Portrait

Daniel Taylor

Amazon.ca

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

 

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