The Oakland-based Cantata Collective opens its Bach series with a sampling of the solo-cantata repertoire in an engaging, intimate setting of one-to-a-part performances. This rewarding new disc features two gifted singers and Nic McGegan at the keyboard.
CD Review: Cantata Collective Opens Its Bach Account Read More »
Thinking about the current state of early-music singing, I polled friends, colleagues, students, and teachers, both here and abroad. Many instrumentalists find singers more confident with style than in the past, more flexible vocally, and more expressive with a variety of repertoires. Singers themselves are much less upbeat.
Let Voices in Early Music Be Heard Read More »
It started with a blunt, personal question: How many times has an artist of color entered a rehearsal room full of musicians only to discover that they are the only artist of color — although they know many capable colleagues of color who weren’t asked to participate?
The Open Gates Project and ‘Forgotten’ Voices Read More »
The star of Luisa Morales’ uniformly excellent recording isn’t the performer or the repertoire, it’s the keyboard instrument: a hybrid with a lower manual on which the strings are plucked and an upper manual where the strings are struck by hammers. The sound is sweet with plenty of expressive nuance.
Recording Review: Scarlatti on a One-of-a-Kind Instrument Read More »
Plush and radiant, the performances cast a vivid glimpse of a rich and varied era fit to mark the 500th anniversary of Josquin’s death in 2021.
CD Review: Josquin and Friends Inspire Gesualdo Six to the Heights Read More »
