At the beginning of the year, I reviewed the previous release by Meret Lüthi and Les Passions de l’Ame and was a big fan, calling it “an absolute treat all around”. In the previous release, they played music by Biber, Fux, and Schmelzer, and here they play music by.. Biber and Schmelzer. Still, there’s some surprises here in that they also include two of Biber’s Psalm settings. Schmelzer’s here, but the disc’s focus is definitely on Biber.

Divina

Les Passions de l’Ame open the disc with Biber’s Partita II from Harmonia Artificiosa-Ariosa for two violins, both tuned to B Minor (B-F#-B-D). Particularly enjoyable here is the luscious recorded sound; as before, the Deutsche Harmonia Mundi recording team have outdone themselves.

Bass Jonathan Sells sings wonderfully in Nisi Dominus aedificaverit Domum, but there’s...