Janet Baker’s Scarlatti/Monteverdi recital is rarely cited as one of the gems of her discography, but it deserves that accolade. Perhaps its relative neglect is due to conductor Raymond Leppard’s arrangements, which are anachronistic even for 1970. Domenico Scarlatti’s Salve regina, for example, includes some lush string passages and harpsichord flourishes that startle in repertoire that’s now almost exclusively the province of period-instrument specialists. For the less doctrinaire though, it’s easy to listen through the accompaniments to focus on Baker’s vocalism and surrender to the power of her interpretations. In that Salve regina, she captivates from the beginning, investing the opening words with a variety of colors that inform the text. When the words call on the singer to “send up our sighs” she touches the heart with yearning, and her coloratura flourishes excite in the closing Amen. In Alessandro Scarlatti’s Cantata Pastorale we hear the same involvement, her individual timbre here lightened to convey the joy and awe of the Christmas story.
But it’s the Monteverdi operatic excerpts that grip the listener most firmly. Baker sang the title role in a 1971 London production of L’Incoronazione di Poppea; here, she sings Ottavia’s two big arias–the Lament and the Farewell–with tremendous intensity. The opening of the Lament is as gut-grabbing as can be imagined, with Baker diving into the emotional core of text and character. In the Farewell, she colors the words “Addio Roma” with heart-breaking sadness. These are “hot” performances, uncovering the raw emotions of people at the end of their tether.
The remaining 25 minutes of this 75-minute disc are drawn from a 1970 London concert recording with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. The Handel Italian duets are lovely chips off the master’s workbench, beautifully sung. The trio of “Dialogues” by the 17th-century Lawes brothers, similarly well-sung but on a significantly lesser level, demonstrate that Baker doesn’t do coyness very well, which is to her credit. Everything’s sung in Italian except for the Lawes selections. Texts are provided for all selections, including English translations for the Italian ones. Sound is overly bright at the top end, an effect exacerbated by the high transfer level.
