Monastic Choir Of The Abbey Of Montecassino
Vir Dei Benedictus

I was hesitant until the last moment about whether or not to present you with a review of this Gregorian Chant CD (or more precisely an SACD to be exact).
And this for two simple reasons:
- after listening to the Monks of Santo Domingo de Silos, my judgment skills are strongly compromised;
- because in fact this disc never fully convinced me, right from the first listen...

Yet it starts off well, with an entry as original as it is courageous: the 7'30 of "Campane della Basilica Cattedrale di Montecassino".
The bells are captured in the distance, and you are certainly struck by the singing of birds darting quickly from one channel to another or lingering on one of them, then moving towards the interior of the sound scene.

Then it continues with the first series of 6 Chants (from the initial "Introit" to the final "Communion") for the celebration of Mass, opened and closed, respectively, by a Prelude and a Postlude for organ.

The transcription of a Concerto by Tommaso Albinoni by Johann Gottfried Walther (1648-1748) serving as a Prelude is truly pleasant, although it leaves a bit of a bitter taste: the honest execution by Stefano Concordia lacks a certain level of "appeal" and, so to speak, "grit." The strength of this music is perceived, but there is a feeling that it is not fully released, deliberately gathered, encapsulated, restrained.

Moreover, I expected much more from the recording. It can be sensed that the recording must not have been the easiest for Eng. Giulio Cesare Ricci, but due to a strong reverberation the organ loses intelligibility in many of its registers; the sound becomes at times confused, almost shrill in the higher registers. Moreover, the dynamics are not the best for a fonè.
The same observations apply, of course, to the "Toccata dalla Sinfonia n.5 op. 42" by Charles-Marie Widor (1822-1890) serving as a Postlude.

Moving on to the Chants of the Mass and those accompanying the Solemnity of St. Benedict (the second program of the CD), we are nevertheless faced with excellently performed Gregorian Chant by the Montecassino Schola, but I don’t know why it fails to engage me as in other editions.

There is a sense that the Monks, although custodians of the secrets of Gregorian Chant for centuries, prefer to deliver a lesson in a "modern" way, so to speak, in the sense of being accessible to a broader audience, sacrificing much of the charm that characterizes such Chant.

In conclusion, if you want to approach Gregorian Chant, I don't feel I can recommend this CD, which represents - in my personal opinion - an "expectation not fully fulfilled".
For me, it remains a souvenir as a reminder of one of the many "out-of-town trips."

VIR DEI BENEDICTUS - Liturgy of the Solemnity of St. Benedict - Monastic Choir of the Abbey of Montecassino - Stefano Concordia O.S.B. (organ and direction) - CD\SACD STEREO - fonè – 1999 - T: 67'31