Classical Music: Harmonies of Devotion

Harmonies of Devotion

Claudio Monteverdi Cantate Domino; Adoramus te Christe; Domine, ne in furore tuo; Christe adoramus te; Giovanni Legrenzi Intret in conspectu tuo; Salve regina; Quam amarum est Maria; Converte nos Deus; Ave regina cælorum; Antonio Lotti Crucifixus (5 voices); Crucifixus (8 voices); Giovanni Paolo Colonna Victimæ paschali laudes; Agostino Steffani Qui diligit Mariam. Ercole Bernabei Tribulationes cordis mei.

Contrapunctus Owen Rees
Soprano: Amy Haworth, Esther Lay, Charlotte Ashley
Alto: Helen Charlston
Tenor: Guy Cutting, Simon Wall
Bass: Giles Underwood, Simon Whiteley
Chamber organ: Stephen Farr, Edward Higginbottom
Lute: Eligio Quinteiro (tracks

Signum Classics SIGCD914
https://signumrecords.com/

Harmonies of Devotion is both a fascinating exploration of the Italian motet repertory of the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries and a celebration of the devotion to this sacred repertory displayed by English antiquarian collectors of the eighteenth century. The programme reveals lines of influence between teachers and pupils and traces the lineage of the dramatic seconda prattica motet back to its principal source and pioneer, Monteverdi.

Owen Rees’ excellent notes set the context for the disc, as we get to hear for the first time Giovanni Legrenzi’s six-voice masterpiece Intret in conspectus tuo and an exquisite five-voice Crucifixus by Legrenzi’s pupil Antonio Lotti.

As one has come to expect from Owen Rees' Contrapunctus, the lines are expertly phrased, and the ensemble's blend is first-class. The ornamentation is sensitively and elegantly observed. Queen's College Chapel, Oxford, provided the perfect acoustic to capture the clarity of lines and the beauty of the harmonies. Stephen Farr and Edward Higginbottom play the chamber organ accompaniments, while Eligio Quinteiro provides the additional lute.

Roya Stuart-Rees developed the repertoire choices and themes of this recording, drawing from her research on musical antiquarianism in eighteenth-century England.

Some of the works will be unknown, but there’s plenty to enjoy for aficionados of this repertoire and well worth the exploration, especially when performed with such quality from eight singers.