Vittoria Vittoria – beautiful restoration of 17th C. song
“Vittoria – Vittoria” is a DVD-Audio reissue of a 1997 release. Both the performances and sound quality are first-rate.
Richard Wistreich is a well-established performer of 16th and 17th Century repertoire. This release presents a selection of Italian and English songs from approximately the same time period.
Wistreich’s bass voice has an extraordinary range. Some selections, such as Sigismondo d’India’s “Che farai” plumb the depths of his register. Wistreich maintains control, even when his voice is in the basement.
Overall, Wistreich’s performances are relatively straight-forward. His expressiveness is always in service of the text. It’s never overly dramatic, though.
The ensemble is beautifully balanced against the voice. Great care was taken in the recording of this release. The current reissue is a transfer from the original master tapes to 192kHz/24 bit high-resolution audio.
If you have a choice, opt for the DVD-A disc. With a high-end audio system, you should hear all the subtleties of Witreeich’s performances.
Vittoria Vittoria
A Recital of Seventeenth-Century Italian and English Songs
Richard Wistreich, voice; Robin Jeffrye, lute and chitarrone; Celia Harper, chamber organ; Erin Headley, lirone
Claudio CR3710-2
DVD-A
