Baltimore Consort - Adio Espana: Romances, Sonatas (2009)

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!