That was my first thought when I listened to my latest purchase from iTunes music store yesterday; three tracks from the album "Teatro d'amore" - works by Monteverdi. I had seen a very impressive youtube video from it featuring Philippe Jaroussky, whose voice I just can't get enough of, so I was certain I'd get my money's worth. In the first piece I bought, "Si dolce", I was at first too blown away by his voice to pay much attention to the arranging, but after that I became aware that something - I couldn't pinpoint it - reminded me more of a modern ballad than a piece from the 16th century. I also listened to Pur Ti Miro with nothing but enjoyment before I eventually sat down with "Ohime, ch'io cado". I couldn't believe what I heard.
(In this video, Si Dolce is the first number followed by Ohime ch'io cado)
Modern percussions, jazz improvisations? And no, it's not just a live "spur of the moment" thing, the studio recording is the same. I can only guess what they tried to achieve by it. Modernize an old piece of music to make classical music more attractive to young people? Did they suddenly realize that since even "pure" classical artists join the classical crossover market now and are marketed almost as pop artists, they should just jump on the wave? Was it just for fun (if so, in my opinion, they should have kept it to that one live performance and not made it the concept of a whole album)?
I really don't know. At any rate they should have included it in the album text in some way (viewable to digital download costumers as well), to warn listeners that what they see is not what they get. I was so confused and upset listening to that last track that I felt tricked; like I was almost entitled to get my 99 cents back (Just almost).
I really don't know what else to say about this, I'm still very confused. If you have any comments or theories I'd be interested in hearing them!
