SITE RATING:
4/10
SITE
REVIEW:
This English-sung live performance from
2002 features the
German Ölberg
Chor under the direction of Ingo Schulz, and
an unaffiliated orchestra
and brass choir accompanying. First
impressions were that the
"historical instrument" orchestra was a
notably out of tune, with some
teeth-grinding moments showing up in the
"Sinfonia", and throughout the
performance. Tenor
Christian Mücke
gives a lovely, is somewhat tremulous salvo on
"Comfort Ye" but shows a
tendency to a nervous, fluttery vibrato when
he pushes the tone, which
happens with more frequency during "Every
Valley" and also embellishes
the melismas to a distracting degree (he yelps up
at one point, making
me think someone has stuck him with a pin!).
His performance
becomes less and less effective. The
Ölberg
Chor has a very "young" sound, by which I mean
unsupported; the upper
voices sound whispy and breathless, and
the choir is
ineffectively mic'ed, with the basses nearly
unheard during the
choruses. Also, there are omnipresent
pitch and unity issues
present, lending a "lazy" sound to the choir.
Bass Matathias
Jaharmärker
gives a strong showing, with a clear, clean
tone and proficient
melismas. Counter-tenor Uwe Czyborra is
similarly good - with
a mellow tone and easy delivery. Soprano
Inés
Villaneuva sounds a bit chesty in her tone,
but gives a warm, involved
performance. Ingo Schulz's direction is
generally lackluster,
brightening during certain moments ("Glory To
God") and occasionally
lifting the performance above the mediocre,
but overall, this is a
recording filled with pitch and performance
flaws that detract from the
overall experience.
|
