Countertenors

The 20th-century revival of the male alto voice in authentic period performances of Renaissance and baroque music is the focus of Countertenors, which features a documentary film on the subject and an hour-plus concert by three of today's most accomplished practitioners of the art. During the 17th and 18th centuries, boys' high voices were preserved beyond puberty by means of castration—giving rise to the hugely popular castrati—a technique that would obviously be frowned upon today. Instead, performers have actively worked to cultivate their falsetto range, with such great success that modern composers like Britten and Tippett have written pieces specifically meant for countertenors. This documentary presents a well-illustrated history of the male alto voice in music, with special emphasis on Alfred Deller's central role in reviving the sound in the 1950s, along with acute observations about its employment in pop music (with Jimmy Somerville of The Communards serving as a prime example), as well as commentary and performance excerpts by Michael Chance, Andreas Scholl, and James Bowman. In the bonus concert—recorded in Dolby Digital stereo—Chance, Scholl, and Bowman sing solos and duets ranging from pieces by English masters (Purcell, Dowland, and Blow) to religious music (by Bach and Vivaldi) and opera arias (by Handel), with accompaniments varying from a single lute to a full chamber orchestra. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)