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| Concerts | Recordings |
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| Recordings |
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| Marc-Antoine Charpentier: Méditations pour le Carême - ALPHA 091 |
| A tender, exquisite telling of the Passion story
"The indebtedness of Charpentier to his teacher Carissimi resonates throughout this glorious programme of petits motets for Lent, possibly composed for the Jesuits with whom Charpentier was associated during the last two decades of his career. The surviving copy of the Méditations belonged to Sébastian de Brossard, another French composer with a sincere admiration for the Italian style. Each piece is a tender, introspective contribution to the Passion story. Ensemble Pierre Robert’s resonant textures and skilful dramatic timing makes these heartfelt performances spring to life: two tenors (one of them a haute-contre – high tenor, not a countertenor) and a baritone sing a succession of gorgeous short sacred pieces, full of beautifully emotive polyphony. Gamba, theorbo, bassoon and organ provide an assortment of accompaniments, richly dramatic or coolly detached according to the requirements of the text. The plangent ‘Cum cenasset Jesus’, in which Peter denies Christ three times, is a miniature masterpiece comparable with Charpentier’s sublime oratorio Le reniement de St Pierre. There is a poignant firm narrative as the Crucifixion is described in ‘Tenebrae factae sunt’. The short setting of ‘Stabat mater’ included here is a model of concise expressiveness. After the Méditations a few petits motets are alternated with grandly played organ pieces by De Grigny and Lebègue." |
| David Vickers, Gramophone, September 2006 |
| Henry Du Mont ‘Grands Motets pour la chapelle de Louis XIV au Louvre’ Allemandes. Allemande grave. Dialogus de anima. Super flumina Babylonis. Benedic anima mea. Ecce iste venit. Pavane - ALPHA 069 |
| "In this beguiling and superbly presented recording, the motets are cleansed of their accretions and shine as gems of the French baroque. Countertenor Marcel Beekman, in particular, is a voice to watch." |
| Tony Way, Age Newspaper, Australia – July 2006 |
| "The story surrounding the posthumous publication of Henry Du Mont’s 20 grands motets, written for the court of Louis XIV, is an extraordinary tale of royal diplomacy. And the music itself is quite magical – the remarkable textures, intriguing harmonies and glorious dissonances make this a real treat, especially when done with such fantasy as Frédéric Desenclos brings. And with only three motets on this disc, that leaves plenty more…
…When performed and recorded as beautifully and sensitively as they are here, Du Mont’s plangent harmonies and dissonances reach into the listener’s heart with sensuous clarity…. … These newcomers are near-perfect performances by an ensemble ideal for such ravishing music, and who, in Marcel Beekman, have an haute-contre of striking quality… the motets are the stars; listening at this time of year to the rising swell of Ecce iste venit (‘the flowers have appeared, the voice of the turtle is hear in our land’) is the purest joy.." |
| The Gramophone Editor’s Choice Lindsay Kemp – The Gramophone, July 2005 |
| "very seductive" |
| Simon Heighes, CD Review, BBC Radio 3 – 16 July 2005 |
| "the quality of the performances is what makes this such a splendid disc – as beautifully executed as it is presented by Alpha." |
| Stephen Rice, Early Music Today – August/September 2005 |