# Gounod:Mors et Vita



## stevenski

Wow, the whole world is encompassed in this oratorio: a devastating whole tone(?pentatonic? not sure) "death" chord haunting part one, the beautiful Judex, in the second section, used about 4 times as a sublime leitmotif, some beautiful bass-baritone soli in the last part. The only, so far as I know, recentish recording(cond. Plasson) has Jose van Dam , who has an appropriately slightly strained upper register (a la the great Rossi-Lemeni) ,which suits the beseeching frail(at times) music. This is not the Gounod of the jauntiness of parts of the St. Cecelia Mass or parts of "Faust". I really recommend it! Steve


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