Grandi: O quam tu pulchra es

"Philippe Jaroussky is one of the best countertenors around. His voice is mellow, evenly toned, wide-ranging and largely free from intrusive mannerism and vocal strain”

BBC Music Magazine, February 2007

Unsurprisingly, it is in the music of the Baroque era – the heyday of the castrato – that French countertenor Philippe Jaroussky has captured the attention of music-lovers lovers around the world. The ethereal, but sensuous beauty of his voice, his virtuosity and his sense of style have brought him critical praise, a number of major awards – including, in 2008, Germany’s prestigious Echo-Klassik prize for Male Singer of the Year,

Here Philippe Jaroussky, offers selection of motets dedicated to the Virgin Mary, composed in the 17th century by Italian composers. Although the majority of these composers were very famous at their time, their works are today quite unknown, and very rarely, if never, recorded. The central piece is Giovanni Felice SANCES’ “Stabat Mater dolorosa”: the longest (10-11’), considered a masterpiece of the times, and a thoroughly poignant work.

Mary has held a central position in Christianity since the dawn of the church. As early as 250 AD, prayers were being written to her, and her position was solidified by the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD as Theotokus, or “Birthgiver of God.”

In the first half of the 17th century especially, composers preferred the often much more elaborate hymns of praise to Mary, either cobbled together from various Biblical passages, or freely written based upon either Biblical events or Church dogma.

All of these pieces were recorded using editions of original manuscripts.

The Basel Baroque Consort comprises six musicians of various nationalities who completed their studies together at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis. There, they received their vocal and instrumental training under Evelyn Tubb, Gerd Türk, Andreas Scholl, Conrad Steinmann, Paolo Pandolfo, Andrea Marcon, Jörg-Andreas Bötticher, Oscar Ghiglia and Peter Croton. In their work on early and high Baroque repertoire, they strive to maximise the potential of the blend of high voice, recorders and expanded continuo group. Alongside their work as chamber musicians, the members of the Basel Baroque Consort have appeared on international concert platforms as soloists and orchestral musicians with several renowned ensembles including the Venice Baroque Orchestra, Ensemble Daedalus, La Cetra, the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin and Ensemble 415.

The programme, entitled ‘Not Just Dowland’ sets the father of English song alongside his contemporary Robert Johnson, who notably composed for the plays of Shakespeare, and the Italians Monteverdi, Grandi, Piccinini, Caccini and Merula. There are also instrumental items by Johnson, Ferrabosco, Rosseter and Kabsberger.

“Everything was so perfect, the evening seemed to pass in a flash,” was The Independent’s verdict on the Wigmore Hall recital in December 2008 by soprano Carolyn Sampson and lutenist Matthew Wadsworth. “The soprano Carolyn Sampson is blessed with a lovely voice …and the lutenist Matthew Wadsworth … really is a class apart among exponents of this increasingly popular musical instrument.”

It is now 21 years ago since Henri Ledroit died. He studied with Alfred Deller and worked extensively with Nikolaus Harnoncourt, René Clemencic and René Jacobs, but died of AIDS in 1988. Ledroit was one of the first artists to have faith in the grand enterprise that Ricercar launched in 1980.

This recording, complete with the 2009 catalogue, is devoted to cantatas and airs de cour particualrly associated with Ledroit.