Ludwig Senfl: Im Maien
Harmonia Mundi HMU 907334
Release date: 2004
Artists
Charles Daniels (tenor)
Fretwork (Richard Boothby, Richard Campbell, Wendy Gillespie, Julia Hodgson, William Hunt, Susanna Pell - viols)
On the face of it, this really ought to be a wonderful recording. Charles gets together with viol consort Fretwork to perform a selection from the prolific song repertoire of mediaeval composer Ludwig Senfl. It ought to be every bit as good, and appeal to more or less the same audience, as the Machaut Chansons I reviewed last month.
Sadly, and very frustratingly, it is not. This is clearly not the fault of any of the performers, since I have heard Fretwork elsewhere, both live and on a different label, and they have sounded fine. The problem with this recording is entirely in the production. For a start, the balance is wrong, foregrounding the viols too much at the expense of the singer. However, neither Charles nor Fretwork comes out of it at all well; Charles is made to sound tinny and nasal, and Fretwork are made to sound at once harsh and expressionless.
They do their best. Charles is not the right singer to handle the extremely bawdy title track, but even the poor quality of the production cannot quite disguise the fact that he is enjoying himself for most of the recording, rendering some highly complex material with his trademark clarity and feeling. And the material deserves a good performance; Senfl was a remarkably gifted and versatile songwriter, capable of some highly unexpected musical surprises. In particular, the two Quodlibets (in which Charles sings both the vocal parts) are little masterpieces in which two apparently incompatible melodies are skilfully combined.
In conclusion, I think I should like to hear some of these songs performed live by the same ensemble. This was not my opinion when I originally heard this CD. Having already heard Charles sing live when I bought it, I knew he sounded much better than he did on the recording, but it put me off Fretwork for a long time until I finally heard them live, and I think this was a great pity. Do go and hear Fretwork, and don't let this recording put you off them!
Last month: Machaut Chansons
Next month: to be announced