There is substantial overlap between the fields of early music and contemporary music, and the performances on this release by the Luxembourgeois vocal group cantoLX and conductor Frank Agsteribbe are fully adequate. Indeed, Agsteribbe achieves a novel sound in the short songs of Frescobaldi: in contrast to the large, operatic continuo groups that have been used in this repertory, he restricts the continuo to harpsichord and theorbo. This produces a clean effect that puts the focus on the singers and remains true to the chamber uses of the music. The singers manage the extended vocal techniques in the Cage pieces without sounding like they're treading in hostile territory. So, the only real question here is the unusual program of Frescobaldi and Cage and whether it makes sense. The booklet casts the two composers as vocal experimenters, which is certainly true enough, and it might even be plausible to argue that each stood at the beginning of a fundamentally new musical language. The analogy between the two composers is a kind of musicological one. But it breaks down pretty quickly: extended vocal technique was a small part of Cage's compositional arsenal, and his music, though famous, has hardly been influential in the way Frescobaldi's was. You may find that the program has the flavor of one of those symphonic concerts of a generation ago that included an obligatory contemporary work through which everyone sat through dutifully so they could hear the Beethoven. But if you find that you buy the concept, you'll find nothing wrong with the execution.
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