Vlaams Radiokoor and Il Gardellino record Handel’s Dixit Dominus HWV 232 dir. Bart van Reyn on Passacaille (p) 2023

Combining a chamber work with soloists (the Pianto di Maria) with Handel’s full-blooded choral piece with orchestra is a strange concept for an album; perhaps a live performance would have ended with another choral work? At 56 minutes something might have made this a more complete presentation.

Sophie Rennert performs the Ferrandini piece. Both pieces are in the canon of recordings, although the Handel is by far the more popular piece. A good comparison for the Ferrandini piece is the recording by Bernarda Fink with Il Giardino Armonico that was released in 2009. Fink is not my favorite singer, although for comparison, both musicians in this case use vibrato. Fink tends to be the more dramatic singer, but I prefer Rennert's preformance in this case.

The two albums also differ greatly in the quality of the recorded sound, the dryness of the Giardino Armonico version is a little strange sounding; I prefer the more atmospheric aesthetic of this new recording, but the overall sound quality of the recording suffers both with the Ferrandini and (even moreso) the Handel. What sounds like a larger ensemble, too, helps with dramatic presentation. Rennert is classified as a mezzo-soprano, however her voice to my ears is closer to a soprano voice style than Fink’s darker tone. I think both would improve with less reliance upon the continuous vocal vibrato.

It’s easy to see why modern audiences like the Handel. The minor key, the fast and rollicking orchestral music, choral interjections, and solo episodes make for a dramatic scene that is so Italian one might almost mistake portions for something by Vivaldi.

There is a lot of energy in this recording, both from the choir and orchestra. Unfortunately for both, the engineers have been outclassed. I am surprised, given the Handel, especially, why the recording was released. Only the vocal soloists seem appropriately captured, the rest is an acoustical mess. If this were live performance, I’d flag the director for being irresponsible for trying to put too much speed into the enterprise given the acoustics of their recording space. There are some clues, however, that it may not be so much the director’s fault as the engineer’s.

The orchestra under his baton never fails to keep things together. They are tight and their focus is tigher too, which tells me what I am hearing from the choir is more an acoustical problem than a performance one. This effect is best auditioned with the first and last movements. The opening of the final movement is a really strong tempo, seems well-chosen, but those sopranos don’t quite sound like they’re truly together. I’m willing to believe that the choir is furthest from the microphones, the orchestra is in the middle, and the soloists closest. Which means, the choir gets the worst treatment.

There are performances on record that go much faster and as a matter of taste, I think some go too fast, but still, they’re worth hearing for how they were captured and how the sound behaves even at these extreme tempi. In this recording, when the tempo does pick up what we’re left with is a wash of sound that sounds pathetically lacking of any tact or sharpness.

When the soloists appear? It's offputting just how reasonable they sound in comparison. It's a shame. I think they are doing a good job. It's just how the rest is captured that makes the whole disappointing.

The 2017 recording by Vox Luminis on Alpha is significantly clearer and more focused. The choir is far smaller, the role of the orchestra is underplayed, but the detail we’re afforded is a real blessing.

The 2007 recording on Virgin by Emmanuelle Haim takes the final movement at a much faster clip, using soloists (smart move). We feel some distance from the musicians (which isn’t ideal) but had they adopted a more reasonable tempo, I think the detail, again, would have been nice.

Going back to this recording by Il Gardellino and Vlaams Radiokoor is difficult, despite my preference for many of their interpretive details. The recording simply betrays them. The highs from the sopranos at times sound shrill, and when the movements get quick and loud it’s just sound salad. You can’t really appreciate the music unless you’re already familiar with it and this is almost like a trippy dream of what you remember. The soloists in the Handel are strong, and sing without vibrato.

This may be of value to someone who attended a live performance of these works. Because of the quality of recorded sound, the Ferrandini work fairs better; but many I think will want to enjoy the Handel. I think doing so is impossible, which is a shame just because enough is preserved to reveal what was likely a good live performance.

Releasing a recording that’s so poorly mastered is a shame and disservice. I guess I mind less auditioning this via a streaming service (Qobuz, high-res) because I can ignore it in the future, but if I’d paid for a disc I’d feel cheated.

One small additional criticism, which Passacaille aren’t alone guilty of: the photograph of the orchestra isn’t representative of the musicians who made this recording; I recognize musicians who aren’t listed in the credits. In an age when everyone has a cell phone, there’s no good reason why images from the recording session can’t be included in the marketing and documentation of a recording.