Les Voix Baroques and Les Voix Humaines

A celebration of carnival is the theme for Les Voix Baroques’ new ATMA label recording entitled “Humori,” which includes festive music from France, Germany, Italy, and England. The program is an ingenious mixture of beautifully performed Renaissance and early baroque works. Especially enjoyable were tenors Charles Daniels and Colin Balzer in one of the finest recorded performances I’ve ever heard of Monterverdi’s “Zefiro Torna.”

Raquel Andueza and Private Musicke

Alonso Mudarra was a Spanish Renaissance composer and player of the vihuela, an instrument related to the guitar. His publication known as “Tres Libros de Musica” was a three-book collection of music for the vihuela and the four-course guitar. Mudarra also devoted one of the books to songs he composed in Latin and Spanish.

The new Accent recording of selections from Alonso Mudarra’s “Tres Libros” by Private Musicke is a gem. Directed by lutenist Pierre Pitzl, the performance beautifully evokes the melancholy sentiment which pervades Mudarra’s music. The ensemble is joined by Spanish soprano Raquel Andueza, who sings in a plaintive and lovely manner, capturing the natural essence of each song.