Marcel Pérès

Much of the so-called early music revival was carried out in a uniform, polished, and reserved vocal style. English vocal ensembles such as the Tallis Scholars, the Hilliard Ensemble, and Gothic Voices replaced earlier excesses of vivid instrumental sonorities, with a placid, crystal-clear, and impeccably tuned sound; the singing of plainchant, likewise, most often was heard in the reserved regularity of the Solemnes monastic sound. Yet alongside this elegant and polished sound, a minority of French singers and conductors maintained an alternative acoustical ideal: vibrant and...