CARISSIMI Jonas (Antonini)
Giacomo Carissimi: Jonas & Claudio Monteverdi & Orlando di Lasso Max Hanft (soloist, chorusmaster), Magdalena Dijkstra (soloist), Nicolas Ries (soloist), Mareike Braun (soloist), Kerstin Rosenfeldt (soloist), Andreas Hirtreiter (soloist), Q-Won Han (soloist), Korbinian Schlag (soloist) Il Giardino Armonico, Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Giovanni Antonini BR Klassik: 900535 The big-ticket item here is Carissimi’s action-packed Jonas, a mid-17th-century work whose librettist is unknown. It’s especially notable for its demanding choral movements, which suit the nimble Bavarian Radio Choir well, and as a result it packs a punch that belies its brevity. Its gripping music begins with a short but luscious half-minute Symphonia characterised by Il Giardino Armonico’s gorgeous lilting violins, then we’re briskly off the blocks with a soprano narrator. I feel that a lack of grandeur pervades the start of this live performance: the choir is big and brilliant and the soloists are overs...
