March 1999

Cecilia Bartoli, Bryn Terfel and Andrea Bocelli
"A HYMN FOR THE WORLD 2"
Songs of Joy, Consolation and Faith. Coro e Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Myung-Whun Chung. Texts & translations. Deutsche Grammophon 459 146-2

The repertory of this compilation recording, a sequel of sorts to DG's live performance capture of a 1997 Paris concert inspired by a papal visit, is an odd mix of Christianity's greatest hits. The program choices range from early Baroque to contemporary, from John Tavener's now-ubiquitous "Song for Athene" to the "Domine ad adiuvandum" from Monteverdi's Vespro della Beata Virgine. Other selections cover Poulenc, Haydn, Schubert, Bruckner and Verdi (the Nabucco chorus "Va pensiero"). It is an odd mix, indeed.

Bryn Terfel sounds magnificent in the Lux Aeterna from the upcoming DG recording of the Fauré Requiem, his only track on this program. Cecilia Bartoli exercises excellent vocal control and a high level of musicality in her four selections, though her attempt to achieve an intimate sound sometimes results in a breathy quality. Andrea Bocelli's one song on the recording, Eric Levi's "I Believe," sits mainly in the low and middle ranges of his voice, where he is unable to sing with any richness or depth. Bocelli may have been striving to create a pop vocal sound, but he fails to produce an interesting timbre. The Chorus and Orchestra of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, conductor Myung-Whun Chung and all other personnel involved in the recording perform aptly, but the peculiarly assorted repertory is jarring.

- G.B.