This new concept album confirms an already well-established trend, that of a new generation of young classical musicians who feel stifled by their repertoires and want to open the doors to freedom, or to what they see as freedom. In Cello 360, Christian-Pierre La Marca created a work for solo cello without any accompaniment, totally cross-genre, which pays no heed to temporal or stylistic boundaries. It runs from Marin Marais to Dutilleux, from Purcell to Ligeti, from Thierry Escaich to Charlie Chaplin and The Beatles with disarming ease and a technical mastery which lets him give free rein to his artistic expression. Having only one (beautiful) instrument at his disposal, he plays with different bows, which prove so important for the production of sound, attack, power and rhythmic subtlety. He also selects different acoustics and sound recording techniques to match his chosen works.  His album, which doesn't belong in any one realm, defies classification. © François Hudry/Qobuz

Bach's Art of Fugue, BWV 1080, left unfinished at his death, is a curious work: it was written out in open score, with no indication of instrumentation, almost as if it were an abstract set of exercises in writing fugues. Yet it is anything but pedagogical; there wasn't another human being alive who could have followed Bach into the arcane realms of counterpoint where he goes here. Various commentators have argued, probably correctly, that Bach had keyboard performance in mind, but there is no question of historical correctness, and the work has been played on everything from saxophones to synthesizers. Even so, this performance by Canada's Les Voix Humaines viol consort may be unique; other performances look forward into more contemporary worlds of instrumental sound, but this one looks backward. The players do not modify their basic sound too much from what they would apply to English viol music of the 17th century, which creates a sound that is hard to judge beyond saying that you're likely to love it or hate it. It's a very odd experience to hear Bach's studious depth filtered through the quintessence of English melancholy, but it does seem to make increasing sense as the performance proceeds. Where Les Voix Humaines departs from the norm is in adding ornamentation to the music. This too has been debated through the years, but it doesn't really work here, perhaps because the ornaments seem inconsistently applied. Queasy sound from a suburban Montreal church is another small disincentive. But in the ongoing discourse of interpretation of The Art of Fugue, this is an intriguing entry. © TiVo

Once again, Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe’s music works its magic. Fearing neither expression nor a wide vibrato (which is never too methodical or simply there for decoration), Susie Napper and Margaret Little offer a selection of pieces taken from the complete recording of Concerts à deux violes esgales, recorded in Quebec City in 2003 and 2004. Le changé, Le tendre, L'attentif, Le Tombeau des regrets and L'estourdy are all like insights into the soul.Found post-mortem in the papers of pianist Alfred Cortot, the manuscript of these sixty-seven concerts is a balanced dialogue between the two instruments, almost like a conversation between cultured friends philosophising about existentialism. The fascinating music ranges from deep introspection to dance, all the while retaining a certain spontaneity.This psychological musical portrait, like an equivalent to a painter’s portrait, is perceptible throughout and perfectly illustrates the personality traits - and probably the physical traits too - of the characters illustrated here. © François Hudry/Qobuz

In his insightful essay in the booklet accompanying the CD, Bruce Haynes makes a compelling argument for the need to understand the difference between descriptive and prescriptive musical notation. Most scores written since the Classical era are prescriptive -- they tell the performer, with varying degrees of precision, just how the music is to be played. In most Baroque and earlier music, the notation was descriptive -- a sketch, a guide, to remind the performer of what to play, with the implicit understanding that the performer would know how to use the score and provide the unwritten dynamics, tempo, phrasing, and ornamentation that were required to bring the music to life. Marais was an exception to standard Baroque practice because his scores show remarkable precision in expressing his intent. He indicated not only dynamics, articulations, and details of ornamentation, but fingerings, bowings, and varying degrees of vibrato. In his music, performers have the advantage of far more interpretive guidance than is typical for scores of his period. Gambist Wieland Kuijken's career as an early music specialist spans 50 years, and his playing is marked by a freedom and spontaneity that come from a lifetime of intimate engagement with this music. Les Voix Humaines, which takes its name from one of Marais' compositions, is a Montreal-based gamba duo whose members are Susie Napper and Margaret Little. Joined by harpsichordist Eric Milnes, their approach matches Kuijken's in nuanced performances of Marais' first and second suites for three gambas from his fourth book of pieces for gamba, music that is lively, expressive, and highly varied. The precision of the ensemble is stunning in music with such mercurial but subtle changes in tempo, the tone quality is absolutely pure, and the intonation is flawless. They make Marais' extravagantly florid writing sound effortless. In Tombeau pour Monsieur de Lully, Kuijken is joined by Nigel North on the theorbo in a performance of wrenching poignancy. The sound quality is clear, present, and intimate.© TiVo

The Song of Solomon, or Song of Songs (Canticum canticorum), is a unique book in the Hebrew bible. From a religious perspective it has been interpreted in many ways, but taken at face value it is an astonishing (and often erotic) collection of love poetry. It has inspired song settings from many of the greatest choral composers throughout history. The composers represented on this disc encompass a range from late medieval England and Renaissance Italy through Baroque Germany and France, to 20th century Canada. Les Voix Baroques is a vocal chamber ensemble founded by countertenor Matthew White, and including a variable membership of some of the finest early music professionals in the world today.

The popularity of the film Tous les matins du monde (All the Mornings of the World) has revived the fortunes of the shadowy composer named Sainte-Colombe, who was active in the late seventeenth century. The film was largely fictitious, but subsequent research, much of it nicely summarized in the notes to this disc, has shed light on who Sainte-Colombe might have been, and has shown that the filmmakers, and the novelist (Pascal Quignard) who wrote the novel on which Tous les matins du monde was based, made some good guesses about him. Some of the world's top players have recorded his music for the viols that figured so heavily in the film, and this two-disc set, by the Canadian bass-viol pair of Susie Napper and Margaret Little, is part of a series covering all of Sainte-Colombe's compositions for "deux violes esgales," two equal viols. It's a fine performance, and an informative presentation of the music. Napper and Little don't have the shimmering, ecstatic feeling that is Savall's specialty, and that he revealed on the film's soundtrack. But they approach the music differently, and cogently. Sainte-Colombe's "concerts," having between one and five movements, open with a descriptive Ouverture that is often as long as the rest of the movements, usually short dances, put together. Each piece takes its name from this opening movement, which, unlike the descriptive pieces of Couperin or Rameau, often has an abstract title referring indirectly to the structure of the music itself -- often, what the title putatively describes is the kind of conversation represented by the music. Thus the first work on the disc is subtitled "L'attentif," The Attentive One. In this work, one viol is silent for much of the work, as if listening to the comments of the other. An early manuscript copy actually explains the meanings of the titles: one work is called "Les récits" because "each part takes turns reciting." Other titles may describe a work's mood, but all of them have the flavor of a unique conversation between two individuals. It is this quality that Napper and Little capture effectively. Their tempos are generally brisk, but each player emerges as a lively individual. Anyone intrigued by Sainte-Colombe should check this set out, for it introduces the composer in detail and offers a sympathetic performance of his music.© TiVo

On the spectrum of performance forces used in Bach Passions, this version of the Passion According to John is at the opposite end from the gargantuan, but the effect produced by the Montréal-based Les Voix Baroques and Arion Baroque Ensemble is anything but small. Alexander Weimann leads a choir of 12 (which includes all the soloists but the Evangelist) and an orchestra of fewer than two dozen, and creates a sound that can be intimate or grandly powerful. The orchestra, which features violas d'amore, gamba, lute, transverse flutes, and oboes d'amore -- instruments that contribute a slightly archaic flavor -- is exceptionally colorful and provides nuanced timbral variety and exquisite clarity of detail, enhanced by the very fine balance of the recording. The soloists and chorus sing with glowing, vibrant intensity. Most of the 12 members, besides those with named solo roles, have solo arias and there is not a weak link among them. The group's tone is rich and full, and its articulation is crisp and subtly inflected. Jan Kabow brings a heroic, substantial, supple tenor to the role of the Evangelist. Stephan MacLeod has an oaken bass and is magisterial but warmly personal as Jesus; it's a splendid characterization. Tenor Lawrence Wiliford's lovely "Erwäge, wie sein blutgefärbter Rücken" and soprano Agnes Zsigovics' shimmering, mostly wind-accompanied solo, "Zerfliesse, mein Herze," are among the highlights of the album. Weimann's tempos overall are brisk and give the performance urgency (it is about ten minutes faster than the average version), but he allows the moments of chaste ethereality to unfold with serene spaciousness. Atma's pristine sound allows the purity of Bach's score to shine, but also offers plenty of amplitude when the music's grandeur calls for it. Highly recommended.© TiVo

The popularity of the film Tous les matins du monde (All the Mornings of the World) has revived the fortunes of a shadowy composer named Sainte-Colombe, who was active in the late seventeenth century. The film was largely fictitious, but subsequent research, much of it nicely summarized in the notes to this disc, has shed light on who Sainte-Colombe might have been and has actually backed up some of the guesses made by filmmakers and by novelist Pascal Quignard, on whose book Tous les matins du monde was based. Various viol players have recorded his duets, and the Montreal pair of Susie Napper and Margaret Little, recording here under the name of their larger ensemble Les Voix Humaines, herewith continue a series of Sainte-Colombe's complete works for "deux violes esgales," two equal viols. The music, meditative and deep-voiced, is informatively presented and energetically played. Napper and Little do not accomplish, or attempt, the slightly mystical quality of Jordi Savall's playing on the film soundtrack. But they capture the intimate feeling of dialogue in these duets. These pieces, anywhere from one to eight movements in length, generally begin with an Ouverture that may be as long as the rest of the movements, usually short dances, put together. Each piece takes its name from this opening movement, which, unlike the descriptive pieces of Couperin or Rameau, often has an abstract title referring indirectly to the structure of the music itself. Some of the connections between title and musical qualities here are rather tenuous; the one called Rougeville simply bears the name of a woman who played it well. But each "concert" has the flavor of a unique conversation between two individuals. It is this quality that Napper and Little effectively capture. Their tempos are generally brisk, but each player has space to emerge as an individual. The various discs in this series do not differ drastically from one another, but this is a good one with which to begin the series, or indeed the music of Sainte-Colombe in general.© TiVo