"The singers are ideal for the repertoire,
unaffected voices with the mutual rapport of lay-clerks - as two of
them have been. Rodrigo del Pozo has a colourful but easy high-tenor
voice, Nicholas Perfect a remarkable resonance at the bottom of his
range"
Performance *****
BBC Music Magazine
"Charivari Agréable is one of the most versatile Early Music
groups at the moment... infinitely adaptable, finding musicians who
can fit into any of its many and varied programmes... As ever, the
instrumental playing from Charivari Agréable is beautifully crafted,
neither excessively polished nor overtly boisterous, and there is a
sense that here are musicians enjoying making music together above and
beyond the enjoyment they obviously receive from exploring such a rich
and varied repertoire... Ng's own arrangement of Christopher Simpson's
A Ground for a Harpsichord brings a touch of drawing-room elegance to
this wonderfully varied and infinitely intriguing disc"
International Record Review
"offered the experience of a programme of unfamiliar music
where the sense is of a lively combination of musicological
exploration and historically-informed creativity"
Goldberg Magazine
"Charivari Agréable nevertheless maintains the high
standards of musicianship we have grown to expect. The vocalists
delight with their excellent diction and spot-on intonation ...
Detailed linear notes and the use of self-made performing editions
in the creation of this recording reflect a combination of
performance and scholarship that is very rare"
Goldberg Magazine
"The well chosen works on this disc have in common an
expressive communicativeness and sensitivity to text that bind the
attention and at times impress deeply ... William Lawe's bold
chromatic fire shows him again to have been among the most worthy of
Purcell's English predecessors; his five psalms are intriguingly
experimental, interspersing ardently emotional solos with plain
hymn-tunes, sung in unison, with the odd unexpected harmony from the
continuo. And even William Child, a composer not much recorded, cuts
to the expressive quick ... The accompaniments themselves are
exemplary, as are the short instrumental numbers. A must, I would
say, for lovers of English Baroque"
Gramophone Magazine
"The ensemble Charivari Agréable is one of many groups in
the early music scene but it stands out from the crowd ... It is the
great virtue of this recording that this chapter in English music
history is saved from oblivion. I am happy to add that the
performers give splendid interpretations of this repertoire ... All
singers deliver the texts in true declamatory style, without
exaggeration. They are well aware of the fact that this music was
written for domestic use, which makes a display of virtuosity
inappropriate ... I strongly recommend this disc, which is of far
more than historical importance; it also has great musical value. I
hope that this area of repertoire is going to be explored more
extensively in the near future"
MusicWeb-International.com
"The singers embrace this repertory with gusto. In certain passages, such as “Such is his power, that is his wrath he made the earth to quake” (Ps.XVIII/1), the strength of the vocal sound serves well ... Susanne Heinrich’s elegant viol playing in a set of divisions by Frances Withy is especially well done, with compellingly contoured, tapered sounds. The counterpoint between the instrumental pieces and the vocal works is a welcome one ... “The Oxford Psalms” is a recording of interest, certainly, and a performance rendered with care"
Opera Today
" ... if one can understand why the works on this album are less well known than others by the composers who wrote them, one may also be delighted by the mix ... the male soloists (two tenors and a bass) infuse considerable expression into singing that is kept at very low dynamic levels"
All Music Guide
"The Psalms are sung here in true declamatory style, but without exaggeration. This disc is of historical importance and of great musical value"
MusicWeb International Recordings of the Year 2007
Charivari Agréable
present an imaginative new disc themed around their home town of Oxford.
They are joined by a formidable line-up of singers including Rodrigo
del Pozo, Simon Beston and Nicholas Perfect, to present
a programme of 17th Century domestic devotional anthems and psalms by some
of the greatest British composers of all time.
