This CD is part of an ongoing series devoted to the music of composers who lived and practiced in Naples. The composition is from the collection of the Oratorio di Napoli, which houses a large collection of 17th and 18th century sacred works. Though the manuscript attributes it to “S.r. Cavalli”, musicologists have discerned that Giuseppe Cavallo probably wrote it. Little is known about him except his death date and that he apparently was a priest. The oratorio is in two parts and its cast of characters includes Jesus, two angels, two mortals, and pairs each of blessed and damned souls, with St. Michael thrown in for good measure in Part II. The text is full of severe warnings as to what will happen to men who do not heed God’s word, describing graphic torments and tortures. The angels in Part I act sort of like a cheering squad, urging Jesus to get on with it and destroy the worthless humans.
Though there is much talk of trumpets, the work is scored modestly for flutes, bassoon, strings, and a large continuo group consisting of organ, harpsichord, archlute, and tiorba. The style is mostly declamatory; there are no real melodies as we might expect in an oratorio. Though some sections are described as arias, the piece unfolds with what sound more like continuous, albeit sometimes accompanied, recitative. As drama, the piece is very effective; you could scarcely go out and break any of the Commandments after hearing it! As music, it might prove tedious going on repeated hearings. The performances are splendid, the soloists do well with their exceptionally florid parts, and the close-up sound is very detailed without being overly aggressive. The sounds of the various continuo instruments are especially appealing. The booklets included, one devoted to this work and one to the series, are unusually handsome and contain high-resolution color photographs of the artists, as well as various locations in Naples.
