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‘To lose one singer is unfortunate, to lose two is careless’: the words of director Peter Seymour summed up, jokily, the troubles he must have had in preparing for this performance of seventeenth century laments for which he had lost not just one, but both vocal soloists.
Besides the absence of tenor Jason Darnell, the unavailability of superstar Emma Kirkby, one of the world’s most renowned early music specialists, was a major disappointment for both audience and performers. However, her replacement, Julia Gooding, proved more than capable of taking her place.
With technical perfection and a warm voice, she made the audience forget Kirkby’s absence instantly. Gooding impressed with her overwhelming expressiveness, and just a hint of melodrama that perfectly suited the programme of the concert.
A selection of English and Italian laments, a very popular genre in the early seventeenth century, was performed with great passion and drama. The diversity of pieces showed clearly the diverse emotions connected with mourning. They ranged from peaceful and affectionate to desperate and heartbreaking, as in Claudio Monteverdi’s beautiful ‘Lamento della ninfa’.
Adding interest and variation was the changing assortment of accompanying instruments, which included harpsichord, organ, recorder and, notably, the chitarrone, skilfully played by David Miller.
The climax of the evening came when these musicians were joined by the University of York Chamber Choir to perform Giacomo Carissimi’s ‘Historia di Jephte’. This piece of astonishing beauty tells the story of Jephte, who had to sacrifice his own daughter. Opera-like in its dramatic presentation, Gooding sang the lines of the daughter and tenor William Knight those of Jephte, with members of the Chamber Choir acting as narrators. As in an ancient Greek tragedy, the dramatic unfolding was commented on by the chorus. Together this formed an impressive completeness producing beautiful waves of music and stunning dissonances.
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