MONTEVERDI’S ‘COMBATTIMENTO’
Rolando Villazón et al.

Monteverdi is making a bit of a splash around the world. Virgin Classics has released “Combattimento,” which offers arias and duets from Monteverdi’s opera, or proto-opera, “Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda.” He wrote this piece in 1624, and it is based on Tasso’s “Gerusalemme Liberata” — a tale of the Crusades.

The piece involves three singers, and the lead on this disc is Rolando Villazón, the starry Mexican tenor. You may not think of him for early music; you may think of him for “La Traviata” and zarzuelas instead. But he does very well in “Combattimento,” singing freely but with due respect for the period. He does not abandon ardor, for ardor is his middle name; but he is ever musical. He is simply not a wuss. And Monteverdi has no need of wussy performers.

There is a likability and sincerity in Mr. Villazón, no matter what the repertoire. And these come out on this disc. Moreover, his voice is an excellent weight for this kind of music, at this point in his career.

Patrizia Ciofi, from Tuscany, is the soprano here, and she has a light, high, beautiful voice. This is the sort of voice we tend to call “expressive.” Why? I don’t know — maybe because it is particularly good at expressing things. In addition, Ms. Ciofi has oodles of technique, which she draws on in the Monteverdi.

One slight disappointment is her rendering of the aria “Ohimè ch’io cado.” Victoria de los Angeles used to begin some recitals with this exquisite number, and other singers have shone in it, too. Ms. Ciofi sings it in a strangely histrionic — even clownish — fashion. I’m afraid the impression is vulgar.

Our third singer is a second tenor, who bears the wonderful name of Topi Lehtipuu (Finnish, of course). He has an appealing lyric voice, and he projects a command. He gets to sing the long-favored and peppery aria “Maledetto sia l’aspetto,” which he handles ably. He also joins Mr. Villazón for the duet “Tornate, o cari baci.” You don’t have to be men to sing this duet: Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Irmgard Seefried made a famous, marvelous recording of it (available on EMI).

The forces behind, or amidst, the singers are Le Concert d’Astrée and their conductor/founder, Emmanuelle Haïm. (She also plays the organ and the harpsichord.) Ms. Haïm is not so much a musical scholar as a knowledgeable musician — which is a most desirable thing to be.

Lovers of Monteverdi, and lovers of early music (particularly the Italian branch), will probably feel they need this disc.

XUE FEI YANG
‘Romance de Amor’

Every classical guitarist is a Spaniard, and young Xue Fei Yang is, too — despite the fact that she was born in Beijing. The liner notes of her new CD (EMI) tell us that the Spanish ambassador to China once awarded her a handmade guitar. She was the first student to major in guitar at Beijing’s Central Conservatory (easy to believe). And no less an authority than the late Joaquín Rodrigo danced praises on her.

On this CD, Ms. Yang does indeed play a lot of Spanish music, including a piece by Rodrigo. And what playing it is: stirring and smart; tangy and beautiful. Plus, Ms. Yang has no end of technique — none. She can be dizzying (without sacrificing musicality) and she can be potent: The strumming in Albéniz’s “Asturias” goes right through you.

Furthermore, this CD contains a variety of repertoire — including pop songs. There is an arrangement of a Lennon/McCartney song, “Michelle,” by Takemitsu. (How’s that for multiculturalism?) And then there are Chinese songs.

In coming years, we will all become more familiar with Chinese music, as musicians from that country come to the fore. The pianist Lang Lang, for example, plays Chinese pieces as encores. Singers will sing their songs. And now we even have a guitarist, who has made a brilliant album. I was moved by the musicianship and the very person of this extraordinary young lady. Discover her for yourself.

ARTHUR GRUMIAUX
Philips Recordings, 1955-1978

Last, a box set of the Belgian violinist Arthur Grumiaux, who lived from 1921 to 1986. Philips gives us six CDs, covering a range of repertoire: from Baroque masters to Romantic ones. Grumiaux was an elegant, civilized man, and this is clear in his playing. His approach to the Baroque is unfashionable today: rich, full, and beautiful. That must make ours a dumb day. And in Schubert, the man is a model of lyricism.

Incidentally, a photo in the liner notes shows him as a little boy in short pants and what looks like Belgian lace — an artifact from a remote age, and a very good one.