Three years have elapsed since this recording first appeared, and several of the works it contains have now become available in alternative and extremely competitive performances. This is true above all of the six pieces from Monteverdi's Fifth Book of Madrigals, which has been recorded complete on LP—and most successfully—by The Consort of Musicke (L'Oiseau-Lyre). The differences are considerable, and perhaps worth noting. Whereas The Consort of Musicke seeks a thoroughly blended, closely-knit sound and a consistent response to the words from all voices, the singers of Concerto Vocale retain a far greater degree of individual, soloistic character. Personality, in other words, is given higher priority than unanimity, and this often makes for a more overtly expressive quality to the singing. Listening to the two recordings one after another, I came away feeling that both approaches have their particular strengths. With the Consort of Musicke, it's often the sheer thrill of the sonority, the precision of the chording and the one-mindedness of the ensemble that impress the listener. Concerto Vocale, on the other hand, often give the music the more personal stamp of independent yet reasonably like-minded individual artists. Clearly there's room for both interpretations, and the duplication of repertoire shouldn't discourage you from buying this CD if you already have the LP of the other group. (No CD of The Consort of Musicke's version has yet been planned for release.)
Not all the performances on Concerto Vocale's recording are so successful as those from the Fifth Book of Madrigals, however. Curiously, Rene Jacobs is less than usually communicative in Se pur destina, a ten-minute-long solo scena about a lovers' parting; and in the equally substantial Mentre vaga Angioletta, the two tenor voices are perhaps less well matched than the music really demands. If possible, then, sample these two tracks before buying, since they alone take up a third of the total playing time. The sound of the CD itself is excellent, and the slight spatial separation of the individual singers is most carefully done. '