COMPOSERS: Camphuysen,Huygens,Merula,N a Kempis,Norcombe,Schop,Vallet,van den Hove,Van Eyck
LABELS: Harmonia Mundi
WORKS: 17th-Century Music from the Low Countries – by N a Kempis, Huygens, Norcombe, van den Hove, van Eyck, Schop, Merula, Vallet, Camphuysen,
PERFORMER: Newberry Consort
CATALOGUE NO: HMU 907123 DDD
The composers Huygens, Camphuysen and Schop are hardly household names, but the intimate musical scenes painted by Vermeer, Hals and De Hooch bring to mind the sound-world of this repertoire.
The sacred songs recorded here are real gems, and Drew Mintermellow countertenor suits their introspective mood, even if he sounds uneasy in the outer reaches of his voice. The thoughtfully planned programme also includes some attractive instrumental pieces, though the ensemble’s intonation isn’t always true. Kate Bolton