International Record Review
"... L’une des caractéristiques admirables de cet enregistrement est la volonté de Marco Horvat d’assumer la très riche ornementation de la vocalité pré-baroque. Très peu de chanteurs contemporains ont maîtrisé la gamme complète des fioritures baroques —dont le redoutable trillo— que des compositeurs comme Caccini, Peri, d’India et Monteverdi demandaient à leurs interprètes. Son pouvoir dramatique est expressif est considérable. Dans ses meilleurs moments, comme dans le sublime « Torna, deh, torna » , il nous offre, dans ses interprétations, de véritables trésors."...
Keen early music fans may recognize Marco Horvat’s name from his work with the Early Baroque group Le Poème Harmonique and with the Medieval ensemble Alla Francesca. For his first solo recording, Horvat has chosen some of Caccini’s most demanding song, most of them adapted for Horvat’s bass voice from their original soprano or tenor clef, a procedure sanctioned by the composer ?. Two were originally for bass voice, taken from the lost opera Il Rapimento di Cefalo. As was commonly done in the seventeenth century, Horvat also accompanies himself very skilfully on the baroc guitar, theorbo and lirone as he sings, a practice that allows him a very free rubato. In some songs, he is joined by a larger continuo ensemble af plucked instruments and, accasionnaly, percussion. The soprano Olga Pitarch sings two duets with Horvat and two solo songs by Caccini. Apart from the piece by Caccini’s daughter, Francesca, and the songs from Frescobaldi, the other composer’s songs do not meet Caccini’s standard and cpould profitably have been omitted. Even the normally reliable Barbara Strozzi’s piece is a tiresomly jocoso affair.
One admirable feature of this recording is Horvat’s willingness to take on the very taxing ornementation of early Baroque song, Caccini’s so-called Nuove Musiche. Very few modern singers have mastered the range of florid embellishement, including the frighteningly difficult « goats’s bleat », composer such as Caccini, Peri, d’India and Monteverdi expected of their interpreters. The tenor Nigel Roger was the finest recent exponent. Although Horvat’s level of accomplishement in this is lower tha Roger’s (hardly surprising for a bass), he he is better than most and tackles some very virtuosic songs, such as « Tutto’l di piango », with gusto and considerable success. Likewise, Pitarch, who otherwise has a quite unappealing voice, does a very creditablejob with the ultra-florid « A quei sospiri ardenti ».
Horvat’s rich, rather grainly bass cannot match the sheer mellifluousness and beauty of Early Music superstars such as Harry von der Kamp or Peter Harvey. But his expressive and dramatic powers are considerable. At his best, such as in the sublime « Torna, deh torna », he gives us performances to treasure. In other places, as in the opening « Tu ch’ai le penne, Amore », he adopts an almost folk-music approch, wich ill-suits such self-consciously aristocratic music.
One admirable feature of this recording is Horvat’s willingness to take on the very taxing ornementation of early Baroque song, Caccini’s so-called Nuove Musiche. Very few modern singers have mastered the range of florid embellishement, including the frighteningly difficult « goats’s bleat », composer such as Caccini, Peri, d’India and Monteverdi expected of their interpreters. The tenor Nigel Roger was the finest recent exponent. Although Horvat’s level of accomplishement in this is lower tha Roger’s (hardly surprising for a bass), he he is better than most and tackles some very virtuosic songs, such as « Tutto’l di piango », with gusto and considerable success. Likewise, Pitarch, who otherwise has a quite unappealing voice, does a very creditablejob with the ultra-florid « A quei sospiri ardenti ».
Horvat’s rich, rather grainly bass cannot match the sheer mellifluousness and beauty of Early Music superstars such as Harry von der Kamp or Peter Harvey. But his expressive and dramatic powers are considerable. At his best, such as in the sublime « Torna, deh torna », he gives us performances to treasure. In other places, as in the opening « Tu ch’ai le penne, Amore », he adopts an almost folk-music approch, wich ill-suits such self-consciously aristocratic music.
As always with Alpha recordings, the sound, the design and the documentation are exemplary. Of particular interest are the elegant and airy frescoes on the front and back cover of the CD case, wich are from the study in Caccini’s own house in Florence. A lovely touch in a generally very commendable recording.
Andrew O’Connor, International Record Review, avril 2004