Album

When one is caught up in this album's mysterious ambience, entranced by the haunting vocals of soprano Janet Youngdahl, and hypnotized by the ebbing and flowing textures of the Absolute Ensemble, ably led by Kristjan Järvi, it's easy to kick back, chill out, and abandon all critical thought about Ezequiel Viñao's Arcanum for voice and chamber ensemble (1996), released in 2005 on BIS. It helps, too, that the musicians' gorgeous sounds are exquisitely reproduced in all their varied timbres, dynamics, and dimensions in 5.0 surround sound, and that the hybrid SACD format is ideal for conveying the depth and spaciousness of Viñao's powerfully evocative music. With all that said, one might still quibble with the composer's choice of texts, which are disconnected, enigmatic, and cryptic for people who don't understand Latin, Greek, and German. Yet these are Biblical quotations and familiar ancient aphorisms, and most are easily recognized when read in English translation in the liner notes. One might also argue about Viñao's generally soft-edged, drifting music, and feel that it is not much different than some new age or crossover fare, since it seems to conceal a lack of musical imagination in vague washes of sound. To this point, let it be said that Arcanum has several extended passages that could be construed as vaporous or vapid, but it also contains just as many tough, challenging, and startling sections to counter such an objection. On a more profound level, though, one might seriously question the point of this impressive but amorphous meditation on God, death, and eternity, because Viñao seems to have ventured into obscure eschatological subjects merely to mystify, rather than edify. This work is really no more baffling than many other modern cantatas, either sacred or secular, religious or humanist; indeed, the extremely slow pacing, clearly defined gestures, and resonant sonic fields of Arcanum make it easy to absorb and comprehend; and it is not hurried or crowded, like many contemporary works that try to express the ineffable in thick textures or complex designs. In terms of profundity and communication, Arcanum is unlikely to be regarded as the great spiritual document of our time, and Viñao may be criticized for being a bit too pretentious in his esoteric approach. However, this work is certainly an earnest exploration of spiritual themes that, in places, has considerable power to move, and enough music of quality to merit serious attention.

© Blair Sanderson, All Music Guide

CD 1
Ezequiel Viñao Composer Arcanum, for voice & chamber ensemble Work 59:19 Keve Wilson Oboe, Kristjan Järvi Conductor, Absolute Ensemble Ensemble, Pablo Rieppi Timpani, Benjamin Herrington Trombone, Mat Fieldes Bass, Janet Youngdahl Soprano
1	Part One. Prologus: Virgil (Æneid, Book VI, 268)	4:41			$0.99
2	Part One. Exodus (III:14)	1:43			$0.99
3	Part One. Parmenides (fragment 8.5)	2:49			$0.99
4	Part One. Sequentia I.	1:57			$0.99
5	Part One. I Kings (VIII:27)	2:04			$0.99
6	Part One. Plotinus (Ennead V.8.4)	2:09			$0.99
7	Part One. Sequentia II	2:41			$0.99
8	Part One. I. Corinthians (XIII:12)	4:12			$0.99
9	Part One. I. Parmenides (fragment 9.3)	3:05			$0.99
10	Part Two. Tractus I	4:41			$0.99
11	Part Two. Scotus Erigena (De Divisione Naturæ, libri V)	2:44			$0.99
12	Part Two. Eccliastes (I:9)	4:49			$0.99
13	Part Two. Tractus II	3:55			$0.99
14	Part Two. Plutarch (The E at Delphi, 18)	5:37			$0.99
15	Part Two. Apocalypsis (X:6)	1:03			$0.99
16	Part Two. Augustine (De Civitate Dei, XI)	4:18			$0.99
17	Part Two. Exodus (XXIV:10)	3:58			$0.99
18	Part Two. Epilogus: Angelus Silesius (Cherubinischer Wandersmann, I:289)	2:53			$0.99