Sicut Cervus (Palestrina) - Cappella Sistina

[rcasciato]

I heard the sistine choir in the 70's and thought they did a bad job singing renaissance music, and I see they haven't gotten better. The english translation is, "As the deer longs for running water, so longs my soul for you, O God!" but this recording sounds like they are singing about elephants. Too much vibrato, too slow, heavy, no joy, and the pitch wanders.

[EMANUELE82PESCE]

MI FANNO PIANGERE..... MA NON DI GIOIA!

[fossosejore]

si trovano sicuramente performance migliori in rete (p.e. Cambridge singers) ma mi sento di dare la sufficienza, considerato anche il numero dei coristi e la presenza delle voci bianche, sicuramente più difficili da gestire

[annochristensen]

A fine church!

[Musicologicus]

Disappointing... 

[RhobMux]

MAMMA MIA quante critiche TREMENDE. Beh, prima di sputarci sopra io personalmente ci penserei MOLTO MOLTO bene!!!! L'esecuzione è bella, signorile ed elegante, vocalmente sono magnifici, vicino all'ideale. Concordo solo sul fatto che il tempo è forse un pelo troppo lento ma è coerente. Il Direttore l'ha pensata così e, c'è poco da fare, sapeva cosa stava facendo dato che l'andamento comodo è coerente con la gestione del resto dei parametri esecutivi. GRAN BELLO!

[EMANUELE82PESCE]

@RhobMux vocalmente sono magnifici, vicino all'ideale.

SPERO SOLO TU STIA SCHERZANDO ...

[RhobMux]

@EMANUELE82PESCE no, per niente. A me Palestrina piace cantato COSI'.

[doridaniele]

no comment! :(

[MrThenoir86]

che tamarrata...



[MrGabry23ful]

Ma si può eseguire un repertorio del genere con 55 coristi? Per me, no.

[Migwelli]

I share the great number negative opinions posted here : this rendition is awfull !

The ever very best is performed by the american choir "Voice of ascenscion" : they sing renaissance music magnificiently.

[80216ify]

Esecuzione mediocre, sicuramente non all'altezza della fama riconosciuta alla Cappella Sistina. Non c'è musicalità autentica, né si avvertono vibrazioni dell'animo umano. Melodia troppo lenta che mal interpreta il grande testo di Pierluigi da Palestrina.

[RonleleBerg]

@80216ify concordo pienamente anche se, se riuscisse a trovare un video del coro degli anni 2000-2001, sentiresti un' esecuzione decisamente più musicale!!

[giovannifelice]

anche questa tremenda! inudibile come esecuzione... lentissima, stonata, stiracchiata... Dio mio che pena le orecchie nostre! Se fosse in una Messa andrebbe garbatamente fatta sospendere... per evitare attacchi di panico agli astanti... Se Bartolucci si consola con la porpora il Meastro Pierluigi da Palestrina qui si rivoltra tra la cenere della sua tomba...

[barcombehall]

Yes, the Sistine Chapel Choir is fairly mediocre. Not in the same class as Westminster Cathedral, New College, Kings College, St Johns College, St Pauls, etc.

[RonleleBerg]

@barcombehall would be more accurate to say that this is mediocre performance of the choir!

[Musicapurissima]

NOT BECAUSE IT IS THE CAPELLA MUSICALE PONTIFICIA SISTINA, IT MEANS THEY ARE GOOD, BECAUSE THEY AINT NO GOOD I CAN TELL YOU THAT! OUCH TIS IS REALLY BAD!...

[ThisIsTechnoViking]

"Desi-ih-ih-ih-derat".....I like it!XD

[amatorynumber]

well, sorry but this performance is bloody awful. Sistine chapel or not.

[And2489]

@amatorynumber Awful? Are you serious? This is probably the best performance ever of this motet on Youtube!

[amatorynumber]

@And2489 if you want renaissance music to sound like Verdi, definitely! I guess we have irreconciliable stylistical differences. Operatic, sometimes out of tune, terrible treble singing, terrible operatic tenor and bass sound, slow... all this amount to AWFUL, for me. Of course not awful as in not listenable but definitely below Sistine Chapel standards. Any cathedral choir in England creates a better sound, but I guess this is professional to italian standards.

[And2489]

@amatorynumber Like Verdi? Not at all, their sound represents the tradition and the evolution of the "Scuola Romana", as a matter of fact they're the true and only "descendants" of des Prés and Palestrina! Well, I must admit that after mons. Bartolucci dismissal the Sistina has suffered a slow but constant decline but the core of their repertoire (the polyphony of the Scuola Romana) remains unharmed...

[amatorynumber]

@And2489 Probably, if we listened now to the same choir in times of Palestrina we would be utterly repelled by the style. Try and listen to some recordings of Elgar's music conducted by Elgar himself, they are horrible. I clarified that of course, it is a question of style and preference. To me, this is hideous and the woobly boys' pitch and the 'sort of' lack of a true alto line doesn't really help me in putting it in a different stylistical context. I just find it unacceptable for such a place

[amatorynumber]

@And2489 Listen to the Westminster Choir performance.

Just listen to that and tell me there is not A HUGE difference. That is an amazing performance. And these are (the men: altos, tenors and basses) who turn up and mostly sightread. And we are talking about an abbey in London compared to the VATICAN. Come on!!!! Awaiting your reply. 

[And2489]

@amatorynumber Oh yes! A huge difference indeed! No vibrato, always mezzoforte, the single voices instead of having a defined "personality" create a cloud where text is almost inintelligible... As you said, it's obviously a question of preference, but keep in mind that almost all of the men of the Sistina have sung and studied this repertoire with mons. Bartolucci, that remains one of the most reputed experts of Palestrina around the world and it's the last representative of the Scuola Romana.

[amatorynumber]

@And2489 Well, we all know that being a magnificent scholar doesn't immediately transform you in a great conductor, choir trainer or even musician!!! Notable exceptions excluded, of course. I would have a choir with no personality (I doubt the Westminster qualifies as such) than one in which the boys breathe all over the place, the tenors shout over the soprano line, the altos are unaudible and the pitch is so off it is almost grotesque.

[amatorynumber]

@And2489 But then, it is a question of taste, but please don't say they have no personality. It is a wonderful perfomance. I guess when pitch starts to go out of the window I just cannot consider anything else. I appreciate that for people who prefer a more 'ballsy' approach this is better than almost any English rendition but any musician would cringe at it. Also I cannot understand how such poor tuning can belong to such a choir. If it was your average choir I wouldn't have been so harsh.

[tatogdg]

una performance unica!!! palestrina liberto la sistina un mix unico e perfetto!!!! un saluto al concittadino e amico Pietro

[loupblanc26]

Merveilleuse performance dans un cadre magnifique! Merci pour cette vidéo.

[treblechoir99]

L'un des plus beaux Motets de la Renaissance. Magnifiquement interprété. Merci de ce moment.