Thanks to our colleagues at Early Music Society of Victoria for organising reviews of “Lady Sings the Viol”. We really appreciate the thoughtful comments.
Two CD reviews of Lady Sings the Viol – The Marais Project, directed by Jennifer Eriksson
Lady Sings the Viol – CD review by Janet Norman
‘You can’t judge a book by its cover’ was my first thought when I saw this CD, ‘Lady Sings The Viol – 700 Years of Songs for Voice and Viols’ by the Marais Project. On the cover is a cut out of the portrait of Madame Anne-Henriette, the daughter of Louis XV of France by Jean-Marc Nattier. This is the lady to whom Jean-Baptiste Forqueray dedicated the publication of his father’s ‘Pieces de Viole avec la Basse Continue’, in the hope of royal endorsement for the works. But alas no pieces by Forqueray on this CD!
Instead it is a collection of diverse pieces featuring principally the viol, but with other sympathetic instruments, accompanying the voices of Mara Kiek, Narelle Evans, Belinda Mongomery, Nicole Thomson.
Not all the pieces are accompanying a voice but the viol playing of Jenny Eriksson et al imitates the voice and I guess the ambiguity of the title of this CD really implies that it truly is Jenny ‘singing the viol’ and the voices are accompanying her!
And not only is it a collection of music covering 700 years, but also a collection covering a range of countries and genres. All the pieces seem to be united with a similar timbre and tempo, no surprises here, each piece following seamlessly on to the next. The CD concludes with a rather cute rendition of Chattanooga Choo Choo – viols swing!!
The notes by Philip Pogson and Jennifer Eriksson are personal, chatty and informative and reflect the overall tenor of the CD. I particularly liked the photo of Jenny bowing a sapling while her viol waits patiently on a wicker chair – now what’s that all about?
This CD is certainly easy on the ear. The overall effect is a beautiful seductive sound with a dream-like quality reminiscent of candlelight dinners, red roses and red wine and other places where easy listening is required.
Worth listening to.
Janet Norman
ooooooo
Lady Sings the Viol – CD review by Barbara Williams.
Often beautifully played and sung, with expert musicians, and full of lush arrangements; yet a little uneven to my ear. Cabaret songs made famous by Piaf mostly work well, (especially “Padam Padam”, delicious!) as does the Elena Kats-Chernin “Revolving Door” originally for piano solo.
The CD contains quite little ‘early’ music, and the only Marais, 2 small Muzettes sound rather heavy and overloaded with the plucked instruments, as do several other tracks. The single viol quartet, Dorick Fantasy by Bull, is beautifully played. Texts in French, Catalan, and Quechua present some challenges with no translations. The Swedish piece, fortunately, is a ‘song without words’.
Two pieces to me do not work: ‘Cavatina / She was beautiful’, and Schubert ‘Ave Maria’. The latter sounds very thin to someone used to Schubert’s piano part. But it is known that Schubert kept his guitar with him always, and thus may have played it similarly himself. Plucked strings seem to overpower the voices in the Aranes ‘Chacona’, and the viols in the Italian ground, so it was all quite peaceful but a bit under-defined.
The really early piece, “Bryd one brere” is developed from its original brief melody-only unique source: getting a whole bourree ‘nachtanz’, very creative! yet to me the voice grates; perhaps I am just used to a sweeter approach.
Their first CD, Viol Dreaming, 2007, is more what we expect to hear, and know we will enjoy. Two specially commissioned modern pieces were included there, but the main fare was historic. So, for instance, the theorbo is robust but perfectly matched to the viols in Marais – all very satisfying. However, one must commend an artist like Jenny for bringing the viol into modern times, extending its repertoire, and opening our ears and minds to possibilities of our well-loved “historic’ instruments.
BCW