Search - Schutz, Thomas, American Bach Soloists :: Musicalische Exequien

Jeffrey Thomas's rendition of Schütz's great funeral work is more extroverted than most: in addition to a variety of solo voices, he uses a full chamber chorus, strings, cornets and trombones; his tempos are much livelier than most other versions as well. It's an interesting and well-realized interpretation, though it doesn't displace Philippe Herreweghe's glowing performance on Harmonia Mundi. (The solos and duets that fill out the disc are beautifully done, with gorgeous violin playing.) In addition to directing, Thomas is the lead tenor soloist: his voice, which usually records badly, sounds fine here. The other soloists are all North American early-music stars, including Christine Brandes, Emily Van Evera, Daniel Taylor, and Baroque revival pioneer Judith Nelson, who sounds awfully good for a soprano pushing 60. --Matthew Westphal