Friday 4 November 2022

Simone Kermes in Vivaldi

I risk being unfaithful to Sandrine Piau, having now discovered Simone Kermes. In mottetti by Vivaldi, Kermes sings with incredible accuracy, perfect style, and with a soprano voice that is tinted with gold (whereas Ms Piau is tinted with silver). And I have now discovered Vivaldi's cantatas, duetti and mottetti, so there is no stopping me! I have already ordered Ms Kermes' second Vivaldi CD. The playing of the Venice Baroque Orchestra under Andrea Marcon is exemplary. If I become a Mormon or a Moslem, I could live with both Sandrine Piau and Simone Kermes. [Corrected. Originally published in 2008].

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Accuracy and perfect style? You've got to be joking - she sounds unsteady and sometimes out of tune, and completely lacking confidence in the coloratura.

I haven't heard Piau in these works, but if you really want to hear "In furore iustissimae irae" sung with accuracy and perfect style, check out Deborah York with Robert King on Hyperion.

Harry Collier said...

Is Robert King not currently in one of HM prisons? Or maybe I confuse him with someone else. I don't know about Deborah York (did she not sing with Herreweghe back in the 1990s?), but Piau and Kermes are quite good enough for me at the moment. If you haven't heard Piau -- or Kermes -- in Vivaldi: hesitate not!

Anonymous said...

That is indeed the same Robert King. I didn't know. How sad. Don't let it put you off his recordings, though I can see it might.

Meanwhile I will have to hear Piau in this Vivaldi.

Harry Collier said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Harry Collier said...

Spurred on by a comment from "anon", I sat down and re-listened to Simone Kermes and Sandrine Piau singing In furore iustissimae irae (no great penance; it's a lovely work). Verdict? Kermes has the better recording and a lovelier voice. Piau is more accurate and more appealing, except in the final Alleluhia where Piau suddenly sounds more elderly, and Kermes comes on form.
This is the only Vivaldi mottetto where the two sopranos compete (I think). Piau 3: Kermes 1.