Johannette Zomer Laudate! (CD)

Several years ago I founded my own ensemble, the Tulipa Consort. As a singer I have the privilege of performing withcountless conductors, orchestras and choirs at the most beautiful and unique venues in the world. It gives me great delightto sing, but so often in the run-up to the concerts compromises have to be made between the performers (especiallybetween conductor and singer) so that they can agree on the approach, and this is often no easy task. Working with myown ensemble has given me artistic freedom from the very beginning, for by selecting my own repertoire and musicians Ifeel entirely at home in the music, which greatly benefits the performance.For the first CD by the Tulipa Consort I have chosen sacred music by Antonio Vivaldi. The idea occured to me severalyears ago when I sang his Laudate Pueri in Montreal with the cellist Jaap ter Linden. I was moved and impressed by thediversity of this work. Vivaldi is too often associated only with the Four Seasons and the Gloria, while there is so muchmore. This soon became apparent when I began to compile a programme around Laudate pueri: the somewhat slowerpieces in particular, such as the second movement of Laudate pueri, ‘Sit nomen Domine’ and the second aria from RV 631‘Rosa quae moritur’, proved to possess great depth and beauty. And we simply had to include the lively ‘Ascende Laeta’,which bubbles and foams with joy. I hope you will enjoy listening to this repertoire just as much as we, the TulipaConsort, have enjoyed performing it. Johannette Zomer.