Fresh Alternative
Kuijken, the old Meister of ‘authentic’ performance, came to this masterpiece with a fresh approach – an intimate performance that leave the choir and most of the orchestra behind. Some of the magic of Vespers is lost in this thin interpretation that lack the richness of the wood winds and the choir, but in general this approach is convincing. Convincing but not uplifting... I feel that instead of going the full extreme and producing a madrigal-like Vespers, Kuijken is still playing in the existing framework of how the Vespers should sound like and with lesser powers than some of the other performances. In a way, what I am looking for is an interpretation who would adopt the one-voice-per-part in a solemn and non-festive manner and bring to life a totally different aspect of the Vespers. Parrott and Savall (which can be downloaded on emusic) are my personal favorites. But for those who love Monteverdi this performance is a worthwhile alternative to the ‘richer’ performances.
