Music for Any Season!
Grady Harp | Los Angeles, CA United States | 12/20/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Those who have had the good fortune of hearing live performances as conducted by Bernard Labadie with his usual ensembles Les Violons du Roy and La Chappelle de Québec will understand why this radiant recording is so special. Labadie is an authentic period devotee and his intensive scholarship and gifts as a conductor pull us back in time to the purity of sound surrounding these compositions.
Featured on this fine CD is the stunning soprano Karina Gauvin, a frequent collaborator with Labadie. Her voice is pure as gold and incisive as silver, she has endless breath support, and she not only commands technical facility but also communicates the texts with surprising commitment. She sings three concert arias of Mozart, including the ubiquitous 'Exsultate, jubilate', and three by Schubert. They are superbly sung and played.
Labadie, conducting the CBC Radio Orchestra, closes the program with Haydn's London Symphony in a reading so full of grace and style that it stands as a benchmark in interpretation. This is an easily overlooked recording but one that merits serious attention. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, December 05"