Songs of Passion • Jupiter

This new release featuring Thomas Dunford and Lea Desandre features music by Dowland and Purcell—obviously sung numbers but also a variety of instrumental numbers to round things out. The recording is especially clear, given the sound of the lute, in addition to the presence of voices. When a small ensemble of voices participates, the sound stage is generous. At Desandre’s loudest declamations, the acoustic of the room they’re in is revealed.

An obvious comparison I thought would be The Consort of Musicke’s recording of all of Dowland’s works. The sound can’t really compete, but the most obvious difference is the style of singing. Under Dunford’s direction, the music fulfills its title of “passion”-ate. The recording made by Rooley is far less extroverted in style, although one can detect vibrato in both.

The other thing I’ll say, in terms of a generalization, is that in this new recording I noticed that my own ability to understand the sung English (granted, it is my native tongue) was easy. Which made me wonder if the diction they’re using is historically-informed? I’m not an expert, and I do see they used a language coach. In my own case, I’ll chalk this up as a benefit.

With ensemble singing, the amount of vibrato is kept in check, the voices all blending well. In the solo works taken up by Desandre, I’m afraid she uses a touch more vibrato than I like.

Dowland

The instrumental pieces are played lightly, with attention given to the beat and making the pieces feel dancelike. We can hear this easily in the second track, Semper Dowland, Semper dolens. The idea of listening to an entire disc of Dowland might tax my emotions, given the way his music is usually realized. In this recording, however, there’s an emphasis made on hearing this composer anew.

One could argue that the appropriate strings for Dowland would be from a consort of viols. While a gamba is used, the upper strings include violins and viola. They do play, as in track 6’s Lachrimae antiquae, viol-like, imitating to some degree the approach used by Goebel’s MAK in their reading on Challenge Classics. The lute component, however, is richer and more active, also placed with dexterity with adequate depth into the sound field. This solution, for me, is superior, although to be fair, the entire Dowland Lachrimae collection isn’t represented here.

In track 10’s Flow my tears, Desandre is the soloist, apart from my typical expectation of a countertenor. Her voice is dark, in this piece, with vibrato more controlled. Her expressive gifts include knowing how to fill, or not fill, the acoustic space they’re in with her voice. One draws us forward to hear more, the other pushes us back, revealing just how diminutive a space we’re hearing this music. I think her approach, at least for Dowland, is a fresh take.

Purcell

Purcell, if I’m being just honest, wrote music that’s even more accessible and rewarding than Dowland.

Among the most familiar to me is the 1694 hit, Strike the Viol which seems to have set expectations with performance after the dissemination of the crossover albums featuring this piece. The solution here isn’t to step too far afield, but there is a small ramp up to things before the piece falls into place. Sadly, for me this isn’t among my favorite performances of the work; there’s an upcoming album by Reginald Mobley that I think will cure my itch. The instrumental support, however, is strong while also being layered, dynamic, and rich, especially as the bass is present.

Another famous piece is Ah, Belinda! from Purcell’s Dido opera. Again, I’m not altogther happy with Desandre’s voice when it reaches its loudest dynamics, but I think the effect for me has far less to do with her voice and perhaps the way it was captured? At fuller volume, the voice seems to overwhelm the texture. The depth of colors and timbre she produces, however, is remarkably satisfying.

The Jupiter ensemble also records When I am laid… and while I would have preferred less vibrato, the dynamic support from the ensemble, even early on, is sensationally rich again. Also of note is how Desandre’s voice ebbs and flows to the fore and background as the piece evolves. It’s a nice effect.

Conclusions

Pairing Dowland and Purcell together was a smart exercise in allowing us to admire these two composers who stand at the forefront of their countrymen, at the end of one era, and the beginning of another. The included essay by Dunford’s parents was unusual, but also charming, describing their son’s upbringing and the close collaboration between the lutenist-director and the musicians.

My copy of the album included a bonus track that wasn’t listed in the booklet, Take me back to you, supposedly written by Dunford and Doug Balliett. All the same instruments are used, with the assembled vocal ensemble, but the style feels more folksy in parts than either of Purcell or Dowland does. The up-tempo sections reveal again the richness provided by the instrumentalists.

Admiring this a moment as an audiophile experiment, there are some truly delicious moments in this recording, amplified by the depth and width of the soundstage, and the nearly secret support that is felt from the bass department. The part I was less impressed with was the slight harshness of Desandre’s voice at its fullest volume. The effect appears as reverberated glare. To give the album another chance, I turned on the convolution filter I developed for my listening room using Roon. The experience of course didn’t change the level of vibrato used, but it did tame the effect of the voice a bit at the expense of that bass presence which I found so palpable.

I am resigned to find that the effect may vary based on your listening setup, but I’ll again state, I don’t think it’s a fault of the artist’s voice, but simply in the way it was captured when pushed toward the dynamic limits. Going back and forth with other recordings of the Purcell songs, there are some recordings that are quite stripped down and bare, some to the point of feeling flat, compared to this newest effort by Jupiter. While Desandre doesn’t always get to the level of my own highest preferences of expressive potential, her approach I think might be best described here as willing to give us quite a variety of expressive options.

And that variety is worth our listen. Some of you will find in these solutions something divine, and for others, it may not be well-aligned with your past expectations. Give this album some selective listens with those tracks you’re most familiar. I think the freshness on tap is something we can all be moved to admire. Some of you may also find Desandre's command of vibrato just your thing.

For what it’s worth Mobley’s album debuts on October 3rd and also features the playing of Doug Balliett (on double bass). While not a direct competitor, it’s a sign about how fortunate a time we live in to be so treated with good music that is coupled with supportive sound.