Surrounded by Angels - A Christmas Celebration

Ensemble Galilei

DSL 92173

The Washington DC based Ensemble Galilei are an unlikely set up; you don't expect to find harp and viola da gamba alongside tenor banjo. Add bodhrán and penny whistle and you've a mixture to scare Celtophobes everywhere. Have no fear; this is an unexpectedly delightful Christmas anthology. The arrangements are piquant and tasteful, tending, like those of the Quadriga Consort, to the melancholy, the downbeat. Speeds tend to be on the stately side, though the performances never feel too weighty or solemn. The carols free of vocals, and tend to take the form of simple sets of variations, the textures slowly becoming richer as they proceed.God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen starts with stately viola da gamba sonorities, neatly seguing into a rapid trot through Good King Wenceslas. Disappointingly, Quelle est cette odeur agréable isn't translated as What's that nice smell?But it's a terrific little piece, grey clouds lifting with the entry of the flute in the final minute. Highlights include a witty banjo-heavy setting of the Irish air The Surround, and recorder player Kathryn Montoya's breathtaking set of variations on the German carol Est is ein Ros entsprungen. I Wonder as I Wander chills, and the Wexford Carol includes some satisfyingly pungent pipes. An understated, beautifully played disc. --ArtsDesk, Dec'13

CD
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Muzyka klasyczna

Dorian

01-10-2013

053479217325