The biblical Psalms of David provide the most evocative imagery a composer could hope to find. Mezzo-soprano Rinat Shaham is a vivacious interpreter, with a beguilingly intense sultriness. Exquisitely lyrical, she is moving in the plaintive "But you the Holy One I am denied your mercy". But she projects a formidable dramatic edge in the powerful recitatives and the virtuosic fury arias like "I am surrounded by enemies, charged by mighty bulls". Her idiomatic, careful delivery of the words enlivens Marcello's uncluttered textures. (…) The intensely personal nature of Marcello's psalm settings, which viola da gambist Jay Bernfeld, leader of the terrific ensemble, points to in his booklet notes, has been captured here with great success, making this an especially memorable and lovely disc.

Pamela Margles