From the beginning of this album which kicks off with great fanfare, it’s clear that the latest recording from Simone Kerles is a joyful carnival that shouldn’t be taken too seriously. The tone is established even before listening, with the kitsch cover that appears to suggest Kermes is the Lady Gaga of baroque music, a star who is in fact indirectly present on the album, alongside… Udo Jurgens. You could wonder what Erbame dich, mein Gott from the St. Matthew’s Passion is doing in this light-hearted romp. Allow Simone Kermes to explain: this album is a political act which questions whether humility and temperance still have a rightful place in this world stained by climate change, mass extinction, terrorist attacks and megalomania.
The result fourteen pieces cover four centuries and touch on the seven cardinal sins as well as the seven Christian virtues by means of music by Leonardo Vinci (not Da Vinci!), Handel and several Italian and German baroque composers with detours via present day jazz and rock musicians: the aforementioned Lady Gaga, Jimmy Page and Sting. A cheeky and invigorating way of taking a closer look at all of society’s many foibles and paradoxes that we’re living through today. © François Hudry/Qobuz