Insula Orchestra / Laurence Equilbey MAGIC MOZART

                                                                MAGIC MOZART

Accentus / Insula orchestra / Laurence Equilbey BEETHOVEN Triple Concerto - Choral Fantasy

Conductor Laurence Equilbey is fascinated and inspired by the unconventional, hybrid character of Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy and Triple Concerto. She sees it as “the root of their originality, which gives them a special place in Beethoven’s output and in the history of music as a whole.” Their fusion of genres is reflected in performances that unite the period instruments of Equilbey’s Insula orchestra and soloists – pianists Bertrand Chamayou and David Kadouch, violinist Alexandra Conunova and cellist Natalie Clein – who are best known for playing modern instruments.

Accentus / Enesemble Orchestral de Paris MENDELSSOHN Christus / Cantates Chorales

Conductor Laurence Equilbey continues to broaden the range of repertoire in which the choir Accentus excels. This album presents a sampling of some of Mendelssohn's (relatively) small-scale sacred choral works. Each of them demonstrates the sweet euphony characteristic of so much of the composer's writing. The single-movement cantata Verleih uns Frieden gnädiglich, and the chorus from Christus, "Es wird ein Stern aus Jacob aufgehn" are especially lovely examples of the choral serenity Mendelssohn was so skilled at creating. Christus consists of six movements from the unfinished oratorio, with three movements devoted to the Nativity and three to the Passion. In the cantatas based on Lutheran chorales, O Haupt voll blut und wunden and Vom Himmel hoch, it's easy to hear the influence of J.S. Bach in the music's contrapuntal richness and the grandeur summoned in the choral passages. The soloists, soprano Sandrine Piau, tenor Robert Getchell, and basses Markus Butter and Laurent Slaars are all top-notch, singing with exceptionally pure, warm tone, and unmannered delivery. Accentus sings with its accustomed full, sumptuous blend; immaculate intonation; and shapely sensitivity to the music's nuances. Ensemble Orchestral de Paris capably matches the choir's subtlety and musicality. Naïve's album is beautifully engineered, with absolute clarity and spacious ambience. Highly recommended for fans of Romantic choral music. (Stephen Eddins)

Laurence Equilbey / Insula Orchestra / Accentus MOZART Requiem

Laurence Equilbey's 2014 Naïve release of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's unfinished Requiem in D minor belongs to the category of historically informed performances, both in the actual execution and in the intentions of the performance. Obviously, presenting the Requiem with her hand-picked choir Accentus, and Insula, a small orchestra that uses original 18th century instruments, defines it as a period interpretation, and all the stylistic norms are observed. From the glossy senza vibrato of the strings to the crisp drum strokes of the timpani, and from the pure, fluid counterpoint of the small choir to the tasteful embellishments of the vocal soloists, everything sounds correct and polished to perfection. Yet Equilbey goes beyond the latest ideas of period practice to something more germane to the historical context, because she uses the oldest performing version that exists, the much-disparaged completion by Franz Xaver Süssmayr. Hearing this version played in authentic Classical style (with only the slightest modifications for better voice-leading and orchestration), it is actually more convincing than several modern revisions, not merely because of the established provenance -- we know that Mozart gave instructions to Süssmayr, and presumably, they were followed closely -- but because no hypothetical sections or cleverly refashioned movements have been added. Ultimately, Süssmayr's completion works brilliantly when played well in period style, and the idea that Mozart communicated the essential music to his student seems to be validated in this extraordinary reading. Equilbey has complete control over the performance, and her gradations of dynamics and sectional balance prove that the Süssmayr version can be wonderful when the right artists perform it. Naïve's sound is a little variable at times, but over all, the balance between the singers and the orchestra is carefully maintained. (Blair Sanderson)