A Candle in
the Dark: The Musical World of Dr. Dee
By Les Berkley; Stereophile; March 2001
Ellen Hargis, soprano; Drew Minter, countertenor; The Newberry
Consort, Mary Springfels, dir.
Harmonia Mundi HM 907140 (CD) 2000. Scott
Metcalfe prod.; Brad Michel, eng. DDD. TT: 65:43
Performance: four stars
Sonics: four stars
The New York Times used to print marvelous micro-reviews of movies appearing on TV. One Middle Eastern epic got the following: “Sheiks and Turks. And geese better scurry!” In this splendid tradition, I present the abbreviated version of this review: “You get to hear Ellen Hargis and Drew Minter sing a lot!” If you require more, read on.
Dr. John Dee of Mortlake is a celebrated figure in the history of occultism. Along with his con-man sidekick, Edward Kelly, he traveled around Europe claiming to converse with angels, turn base metal into gold, and all of the usual alchemical shtick. Back home in England he hobnobbed with courtiers, entertained and advised Queen Elizabeth I, made a number of shrewd investments (including helping to finance Francis Drake), and was the subject of much speculation concerning the Black Arts. He was not alone in following these eclectic pursuits; Sir Walter Raleigh was notably curious about the Kabala and other mystical texts, and numerology was enormously popular both at Court and in the country. It should be noted anent Dr. Dee that the famous Black Stone in which he was wont to scry is now in the possession of (fill in name of favorite modern occultist).
Music and numerology have been constant companions throughout history—Pythagoras got the whole thing going back in classical days—so association of music with Dee and the Elizabethan mages is by no means farfetched. Whether he personally had any influence on Dowland, Campion, Peele, and others is debatable, but it cannot be questioned that musicians and poets alike constructed complex structures based on occult principles. Fortunately for the ordinary listener, it is quite unnecessary to grasp the essence of Hebrew mysticism or the “music of the spheres,” in order to enjoy this CD.
A Candle in the Dark contains several works with obvious occult associations: the anonymous “Dr. Faustus” (sung with good effect to the tune of “Fortune my foe”) and Thomas Campion’s lighthearted “Thrice toss these oaken ashes.” Other tunes are chosen for their apparent basis in numerological theory or the Doctrine of Correspondences (a mystical scheme by which earthly events were seen as reflections of the Heavenly hierarchy). Some of the association are a bit farfetched, although, to be fair, the Elizabethans fairly reveled in the farfetched. (When hempe’s sponne, England’s donne.”)
It doesn’t matter. These are gorgeous performances, every one. Hargis and Minter do indeed sing gloriously, and the Newberry ensemble has perfected the sound of the 16th-century consort of viols to a very high degree. Three performances stand out for me: virtuoso singing by Hargis on “Come woeful Orpheus”; Minter’s versions of “His locks time hath to silver turned,” John Dowland and George Peele’s exquisite tribute to the aging tournament champion Sir Henry Lee, in which Minter can almost make me forget Emma Kirkby; and the pair’s gorgeous duet on “Move now with measur’d sound.” There is also David Douglas’s always lovely playing on the violin, and some delicate lute work from Jacob Herringman.
I have tended to scant the commentary on sound of late, mostly because the discs I receive seem to be of very good quality. This one certainly provides an excellent example of accurate balance between direct and reflected sound, and clean natural presentation of the human voice. There seems to be an excess of reverberation on headphones, but I tend to trust my MartinLogans. Of course, if I properly observed the Rule of Thirds, and applied the principles of feng shui to the proportions of my listening room, I would doubtless achieve true musical accuracy. I think I’d better get out the Black Stone and see what it has to say.
A Candle in
the Dark
Elizabethan Songs & Consort Music
The Newberry Consort. Mary Springfels
By Ivan Moody
This anthology is centered around themes of darkness and the occult, containing some highly unusual repertoire and lovely performances. Vocal pieces are interspersed with works for viol consort, ranging from Byrd and White to rather obscurer fare by Johnson and Picforth (whose curious In nominee sounds uncannily like a work in the present century!), played with a magnificent voluptuousness of tone as well as a technical command that thinks nothing of the not inconsiderable challenges posed by a piece such as William Mundy’s In nominee or Tye’s Sit Fast.
The songs are shared between Ellen Hargis and Drew Minter, both of whom are in their element. It is a particular pleasure to hear the latter, unaccountably under-recorded in this repertoire. He has, I should say on the basis of this disc, a particular affinity for Dowland, and is also excellent in the songs by Byrd, Ferrabosco (a setting of Johnson’s Orphic So beautie on the water’s stood: a rare item indeed) and Campion.
Ellen Hargis gives a superb account of the anonymous song Dr. Faustus, an impressive sixteenth century English retelling of the Faust legend, and also has her share of Dowland and Byrd. Soprano and countertenor come together in Campion's Move now with measur'd sound to round off a haunting and original disc. Very highly recommended.