The dark side of Arcadia: Collegium Vocale Gent at Musikfest Berlin

Collegium Vocale Gent

By Elena Luporini, 29 August 2024

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“not unlike, say, Pink Floyd’s The Wall if Roger Waters played the cornetto”

Reviewed at Philharmonie: Großer Saal, Berlin on 27 August 2024

Rossi, Sinfonia a5

Gastoldi, Concerto de pastori

Rossi, Sinfonia Grave a5

Rossi, Udite, lagrimosi spirti

Marenzio, Stillò l'anima in pianto

Rossi, Sinfonia quinta

Monteverdi, Ah! Dolente partita

Rossi, Gagliarda a 5 detta Narciso

Rossi, Corrente Seconda

Rossi, Brando Primo

d'India, Dialogo della rosa

Rossi, Sinfonia Undecima (Echo)

Marenzio, Deh, Tirsi mio gentil, non far più stratio

Monteverdi, Dolcemente dormiva la mia Clori, SV52

Marenzio, Al lume delle stelle

Rossi, Sinfonia Seconda

de Wert, Tirsi morir volea

Rossi, Tirsi mio, caro Tirsi

Marenzio, Nel dolce seno della bella Clori

Marenzio, Tirsi morir volea

Monteverdi, Tirsi e Clori

Collegium Vocale Gent

Philippe Herreweghe, Conductor

Philippe Herreweghe conducts an energetic Mozart Requiem in Antwerp

Edward Sava-Segal, 7th May

Despite distancing, the members of Collegium Vocale Gent filled the Queen Elisabeth Hall with an impressively cohesive sound, transparent and powerful at the same time.

****1

Herreweghe achieves purity and unity in Bach's Mass in B minor

Nahoko Gotoh, 14th June

There are multiple ways of approaching Bach's Mass in B minor, from the one-to-a-part advocated by Joshua Rifkin to a more conventional large choral approach, and everything in between.

****1

A near miss in Mozart's Requiem

Dominic Lowe, 26th August

Although Ács Ákos gave an excellent performance of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto, Iván Fischer's innovative Requiem didn't quite work.

***11

Haydn's Creation not quite a Big Bang at Holland Festival

Nicolas Nguyen, 13th June

At the Holland Festival, the performance of Haydn’s Die Schöpfung with film images by Julian Rosefeldt does not quite unfold as the spectacle it promises on paper.

**111

Funeral Anthem proves an inspired opener for the Oslo International Church Music Festival

Travis Mason, 4th March

A stunning performance of virtuosic ensemble singing by Collegium Vocale Gent to open the 16th Oslo International Church Music Festival

****1

A restrained Missa solemnis from Herreweghe

David Pinedo, 12th February

Philippe Herreweghe deftly coordinated the four vocalists, the Rotterdam Philharmonic, and his Collegium Vocale Gent through Beethoven’s challenging score.

***11

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Elena Luporini

After completing their Master's degree in Musicology in Rome, Elena has now moved to Berlin to dedicate themselves to more things musical. With a publication on Béla Bartók and a seminar at the Humboldt-Universität underway, their interests mostly veer toward 20th-century opera, with some forays into queer musicology. Some of their latest undertakings also include oboe lessons, stencil-making and tea-making.