CARISSIMI Jonas (Antonini)
& 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 overshadowed by its size in comparison. At the point where Jonah is overwhelmed by both sea and storm this is obviously advantageous, but at the start where solo narrators must command attention to set up the story they are more gentle than I would wish. This is a fleeting moment, as it happens, because that famous stormy patch for double choir comes early on and features a marvellous mood switch from the sea’s tempestuous textures to sailors crying out for help with characterful standout solo lines. I particularly admire the passage when sopranos describe Jonah sleeping through it all, accompanied by a gorgeous plucked continuo texture. The back-and-forth of narrative is quick and efficient until Jonah’s big solo feels too gentle for the surrounding narrative, and I can’t decide if that’s the intention or not. So perhaps I should sum this up as a compelling work with charming solos, a very enjoyable bit of storytelling dominated by the exciting chorus both in composition and in performance. [...]
To read the full text of this review please visit Gramophone.co.uk (February 2026)
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