So many catastrophes befell the Parisian de Guise family that while under its patronage early in his career, Marc-Antoine Charpentier had to devote considerable attention to writing music of mourning, and this release includes two of his major works from that period, Mass and Motet for the Dead and a work that has come to be known as Miserere des Jésuites. This is therefore not a particularly upbeat CD, but neither is it glumly mournful, and the works are ample demonstration of the intense expressiveness of Charpentier's imagination and of the individuality of his gift for creating music that steers clear of convention and cliché and goes straight for the heart. Conductor
Jean Tubéry, leading Choeur de Chambre de Namur and his own group,
Ensemble La Fenice, has a sure grasp of the style of the French middle Baroque, and this material, which in less capable hands could come across as a downer, is full of passion, deep feeling, and a lively sense of momentum. The tone of the choir is full but absolutely pure, and they and the instrumentalists respond with finesse to
Tubéry's leadership. The very fine vocal soloists sing with purity and intensity, and their handling of the delicate and expressive ornamentation, seems like second nature. The sound of Virgin's CD is clean and present. This release would make an excellent introduction to Charpentier for listeners not familiar with his work and should be of strong interest to his fans.