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Tomas Luis De Victoria, Gregorio Allegri: La Capella Sistina - Lamentazioni Perla Settimana Santa

Victoria / Ensemble Officium / Allegri
Release Date: 04/26/2011 
Label:  Christophorus   Catalog #: 77345   Spars Code: DDD 
Composer:  Gregorio Allegri,  Tomás L. de Victoria
Conductor:  Wilfried Rombach
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Ensemble Officium
Number of Discs: 1 
Recorded in: Stereo 
Length: 1 Hours 1 Mins. 

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Notes and Editorial Reviews



VICTORIA 9 Lamentations. ALLEGRI Miserere • Wilfried Rombach, dir; Ens Officium • CHRISTOPHORUS CHR 77345 (60:49 Text and Translation)


The quatercentenary of Tomás Luis de Victoria’s death has resulted in a noticeable upswing in his discography. The nine Lamentations from Officium Hebdomadae Sanctae (1585) was recently issued by Gimell ( Read more style="font-style:italic">Fanfare 33:6) and quickly repackaged with two earlier Victoria discs. Rombach uses two voices to a part, about the same as Peter Phillips and earlier versions under Harry Christophers (Collins 15212; Coro 16007) and Raúl Mallavibarrena (Cantus C 9604). The Lamentations have of course been included in a number of recordings of the complete office. But Rombach has reason to claim this as the first complete recording of the Lamentations. He compared the 1585 edition with Capella Sistina MS 186 and found several verses in the original manuscript that do not appear in print. It was a simple matter to check Rombach’s printed text against another booklet, showing an extra verse in the fourth, sixth, and seventh Lamentations. Yet Rombach’s somewhat faster tempos than Phillips’s result in similar overall timing. This makes the new disc a significant choice for any serious Victoria collector. The singing, smooth and expressive, confirms the choice.


Rombach’s version of Gregorio Allegri’s Miserere is different as well. As we just noted in a review of the famous King’s College reissue of the piece, dozens of recordings almost all follow the modern British way of singing it, embellished with high Cs. But the first five recordings (as far as I know, for I only have one of them) were not sung that way, and here we have a rendition that sounds a lot like the Regensburg boys’ choir from the early 1960s. In the final verse of the psalm, Rombach finally allows his soprano soloist a soaring embellishment and a high C. Perhaps in the end the temptation to express “raising up the walls of Jerusalem” was irresistible. But the Regensburg boys resisted temptation to the end, and Bernhard Klebel later recorded a similar version for Christophorus (9:1; later on CHE 0027-2), while Gerhard Weinberger recorded a modestly embellished version for the same label (11:6). Incidentally, on the recent Peter Phillips remake (30:6) Andrew Carwood introduced the tonus peregrinus in the alternating chant verses, but it was not the novelty he thought, for the Regensburg recording had used it long before.


So on both counts this disc has something special to offer, but primarily it marks the Victoria anniversary with an interesting contribution. Victoria specialists will not want to miss it.


FANFARE: J. F. Weber
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Works on This Recording

1.
Miserere mei Deus by Gregorio Allegri
Conductor:  Wilfried Rombach
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Ensemble Officium
Period: Renaissance 
Written: by 1603; Italy 
 Venue:  Ev. Kirche Reutlingen-Gönningen 
Length: 12 Minutes 37 Secs. 
2.
Incipit lamentatio Jeremiae, lamentation for 4 voices by Tomás L. de Victoria
Period: Renaissance 
 Venue:  Ev. Kirche Reutlingen-Gönningen 
Length: 5 Minutes 31 Secs. 
3.
Et egressus est, lamentation for 4 voices by Tomás L. de Victoria
Period: Renaissance 
 Venue:  Ev. Kirche Reutlingen-Gönningen 
Length: 4 Minutes 23 Secs. 
4.
Manum suam, lamentation for 5 voices by Tomás L. de Victoria
Period: Renaissance 
 Venue:  Ev. Kirche Reutlingen-Gönningen 
Length: 5 Minutes 19 Secs. 
5.
Cogitavit Dominus, lamentation for 4 voices by Tomás L. de Victoria
Period: Renaissance 
 Venue:  Ev. Kirche Reutlingen-Gönningen 
Length: 5 Minutes 16 Secs. 
6.
Matribus suis dixerunt, lamentation for 4 voices by Tomás L. de Victoria
Period: Renaissance 
 Venue:  Ev. Kirche Reutlingen-Gönningen 
Length: 3 Minutes 56 Secs. 
7.
Ego vir videns, lamentation for 5 voices by Tomás L. de Victoria
Period: Renaissance 
 Venue:  Ev. Kirche Reutlingen-Gönningen 
Length: 6 Minutes 5 Secs. 
8.
Misericordiae Domini, lamentation for 4 voices by Tomás L. de Victoria
Period: Renaissance 
 Venue:  Ev. Kirche Reutlingen-Gönningen 
Length: 6 Minutes 5 Secs. 
9.
Quomodo Obscuratum, lamentation for 4 voices by Tomás L. de Victoria
Period: Renaissance 
 Venue:  Ev. Kirche Reutlingen-Gönningen 
Length: 5 Minutes 16 Secs. 
10.
Incipit oratio Jeremiae, lamentation for 6 voices by Tomás L. de Victoria
Period: Renaissance 
 Venue:  Ev. Kirche Reutlingen-Gönningen 
Length: 6 Minutes 14 Secs. 

Customer Reviews

Average Customer Review:  ( 1 Customer Review )
 Just Stunning April 9, 2016 By Susan M. (Phoenix, AZ) See All My Reviews "This CD of sacred acapella Reniassance music is one of the most transportive, moving, etherial I have ever heard! Especially the Gregorio Allegri Miserere. How after decades in classical music, this piece had escaped my notice I will never understand. However, when recently it came on my local classical station, I had to stop what I was doing and sit down to listen. The De Victoria works it is paired with are also acheingly beautiful. This CD is a must for any serious collection or just if you want to be moved to another universe." Report Abuse
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