Anne-Sofie von Otter's Music for a While finds her diving into geographically diverse songs of the Baroque period with the same flair and joyful curiosity that animate all of her projects. She shows a refreshing willingness to change her vocal sound and technique to suit the task at hand, leaving whatever operatic ego she carries with her at the door. Not that her work here would ever be confused with that of an early music specialist: listeners with strong opinions on the "correct" sound for this music may find themselves ...
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Anne-Sofie von Otter's Music for a While finds her diving into geographically diverse songs of the Baroque period with the same flair and joyful curiosity that animate all of her projects. She shows a refreshing willingness to change her vocal sound and technique to suit the task at hand, leaving whatever operatic ego she carries with her at the door. Not that her work here would ever be confused with that of an early music specialist: listeners with strong opinions on the "correct" sound for this music may find themselves unable to accept the obvious warmth, flexibility, and potential amplitude of von Otter's sumptuous pipes. But it would be hard to accuse her of approaching this music with anything but respect, love, and the clear intention to realize it on its own terms. Anything else is academic. The croony cooing, bent tones, and occasional chesty brashness of the opening track, Benedetto Ferrari's Amanti, io vi so dire (Lovers, I can tell you), should be enough to alert listeners that they're in...
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