Recorded in 1995 and reissued in the budget HM Gold series in 2010 (with the sumptuous packaging commendably intact), this album has never been one of the "hits" by German countertenor Andreas Scholl. It covers a repertoire that was (and remains) virtually unknown, and it doesn't really play to the sentimental side of Scholl's personality. Nevertheless, this is one of his very best releases, and even casual Scholl fans who missed it the first time around are advised to pick it up. In 1995 he was in absolutely prime voice, ...
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Recorded in 1995 and reissued in the budget HM Gold series in 2010 (with the sumptuous packaging commendably intact), this album has never been one of the "hits" by German countertenor Andreas Scholl. It covers a repertoire that was (and remains) virtually unknown, and it doesn't really play to the sentimental side of Scholl's personality. Nevertheless, this is one of his very best releases, and even casual Scholl fans who missed it the first time around are advised to pick it up. In 1995 he was in absolutely prime voice, and even though he here has few of the pure melodies in which he excels, he finds plenty of subtle ways to deploy it in text expression and in delineating unusual harmonic moves. The obscurity of the music should actually be cause for recognition of Scholl's ability to pick a program buried mostly in archives and bring it to life; there's hardly a dull moment here, and many of these German Baroque solo songs (some from operas) are delightful. Some are humorous, with topics ranging...
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