Agreed that the tenor was excellent, and that the ensemble has a wonderfully deft touch, bringing meaning and musical subtlety to blossom. But Dornak was disappointing, to be kind.
I just don’t think it’s a countertenor part for most singers, to be honest, which is maybe why I’m a little more understanding. They always sound great on “O thou that tellest” and the rest is kind of a crapshoot. We’ve probably been mislead by recordings, where you can get the ideal countertenor timbre, but boost the levels to a viable balance.
Agreed that the tenor was excellent, and that the ensemble has a wonderfully deft touch, bringing meaning and musical subtlety to blossom. But Dornak was disappointing, to be kind.
I just don’t think it’s a countertenor part for most singers, to be honest, which is maybe why I’m a little more understanding. They always sound great on “O thou that tellest” and the rest is kind of a crapshoot. We’ve probably been mislead by recordings, where you can get the ideal countertenor timbre, but boost the levels to a viable balance.