Lamentazioni per la Settimana Santa (Lamentations for Holy Week) = CARISSIMI, ROSSI, FRESCOBALDI, PALESTRINA, KAPSBERGER, MARCORELLI, ANONYMOUS – Maria Cristina Kiehr, soprano/ Concerto Soave/ Jean-Marc Aymes, conductor and claviorganum – Harmonia mundi

Looking for a pick-me-up at your next party? Stay away from this disc. What we have is a collection of lamentations, the texts taken from the biblical book of Jeremiah (his lament for the destruction of Jerusalem by Babylonian King Nebuchadrezzar). These texts are extremely dramatic, interpreted in the Christian sense of captivity to sin and its consequences, and represented the mainstay of the holy week services during Matins of Holy Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in the seventeenth century. The service usually included a complete darkening of the church, a vivid visual reminder of the message of the Prophet. It is no wonder that such drama attracted a whole host of composer anxious to put their mark on these texts, and there are many settings of both unknown composers and those of great renown in existence, as you can see in the header.

I am not sure why Harmonia mundi released this now, when a January or pre-Lenten February offering would seem more productive to many, but it is an excellent recording in every way. Mind you, you have to 1) like this kind of music, and 2) be in the mood for some unrelenting somberness, but assuming that one of these two conditions exists, you can’t go wrong with this. And it is always a pleasure to hear the voice of Maria Cristina Kiehr, the Argentinean Baroque specialist who is rapidly becoming the Julianne Baird of our day, no mean mantle to bear. There is some lovely playing by the continuo specialists of Concerto Soave, and HM provides its usual ingratiating sound, maybe the best in the business these days. If the program appeals, go for it. But if you aren’t familiar with this kind of music, better borrow some from a friend or library before jumping in.

— Steven Ritter