Orazio Vecchi – Requiem (Antwerpen, 1612)

For his latest Glossa CD with Graindelavoix, Björn Schmelzer takes his lead from the funeral rites for the Flemish Baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens in 1640, which might well have encompassed the Requiem Mass by Orazio Vecchi as recorded here, to demonstrate two interconnected facets of Baroque Antwerp. The city was a major centre for music printing and Vecchi s Requiem was brought out there, as were the other works presented on this disc: George de La Hèle, Duarte Lobo and Pedro Ruimonte (the recording ends with three successive Agnus Deis!). The other facet is that of the image of Rubens s art: full of energy, seductive, optimistic and scintillating. The Northern Baroque par excellence. Included in his recording are an intriguing booklet essay (about the ‘Baroque in disguise’) and a stylised selection of pictorial images. Schmelzer encourages the listener/reader to enter into this strange world of artistic clashes and ruptures; not least the fact that Vecchi, a composer better known for his secular music popular in Venice, would have had his sacred music performed in Antwerp. This is achieved with Graindelavoix s customary uncompromising often provocative vocal sound, complete with artfully-executed ornamentation.
8/10 ‘That this is over 400 years old and yet sounds contemporary is intriguing and the performance by Graindelavoix is magnificent, particularly from the lower voices. The contributions from the other three composers fit well with Vecchi’s style and having a flock of four Agnus Deis for comparison is unexpectedly interesting. Although this is the most “left field” Requiem I have heard it was a satisfying and stimulating listen and the vocal prowess of the singers cannot fail to impress.’ –Steven Whitehead Cross Rhythms, 16th May 2017