Canadian soprano
Suzie LeBlanc has done quite a bit of recording in the years leading up to this release with
Les Voix Humaines, Ay que sí, particularly with Canadian label Atma Classique. You wouldn't know it by the raves about these albums in Gramophone, because it seems as though that most esteemed of classical publications isn't really paying attention to
LeBlanc. A pity, but it's their loss, as if Ay que sí is any indication of what the rest of her 20 or so Atma Classique recordings are like, they must be a treasure trove indeed, as this album is just about perfect.
This is a recital of early Baroque Spanish vocal music, a genre so readily identified with
Jordi Savall and his wife
Montserrat Figueras that one might assume that nothing could be in their class. Think again -- the purity of
LeBlanc's voice floats effortlessly over the sensitively stated, yet rhythmically propelling accompaniment of
Stephen Stubbs' Baroque guitar, Susie Napper and
Margaret Little's viols,
Maxine Eilander's Spanish harp, and Rafik Samman's quiet, tastefully applied percussion. The program is also wisely laid out, as there are liberal instrumental interjections from
Les Voix Humaines so that Ay que sí doesn't get stuck too long in one groove. This sense of varying the instrumental texture also applies well to the accompaniments played behind
LeBlanc. The 28-page booklet offers informative and useful notes that are laid out in an attractive and non-fussy way; important as these composers -- José Marín, Manuel Machado, and Juan Hidalgo -- are hardly household names, with only
Diego Ortiz and Gaspar Sanz being reasonably familiar from their instrumental works. We also get artist biographies and the song texts in three languages, formatted in an easy-to-follow manner that does not strain the eyes or create confusion.
In other words, with Ay que sí, Atma Classique got it right. Ay que sí is a disc that one will want to put on repeat and let the thing play all day long. Atma Classique's recording is loud and clear, with just the right amount of reverb so that these quiet Baroque instruments don't get lost in the "hall." Amazing!