Ensemble O Vos Omnes?????
Direction: Xavier Pastrana. Place and date: Festival Llums d’Antiga. Saint Philip Neri (16/IV/2024)
Brilliant opening of this festival dedicated to so-called “ancient music” with Bach’s Six Motets. Works of different character that ask the performer to make choices regarding the size of the choir or instrumental contributions, fundamental depending on the acoustics, an aspect on this occasion well resolved and, most importantly, crowned with a heartfelt interpretation.
They are works written for various occasions not directly linked to the liturgy but that appeal to the transcendent, well reflected by O Vos Omnes. Name that refers to none other than Tomás Luis de Victoria, of whom they have shown that more humanized, more sensitive character.
High musical level therefore, with great expressive value in these Motets, whose functionality and original character is not easy to discern. The stylistic and conceptual variety of this masterful music refers us to different areas, even that of cantatas or their conjunction in passions, with dialogues, contrasts, tensions, or to remember the polyphonies that gave their previous name to the original form and its transparency. Good color exercise in Komm, Jesu, komm, clear syllabicism, consistency and warmth in female voices. Transcendent is the Jesu, meine Freude of great choral consistency, power and sensitivity, marked by the tenderness of the initial chorale and the subtle Es ist nun nichts. Good management of space and situation and transparency of voices.
In short, a highly sensitive musical experience that also shows the strength and quality of a choir that already says major words in a repertoire that few can assume and respond with such quality and character in expression, strength and polyphonic transparency. Congratulations.
