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RELEASE SCHEDULED 1 JULY 2013 |
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Has Iestyn Davies ever sung anything better than this?
Andrew MacGregor, BBC Radio 3 CD review | |||
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| Nominee, South Bank Sky Arts Award, Best Classical recording of 2012 WINNER, GRAMOPHONE AWARD 2012 RECITAL CATEGORY   Gramophone Award Video...Guadagni invariably drew applause for his ‘impassioned and exquisite manner of singing the simple and ballad-like air Che farò'. The same epithets could apply to Iestyn Davies’s singing. He phrases with natural eloquence, unexaggeratedly alive to the meaning and colour of words. Crucially, too, he never forces his high notes. The climax of Che farò is all the more touching for its restraint. Davies… balances elegance and vehemence in the coloratura flourishes of Cyrus’s Destructive war (Belshazzar). A bellicose ‘vengeance’ aria from Arne’s Alfred goes with a comparable swing. O Lord, whose mercies (Saul) [is] the very voice of balm, cushioned by ravishing soft strings. [An] imaginative, consummately sung programme from the brightest star among young British countertenors. Richard Wigmore, Gramophone Disque du moins:
Délicatesse, éloquence : on ne pourrait mieux
définir la manière de Iestyn Davies, musicien
raffiné, musicien avant toute chose, à l’instar de
Guadagni, et non pas rossignol. Légère mais ferme,
homogène, couronnée d’aigus ronds et purs, bien
timbrée avec parfois de très légères
nasalités qui en font aussi le charme, so british, sa voix
recèle également ce mélange de douceur et de
grâce adolescentes qui séduisait tant chez le jeune Bowman,
mémorable David (Saul) au début des années 70. La
magie opère souvent... et le sens du récit, de la
progression comme la justesse des affetti forcent tout
particulièrement l’admiration chez Gluck. Même Guadagni
pouvait assumer la virtuosité, pourvu qu’elle servît
l’expression... La bravoure sied sans doute un peu moins à la
vocalité de Iestyn Davies, mais il a plus de ressources qu’on ne
pourrait le croire et sait en tirer parti.
Bernard Schreuders, Forumopera.com Through his effortless line, countertenor Iestyn Davies revivifies Guadagni's Orphic powers. He is particularly breathtaking in works by Handel, Arne and John C Smith, all of which were designed to show off the castrato's pellucid timbre. Whether drawing out sustained notes or knitting together filigreed coloratura, he is a paragon of gallant taste: poised, cool and elegant. This is the world premiers recording of Guadagani's own composition, Pensa a serbami, o cara, and many other arias here are rarely heard; Davies makes us wonder why. Berta Joncus, BBC Music magazine ... fine, beautifully sung programme ... If Guadagni was noted for the delicacy of his phrasing and the richness of character in his voice, Davies fully emulates him in these performances of arias by Handel, Hasse and Arne, with defining interpretations of extracts from Gluck’s Orfeo and an eloquently poised aria by Guadagni himself. Geoffrey Norris, The Telegraph Davies includes some of the showstoppers written for Guadagni by Handel and Arne, delivering them with wonderful finesse and flawless tone. Tim Ashley, The Guardian It's a beautiful recital: 78 minutes of pure bliss for connoisseurs and beginners alike. Five stars. David Mellor, Daily Mail Iestyn Davies sings (these arias) superlatively well. Hugh Canning, The Sunday Times This magical disc... Michael Dervan, The Irish Times | |||
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These six Italian
cantatas... are perfectly tailored to the mellifluous, beautifully articulated, expressive countertenor voice of Iestyn Davies Geoffrey Norris, The Telegraph |
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Davies continues to prove himself one of the most interesting, versatile and polished performers before the public. Opera News Iestyn Davies sails through Saget, saget mir geschwinde with the sort of ease that was unimaginable from a countertenor a quarter-century ago San Francisco Classical Voice Iestyn Davies’s beautifully paced and articulated Ach, bleibe doch, mein liebstes Leben [reflects] his position as one of the promising countertenors to hit the scene in recent years Andrew Benson-Wilson, Early Music Review Iestyn Davies’s plangent alto stands out among the soloists... he has this Ascension Oratorio’s plum aria Ach bleibe doch and sings it quite ravishingly. Hugh Canning, The Sunday Times The more poignant sections - and there are a couple of Bach's most affecting examples, exhibited in the gorgeous arias for tenor in the Easter and for alto in the Ascension - are accompanied with thoughtful care and sung as well as we could hope for, by James Gilchrist in the former and Iestyn Davies in the latter David Vernier, ClassicsToday.com a star-studded band of soloists that include the furiously agile countertenor Iestyn Davies Kenneth Walton, The Scotsman |
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Curnyn and his talented company... shine
brilliantly: no other opera group comes close for
inspiration and authenticity. Rosemary Joshua,
Iestyn Davies, Andrew Foster-Williams et al bring
this lovely work to glorious life with fizzing
ornaments and coloraturas. Michael Church, The Independent Rosemary Joshua and Iestyn Davies prove worthy modern successors (to Cuzzoni and Senesino), nicely balancing expressive weight with virtuoso vocalism. Andrew Clark, Financial Times Iestyn Davies, a singer who always makes an impression, is a real revelation in the role of Guido, the stricken fiance of Emilia. His singing overflows with emotion, but no matter how heated things get (and they do get heated), he keeps his poise, phrasing elegantly and delivering his coloratura with pinpoint accuracy. He maintains the sheer beauty of his countertenor tone even when he's spitting fury in Rompo i lacci, Guido's great revenge aria. Opera Now This is one of the most charming of Handel’s earlier operas, written around two legendary talents, soprano Francesca Cuzzoni and castrato Senesino. This new recording is exemplary, with... golden-age singing from Tim Mead, Iestyn Davies, Rosemary Joshua and Andrew Foster-Williams. Rupert Christiansen, Daily Telegraph Davies's Guido - the 'first man' part, though not the title-role - is a major achievement for the young countertenor in his first starring role on disc: his distinctive, delectably androgynous timbre in the ravishing L'armellin vita non cura which here emerges as one of Handel's greatest arias in reflective mode. He is no less compelling in bravura numbers, dashing off the coloratura volleys of Rompo i lacci with insouciant ease and consistently pearly tone. Hugh Canning, International Record Review |
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Intimacy and freshness make this a
breathtaking performance. Davies's celebrated
timbre – ranslucent, warm, pure – and the
Ensemble's imaginative additions make these
melodies expand and glow
Berta Joncus, BBC Music magazine The captivating counter-tenor voice of Iestyn Davies has already graced several recordings but this is the first CD on which he performs an entire solo programme and it is a pure delight... He is a major vocal talent that is blossoming gloriously Geoffrey Norris, Daily Telegraph [...] with a counter-tenor voice as firmly expressive and stage-worthy as his, [Iestyn Davies] deserves all his prizes. This live Wigmore Hall recital ... doesn't match all the man's charms: you can't be wickedly funny singing Handel's German Arias. But the memorial pieces by Purcell and Blow are divinely elegiac... perfect rapport with the virtuoso musicians of Ensemble Guadagni. Geoff Brown, The Times Davies is among the finest of that current crop of British countertenors equipped with intelligent, sensitive musicianship and a carefully honed technique that enables apparently easeful singing. His voice has an alluring, distinctive richness, and this recital, in which he is sensitively and variously partnered by members of Ensemble Guadagni, tells us that he's also adept at programme planning... Davies is his most affecting in the tender Süsse stille, saufte Quelle, ... even when the music is fast he maintains an essential intimacy. Stephen Pettitt, The Sunday Times [...] the countertenor of the moment with a translucent voice that has no trace of the wobbly feminine bloom or hootiness that can haunt lesser singers. Like Andreas Scholl, there is a sinewy edge to the sound that is unmistakably masculine, however ethereal the music, a quality he amply demonstrates on this... recording... choosing (and sometimes transposing) works that show off his voice to best lyrical effect, chief among them Handel's Nine German Arias, though my favourite is his simply wondrous interpretation of Purcell's sublime Evening Hymn. Stephen Pirtchard, The Guardian ... strong, precise countertenor... There'no trace in Davies' delivery of the epicene floridity to which some countertenors can be prey: rather, emotional acuity prevails most impressively so in Purcell's Gentle shepherds, you that know, delivered with commendable poise. Andy Gill, The Independent Davies's technical brilliance never fails to impress and his performances display a vivid musical imagination and a compelling sense of rhetoric... Matthew O'Donovan, Classical Music |
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The well-rounded tone and technical
precision of Iestyn Davies's singing is easy to
enjoy, but it is equally significant that his
ornamentation in But who may abide is masterful for
its stylish vocabulary and expressive wisdom Gramophone |
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The four
illustrious soloists excel in numerous short
movements. Iestyn Davies navigates some difficult low passages without traces of strain. Gramophone |
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The piece is
delivered with passionate, almost frightening
intensity. From Polyphony under Stephen Layton's
inspired direction one expects no less: luminously
clear textures… the countertenor Iestyn Davies
as the Evangelist in particular finding in his contributions a beautiful combination of sweetness and compassion International Record Review |
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...
(and) the singing of the countertenor Iestyn
Davies
(is) enough to justify buying it... (his) He was despised ranks with the best I know. This is one area where the Naxos recording scores (over the Jacobs, Harmonia Mundi record) in that Iestyn Davies provides the excitement that Zazzo lacks. Fanfare
...
tenor Toby Spence at his thrilling best, the
exceptional countertenor Iestyn Davies, and three
very fine treble soloists from the New College
Choir.
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An enthralling disc... this music grips
heart, mind and imagination alike. Exaudi are
stunning advocates... the soloists are
outstanding. This is compulsive listening for
admirers of Finnissy, and will win many converts
to his music
BBC Music magazine ***** |
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The performers... wholly admirable – from the
collective choral singing, with confident semi-choruses and soloists –
to the wide-ranging and ecstatic outpourings from the astonishing
Patricia Rozario. Stephen Layton had evidently inspired all to give of
their very best and as far as I could tell this was a well-nigh-flawless
performance
Classicalsource.com
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Here they are on
excellent form and approach Tavener's blend of
cathedral mysticism and Eastern chant with an English
sense of drama. The mix is alluring and makes for an
attractive Tavener compilation Amazon |
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The St
John's choristers are excellent and they sound as though they believe in every note BBC Music |
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This is a worthwhile
buy for Finzi devotees and novices alike
Amazon |
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St John's English
Choral Music series for Naxos has won golden opinions and an award
or two but
there has been nothing better than this
Amazon Gramophone Award nomination |
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A thrilling,
soul-affirming experience
Gramophone |
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Recordings as a treble |
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