Contra-tenor

Arias by Galuppi, Gluck, Handel, Hasse, Latilla, Lully, Mazzoni, Messe, Mozart, Piccinni, Porpora, Rameau, Sarro, Vinci and Vivaldi

Michael Spyres (tenor); Il Pomo d’oro/francesco Corti

Erato 5419729346 72:54 mins

Michael Spyres is a fine American singer who has already issued notable recordings of works by Handel, Mozart, Rossini and others. The title of this album, Contra-tenor, is a bit confusing since usually a contra-tenor is a part name (sung against the tenor in polyphony), and a counter-tenor is a voice type (which he does not possess). What he does have is an impressive, very wide ranging tenorbaritone, and in this collection he valuably explores the historical emergence of such a voice type in opera c1680-c1780.

His technical strengths emerge clearly in the way in which he negotiates the switchback turns of Vivaldi’s ‘Cada pur sul capo’ (from Artabano), the cascading melodies of Porpora’s ‘Nocchier, che mai non vide’ (from Germania) and the cadenza from Piccinni’s ‘En butte aux fureurs’ (from Roland) where he reaches a spectacular F above top C.

His emotional range is slightly less convincing. There is tenderness in Lully’s ‘Cessons de redouter’ (from Persée), but the subtle interplay of loss and questioning in Gluck’s ‘J’ai perdu mon Eurydice’ (from Orphée) is not clearly reflected in the vocal characterisation. Also his somewhat robust approach to phrasing tends to resist subtle shaping: for example at the commencement of Mozart’s ‘Se di lauri’ (from Mitridate) we get full solidity on the first note even though the phrase starts with an upbeat and the stress falls on ‘lauri’. (Bruce Ford’s recording of this work provides a model). That said, this is a fascinating collection with several premiere recordings. Anthony Pryer PERFORMANCE ★★★★

RECORDING ★★★★