Album

The dominant American early music group of the 1990s, the Baltimore Consort seems to have spent much of the first decade of the twenty first century on sabbatical. While the essential core of the Baltimore Consort—Mary Anne Ballard, Mark Cudek, Larry Lipkis, Ronn McFarlane, and Mindy Rosenfeld—remains as part of the group, two of its star performers have departed. Chris Norman, he of the wooden flute, left to begin his own ensemble, and in 2004 vocalist Custer LaRue—the most famous member of the group—decided to depart. Along with the collapse of the record label Dorian Records, this left the future of the Baltimore Consort in considerable doubt. Cut ahead a few years, and the label has bounced back as Dorian Sono Luminus; the Baltimore Consort, though still Custer-less and Chris-less, would soon follow, resuming a regular performance schedule in September 2008 and bringing along the comeback release Adio España: Romances, Villancicos & Improvisations from Spain circa 1500.

This disc was released in 2009, already a busy year for fans of the Spanish renaissance, as Dorian's Adio España follows hard on the heels of Jordi Savall's massive two-disc collection Ministriles Reales on AliaVox. Though the Baltimore Consort is dealing with the same period and style of music as Savall, it is hard to imagine two early music collections more different from one another than these two. The Baltimore Consort made its reputation with a sort of early music cum folksy bluegrass flavor that—let's face it—sounds good, even as one might wonder how such performance style reflects the various historical contexts from which early music originates.

When it comes to Spanish renaissance music, the Baltimore Consort is a bit more like a chilled California chardonnay than a Spanish rioja, and for this reason Spanish renaissance hardcores might not get very far with Adio España, though that would be a pity because some of the performances further into the disc can stand with anything of their kind in terms of clarity, cohesion, and verve. Adio España is partly good and partly less than good. The Sephardic pieces totter dangerously close to a picture postcard ambience, and the extent to which the group applies its "rocque 'n roll" approach to Ríu, ríu, chiu almost makes one laugh; you start to wonder when the musicians will break into Humo en el agua. However, they use the same approach with Cucú, cucú, cucucú and everything about that works; it works exactly right and is an absolute joy to behold. Several of the instrumental pieces are enchanting and hold true to the best standards of the Baltimore Consort of old.

The Baltimore Consort has attended to their Custerlessness with the addition of countertenor José Lemos; although listed as a "guest artist" on the band's website, he is definitely a keeper. Lemos is genuinely a terrific singer, a countertenor on a level with Russell Oberlin, though with a slightly purer vocal tone, and he adds a lot to this album, even in pieces where you wonder if the overall realization is headed in the right direction or not. In the main, as an album of Spanish renaissance music, Adio España: Romances, Villancicos & Improvisations from Spain circa 1500 may have some challenges, and it is definitely not for purists, but as a comeback album for the Baltimore Consort, we'll definitely take it. Welcome back, gang!

© Uncle Dave Lewis , Rovi

CD 1
Sephardic Traditional Composer Morenica a mí me llaman Work Baltimore Consort Ensemble
1	Morenica a mí me llaman	5:21			$0.99
Sephardic Traditional Composer Avrix mi galanica (Let Me In, My Love) Work Baltimore Consort Ensemble
2	Avrix mi galanica (Let Me In, My Love)	1:33			$0.99
Diego Pisador Composer La mañana de San Juan Work Baltimore Consort Ensemble
3	La mañana de San Juan	3:00			$0.99
Diego Oritz Composer Recercada "La Spagna", for vihuela (from Trattado de Glosas) Work Baltimore Consort Ensemble
4	Recercada "La Spagna", for vihuela (from Trattado de Glosas)	0:58			$0.99
Francisco de la Torre Composer Alta à 3 (Danza sobre La Spagna) Work Baltimore Consort Ensemble
5	Alta à 3 (Danza sobre La Spagna)	2:04			$0.99
Alonso de Mudarra Composer Tiento Work Baltimore Consort Ensemble
6	Tiento	0:38			$0.99
Alonso de Mudarra Composer Trieste estava el Rey David, song for voice and vihuela Work Baltimore Consort Ensemble
7	Trieste estava el Rey David, song for voice and vihuela	1:41			$0.99
Christmas Traditional Composer Riu, riu, chiu!, carol (Spanish) Work Baltimore Consort Ensemble
8	Riu, riu, chiu!, carol (Spanish)	2:14			$0.99
Anonymous, Cancionero de Palacio Composer Tres Morillas M'Enamoran Work Baltimore Consort Ensemble
9	Tres Morillas M'Enamoran	1:14			$0.99
Pedro Guerrero Composer Di, perra mora (Instrumental) Work Baltimore Consort Ensemble
10	Di, perra mora (Instrumental)	2:14			$0.99
Diego Oritz Composer Quinta pars (Ruggiero), for vihuela (from Trattado de Glosas) Work Baltimore Consort Ensemble
11	Quinta pars (Ruggiero), for vihuela (from Trattado de Glosas)	1:37			$0.99
Diego Oritz Composer Recercada No.1 (Passamezzo antiguo), for vihuela (from Trattado de Glosas) Work Baltimore Consort Ensemble
12	Recercada No.1 (Passamezzo antiguo), for vihuela (from Trattado de Glosas)	1:59			$0.99
Diego Oritz Composer Recercada No.2 (Passamezzo moderno), for vihuela (from Trattado de Glosas) Work Baltimore Consort Ensemble
13	Recercada No.2 (Passamezzo moderno), for vihuela (from Trattado de Glosas)	3:10			$0.99
Juan del Encina Composer ¿Qu'es de ti, desconsolado?, cancionero (from Cancionero de Palacio) Work Baltimore Consort Ensemble
14	¿Qu'es de ti, desconsolado?, cancionero (from Cancionero de Palacio)	3:46			$0.99
Juan del Encina Composer Levanta, Pascual, cancionero (from Cancionero de Palacio) Work Baltimore Consort Ensemble
15	Levanta, Pascual, cancionero (from Cancionero de Palacio)	2:16			$0.99
Miguel de Fuenllana Composer Morenica, dame un beso, for vihuela Work Baltimore Consort Ensemble
16	Morenica, dame un beso, for vihuela	1:26			$0.99
Juan del Encina Composer Una sañosa porfía, cancionero (from Cancionero de Palacio) Work Baltimore Consort Ensemble
17	Una sañosa porfía, cancionero (from Cancionero de Palacio)	7:04			$1.49
Anonymous, Cancionero de Palacio Composer Sagaleja del Casar, for vihuela (from Cancionero de Palacio) Work Baltimore Consort Ensemble
18	Sagaleja del Casar, for vihuela (from Cancionero de Palacio)	1:22			$0.99
Juan del Encina Composer Cucú, cucú, cucúcu, cancionero (from Cancionero de Palacio) Work Baltimore Consort Ensemble
19	Cucú, cucú, cucúcu, cancionero (from Cancionero de Palacio)	1:54			$0.99
Anonymous, Cancionero de Palacio Composer Calabaça, no sé, buen amor (Pumpkin, I don't know, my love), villancico (from Cancionero de Palacio) Work Baltimore Consort Ensemble
20	Calabaça, no sé, buen amor (Pumpkin, I don't know, my love), villancico (from Cancionero de Palacio)	1:59			$0.99
Sephardic Traditional Composer Tu Madre cuando Te Parió Work Baltimore Consort Ensemble
21	Tu Madre cuando Te Parió	4:31			$0.99
Anonymous, Cancionero de Upsala Composer Yo me soy la morenica (I am the little dark girl), villancico Work Baltimore Consort Ensemble
22	Yo me soy la morenica (I am the little dark girl), villancico	2:35			$0.99
Juan del Encina Composer Ay triste que vengo, cancionero for 3 voices (from Cancionero de Palacio) Work Baltimore Consort Ensemble
23	Ay triste que vengo, cancionero for 3 voices (from Cancionero de Palacio)	1:40			$0.99
Juan del Encina Composer Oy comamos y bebamos, cancionero (from Cancionero de Palacio) Work Baltimore Consort Ensemble
24	Oy comamos y bebamos, cancionero (from Cancionero de Palacio)	2:43			$0.99
Galician Traditional Composer Baila nena (Dance little girl), folk song (Galician) Work Baltimore Consort Ensemble
25	Baila nena (Dance little girl), folk song (Galician)	2:19			$0.99