This 2-disc set is a reconstruction of a “let’s pretend” event, described in the booklet as “a service of Solemn Vespers for the Assumption of the Virgin such as Vivaldi might have performed…” Whether he did or not is of little import since the concept places the music in a proper liturgical context. More relevant is the quality of the music and the performances, typically Vivaldian in their energetic theatricality. The latter trait, we’re told in an essay by Rinaldo Alessandrini, is an element of the “festive devotion” characteristic of the Italian Baroque. There’s secular music here too–a movement from a Vivaldi Concerto serves as an overture, and conforming to the practice of the time, the Concerto in C major RV 581 for violin and strings is placed after the Magnificat.
The harmonized and embellished antiphons in this reconstruction are by Alessandrini in the style of Venetian period examples due to the fact that the Gregorian plainchants had fallen out of usage in the Venetian Baroque. Fortunately, he’s eliminated the celebrant’s liturgical readings and responses in the service, so all we get is the music.
And what music! The best-known works in the set are the Psalms and the great Magnificat, but also included are stunning motets such as Ascende laeta, which is beautifully sung by Roberta Invernizzi. Another fine soprano here is Gemma Bertagnolli whose Psalm 112, Laudate peuri, reveals a big, warm voice that makes an immediate impact. The Dixit Dominus, Psalm 109, is a feast of exciting music as well, with a lovely duet for two sopranos and a beautiful (and beautifully sung) “Tecum principium” solo by contralto Sara Mingardo.
Mingardo also is outstanding in the Psalm 126, Nisi Dominus, where she sings with great intensity. Try its “Cum dedent” for singing that combines style, rapt concentration, and deep feeling, all to a gently rocking accompaniment that makes it irresistible. In the following “Sicut sagittae” she displays vibrant attacks and virtuoso vocal runs, while in the “Gloria Patri” she spins long legato lines to organ and viola d’amore accompaniment. The chorus is spotlighted in the Magnificat RV 610a, where its spirited singing takes center stage. Mingardo clearly is the star vocal soloist in the set, but her colleagues are never less than good and most are well above what we too often hear in historically informed performances of Baroque music.
The impressive energy conveyed in the choral singing owes much to the set’s guiding force, Maestro Alessandrini, whose leadership consistently results in vital, vibrant performances. Attacks are crisp, dynamics varied, rhythms infectious. Whatever the scholarly efforts that went into this recording, the result bursts with life, making this an essential set for lovers of Baroque vocal music. [3/6/2004]
