
Pianto della Madonna: Exulta, Filia Sion
Pianto della Madonna: Sinfonia Sesto Tuono
Pianto della Madonna: Ecce sacrum paratum
Pianto della Madonna: Toccata con minute
Pianto della Madonna: Laudate Dominum

Amazon.com

Monteverdi's larger choral pieces are so masterly that they tend to overshadow his chamber-scale sacred music--the solo works in particular. Occasionally one or two of these exquisite motets will appear on a collection such as Paul McCreesh's Venetian Vespers, but rarely do they become the focus of an entire recording as they are here. The much-admired early-music diva Maria Cristina Kiehr has a slightly constricted quality to her voice that won't appeal to everyone, but her very narrow vibrato colors her sound without affecting her accuracy of pitch, spotless coloratura, or blend with period instruments (played beautifully here by Concerto Soave). Kiehr also uses her command of dynamics and phrasing with a subtlety that really puts the rhetoric of each piece across--check out her echo effects and crescendos in the motet "for solo voice in dialogue" Jubilet and the joyful Laudate Dominum. Her gentle manner works especially well with the title track: the Pianto della Madonna is Monteverdi's own reworking of his famous Lamento d'Arianna as a solo depicting the Virgin Mary's grief at the foot of the Cross. The slightly overwrought distress of the original Lamento could be inappropriate to such a sacred subject, but Kiehr's emotive yet dignified approach in the Pianto has a genuinely moving effect. --Matthew Westphal

Customer Reviews:

This is the real Monteverdi.......2001-04-12

Searching for the right interpretation of this music it took me over 25 years to find this extraordinary performance by Maria Christina Kiehr e.o. Finally this wonderful music is interprated in my personal taste. But how could it not be, as Kiehr is a member of the 'Vlaamse School' with Rene Jacobs and Philippe Herreweghe as most prominent members and master teachers. If you listen i.e. to track 4: 'O quam pulchra es' then you might experience what I mean. This is the right way to travel to the real Monteverdi. She is at the same level as Andreas Scholl. I hope more musicians will realize this in the future. Well done Maria Christina, I know it was the hard way, because you experienced lots of criticism. I really hope you enjoy us with your lovely voice again and again in future. Every aincient music lover should take notice of this recording, it is a wonderfull experience. Five stars!

Exquisite small-scale Monteverdi from an impressive soprano.......2000-04-13

The more Monteverdi's music is performed and recorded the more apparent is his extraordinary versatily in composing music of supreme quality for secular and liturgical use. Although his surviving operas and his larger-scale liturgical compositions are well known, especially the magical Vespers of 1610 and his four-part Mass, the smaller liturgical works are only now receiving their due acknowledgement.

Harmonia Mundi's CD 'Pianto della Madonna' includes ten well-chosen motets for solo voice from various published collections, among them two from the best known, the 'Selva Morale e Spirituale' of 1640, with a pretty little sonata by Marini and three short organ pieces by Antegnati, Marini and Merulo. With the exception of the unique 'Pianto della Madonna', based on the famous 'Lamento dell'Arianna' from the lost opera, these fascinating counter-Reformation motets display two styles, some following the spare, elegant style of Peri and others the more elaborate and colourful one of Caccini, in which Monteverdi's operatic connections are on display. Among them are some truly lovely pieces, including the etherial 'O quam pulchra es', from Ghirlanda Sacra of 1625, and 'Jubilet', an intriguing echo-like dialogue very reminescent of the 'Due Seraphim' from the 1610 Vespers.

Tracks:

Ohime Ch'io Cado (Libro Nono)
Lettera Amorosa A Voce Sola In Genere Rappresentativo E Si Canta Senza Battuta (Settimo Libro), 1619
Si Dolce E Il Tormento (Libro Nono)
Lamento D'Arianna
Quel Sguardo Sdegnosetto (Scherzi Musicali), 1632
Salve O Regina
O Quam Pulchra
Exulta Filia Sion
Pianto Della Madonna Sopra Il Lamento D'Arianna
Venite Videte

Customer Reviews:

not perfect, but close enough.......2002-04-05

This is yet another exceptional performance from Montserrat Figueras. No one alive sings this music with greater depth of color and emotion while maintaining an absolute purity and clarity of tone. There are a few brief moments of slightly shoddy intonation, in particular in the more technical passages, but the overall singing is so beautiful that they're forgotten about moments later. The continuo, made up of some of the biggest names in early music, are excellent, with consistently intelligent choice of instruments and high quality of playing, both in sound and ornamentation. Especially notable is the simple but haunting "Si dolce è'l tormento." Those two minutes alone are worth the price of the disc.

Montserrat at her best.......2002-03-26

If you want to be introduced to the early music world, monteverdi is the biggest door and montserrat figueras the best Monteverdi singer in the world (sorry Emma kirkby fans, but I prefer the spanish singer on Monteverdi).
The choice of the repertoire is great and well balanced, the musicinas just follow the pure and light voice of Montserrat Figueras. Buy it!!!!

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