Amor Tiranno.

Amor Tiranno

Ivana Bilej Broukova--soprano, Marketa Cukrova--mezzo soprano, Jan Krejca--theorba, baroque guitar, renaissance lute, Miloslav Student -arch-lute, baroque guitar, renaissance lute, Petr Wagner--viola da gamba, Tomas Reindl--percussion.

Production: Vitezslav Janda.

Text: Cz., Eng. Released 0009. TT: 59:45. DDD. I CD Arta Records F10159 (distribution 2HP Production).

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Italian love songs of the first half of the 17th century are not exactly a typical theme for the Czech music industry and they ate a distinct exception among Czech CDs. On the other hand, the fact that the Amor Tirano album uses and brings to life the repertoire from the manuscript Ariette in musica da diversi maestri, which has been preserved since the 18th century in the collections of the Bohemian noble Lobkovic family gives it a logical rationale. This makes it a pity that the information given by Miloslav Student in the booklet devoted to this source is not more detailed--he does not explicitly state whether this is a modern discovery, explain how it was turned into a CD project, or mention the history of the manuscript. Was its existence always known? How did it survive the decades of communism? Has anyone ever performed anything from it in modern times? Has it ever been recorded before?

The six performers who are the protagonists of this recording and have taken the role of interpreters of the poetry of a distant time and a foreign country are indisputably specialists in the right place. They have the know-how and skills to bring the manuscript notes to life. This is a una voce repertoire in which the poetic word has an equal role with the music. A monody from the period of the origins of the Baroque style does not, of course, abound at first hearing in an opulent or amazing wealth of attributes that would help the music to immediate success with listeners. This means that even more depends on realisation, on arrangement. And also on the pleasantness of the voices which convey the songs, to use a simplified term for this repertoire. Ivana Bilej Broukova and Marketa Cukrova have no technical problems, their vocal aesthetics are appropriately simply, and while they do not parade the informed historical authenticity of their approach, this can be clearly sensed behind the a stylistically integrated and sure performance. The soprano is more consistently satisfying in terms of vocal colour than the mezzo soprano--and this cannot be considered a matter of deliberate stylisation. The fact that the repertoire sounds a little monotonous is certainly not the fault of either singer--indeed they try with some success to get over the problem. It is all a question of very subtle nuances. These are present, even if they could be even more minutely calibrated; ideally one could imagine an even more differentiated, and so many-sided and more courageous expressive register. Even se, both singers definitely deserve honour, since theirs is by no means an easy task whether in terms of ornamentation or persuasive diction. The instrumental accompaniment is subdued, unobtrusive, and the whole of this repertoire is delicate. This makes the achievement of Tomas Reindl on percussion even more surprising--at some points he enters more strikingly, but still organically, into the fabric of the music. The three-minute strophic composition Vago mio viso by Alessandro Ghivizzani has the advantage of an easily memorised melody and three-time rhythm, but it is partly thanks to Reindl that it emerges as something like a bit ... Overall--the whole album can be enjoyed just as a gentle, pleasant listening experience, but you will get more out of it with the text in your hand, and fortunately this is provided in the booklet.

Petr Veber