.com There's been a good deal of fanfare heralding the re-emergence of a vocal species once considered endangered--namely, the countertenor. This portrait recital of one creamy-voiced exponent, Daniel Taylor, comprises the highlights of four previous recordings and shows to great advantage the various aspects of his remarkable voice. Bravely, Taylor begins the album with one of the greater challenges in the countertenor repertoire, "Erbarme dich," from Bach's St. Matthew Passion. His bravery pays off: this is a beautifully modulated account of a suffering soul crying out for comfort. He can hit a note with icy purity and warm it through with a careful vibrato, never letting the effect seem like a trick. His voice is not as full-on luscious as that of David Daniels, nor quite as melting as that of Andreas Scholl, but Taylor does have an intelligent approach to the drama of the music and a warm precision all his own. The Purcell selection (from On the Muse's Isle) and the Dowland songs (from Tears of the Muse) are exquisite; Taylor's delicately breathless account of "Come againe" only makes this naughty song all the more teasing. There is one disappointment--"Saget, saget" from Bach's Easter Oratorio--which is rushed and careless. But it's a blip on an otherwise beautiful album. --Warwick Thompson
K**O
A must-have CD for an outstanding price
I first read about Daniel Taylor on the SchollSociety messageboards and Amazon.com and I was intrigued. A Canadian countertenor with a voice comparable to Andreas Scholl's? ...I couldn't resist. I took it along on a three-hour bus ride to Tadoussac, Québec.As the mournful opening strains of Erbarme Dich commenced, the haunting, sweeping violins and viol carried me along the winding roads through the mountains. The sky was overcast, and as I heard Taylor's voice for the first time the sun came out. I was in Heaven; beautiful vistas of mountains on one side, jagged cliffs plunging into the St. Laurent on the other and Daniel Taylor's voice in my ears. Erbarme Dich is deep, passionate, and so achingly beautiful. I am an avid lover of Bach but it was the first time I had heard anything from St. Matthew's Passion. I was more familiar with many of the other Dowland songs: Time Stands Still, Come Again, Flow My Tears, and I Saw My Lady Weep, all of which are present on Andreas Scholl's "English Folksongs and Lute Songs."Daniel Taylor's voice is exquisite. Haunting. Ethereal. A creamy, lush, pure sound, more feminine than Scholl's tone, reminiscent of brilliant Japanese countertenor Yoshikazu Mera. As with Scholl, the effect sounds effortless and angelic. "Daniel Taylor: Portrait" is an excellent introduction to an amazing talent. Ten stars.
P**P
Dans les bras de Daniel Taylor !
Excellent programme introductif pour un récital de ce brillant contre ténor qui en une dizaine d'années à creusé un beau sillon.Sa discographie comporte plus de quatre-vingts enregistrements dont des cantates de Bach avec la Monteverdi Choir (Gardiner) pour Deutsche Grammophone Archiv et Soli Deo Gloria; des duos de la Renaissance avec Bowman et l'acteur Ralph Fiennes chez BIS; l'opéra Rinaldo de Händel avec Bartoli, Hogwood et l'Academy of Ancient Music pour Decca; des cantates allemandes " Avant Bach " avec le Collegium Vocale (Herrewhege) sous l'étiquette Harmonia Mundi ; l'opéra-pop de Sakamoto " Life " avec le Dalai Lama et Salman Rushdie chez Sony; des cantates de Bach avec le Bach Collegium Japan pour BIS et le Messie de Händel avec le Kammerchor Stuttgart pour l étiquette Carus.Ses débuts au célèbre opéra de Glyndebourne dans Théodora de Händel (pour ERATO), ont fait suite à ses débuts opératiques dans le Rodelinda de Händel, sous la direction de Jonathan Miller (pour EMI). Il obtint par la suite le rôle-titre dans Orfeo de Gluck au Edinburgh Festival, et c'est au Metropolitan Opera de New York qu'il fit sa première apparition sur la scène nord-américaine dans le César de Händel.En plus d'être reconnu comme " le contre-ténor vedette du Canada ", Daniel Taylor est aussi considéré comme le plus prolifique des artistes canadiens en fait d'enregistrements de musique classique.Cette belle production du label canadien ATMA dont les qualités très audiophiles constituent le meilleur écrin pour cette magnifique voix dont on ne soulignera jamais assez l'immense talent.
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