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DCD34305-CD
£19.99
For many in early seventeenth-century Portugal the period of Spanish rule was a time of anguish; but it was also an age ofopportunity. Francisco Garro was a Spaniard who crowned his career at the Royal Chapel in Lisbon when this thriving metropolis boasted a vibrant musical life. Four centuries after his death, Toby Ward and the expert voices and instrumentalists of Ensemble Pro Victoria triumphantly blow the dust from partbooks that survived political upheavals and thedisaster of the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, revealing a masterly oeuvre that in its richness and expressivity quite justifies the honour in which Garro was held in his lifetime.
'A markedly different approach is presented on 'From Fire & Earthquake' by Ensemble Pro Victoria directed by Toby Ward, performing from editions by Gareth Thomas. Beginning with the same Asperges me, they are joined by cornett, sackbut, harp, lute, bass viol and organ, emphasising that one of those 1609 publications includes a basso seguente (a bass line that 'follows' the lowest voice). They also record in a pleasant but more modest acoustic than Cupertinos, which combines with their overall brisker tempos to give a greater proto-Baroque impression of Garro's music and a bright clarity to each line ...
The voices of Ensemble Pro Victoria really are world-class and their tuning is radiant"
'Historical context is key in appreciating the music of Francisco Garro (1556-1623). Active in a Portugal imbalanced by a regnal succession that created the Iberian Union with Spain, while maintaining sufficient independence to allow Lisbon to flourish as a thriving global trader, Garro’s music itself reflects a coexistence of circumspection, self-assurance and indigenous colour. Heartwarming sophistication characterises the Missa Saeculorum and Missa Maria Magdalena, serviced with neatly polished performances by Toby Ward’s Ensemble Pro Victoria, whose lithe vocal/instrumental mix offers up a clean but luxuriant palette. The music exhibits Garro’s supreme polyphonic mastery, also a simple glowing eloquence responsive to the texts. The accompanying motets - the fluid complexity of Asperges Me, the predominantly sublime Parce Mihi, Domine, the sprightly rejoicing of Vidi Aquam - are supreme examples. The inclusion of older contemporary Francisco Guerrero’s motet Maria Magdalene simply contextualises its relationship to Garro’s eponymous mass'
★★★★★
'Gareth Thomas’s fine booklet notes give plenty of historical context and detail on each piece, but the figure of Spanish priest and composer Francisco Guerrero remains somewhat shadowy despite having a whole track to his name and his music being used as a source of parody material for Francisco Garro in a number of the works recorded here. This whole disc is an immersive delight, and you can let the whole thing roll over you in a slowly turning mill of gorgeous counterpoint. Every day is a school day however, and it is fascinating to learn that the entire Missa Saeculorum (primi toni)is based on just a few notes in emulation of Guerrero’s Missa Saeculorum Amen. Garro’s contrapuntal skill is demonstrated here in all kinds of inversions, embellishments, retrogrades and augmentations, all while maintaining an expressive directness that wears its complexities lightly.'
Collections: All Releases, Choral, Early Music, New Releases
Category: Choral, Early Music, Ensemble Pro Victoria, Richard Gowers, Toby Carr, Toby Ward
