First a necessary history lesson, in
two parts, courtesy of the booklet notes
provided with this world première
recording of a rare oratorio by Scarlatti
senior.
In
1697 King Jan III of Poland died. Attempts
to install his son Jacob as King were
unsuccessful and the widow of the recently
deceased king, Maria Kazimiera Sobieska
(also known as Marysieńka)
made the decision to move to Rome. In
March of 1699 she arrived there – accompanied
by 259 courtiers, 30 carriages and carts,
some 500 horses and a number of pack-camels!
She was soon very active in the cultural
life of Rome. Amongst her acquaintances
was cardinal Pietro Ottoboni, a famous
patron of music. Ottoboni employed Scarlatti,
and was an admirer of his music - so
much so that he later contributed a
Latin epigraph to the composer’s tomb
in Naples.
Kazimierz (the San
Casimiro of this oratorio) was Prince
of Poland, born in 1458. He was famous
for his faith and his devotion to justice
and charity. He administered the country,
in the king’s absence, between 1481
and 1483 and impressed many by his obvious
preference for good works over luxury
and pomp. He died of illness in 1484
and was canonised in 1522. He is the
patron saint of Poland.
That the exiled queen,
moving in the artistic circles of Rome,
should want to commission a work in
celebration of her native country is
not surprising; nor is it surprising
that, being a friend of Ottoboni, she
should turn to Alessandro Scarlatti.
Scarlatti was active in Rome between
1702 and 1708. In 1703 he accepted a
position at the beautiful church of
Santa Maria Maggiore. What is
surprising, is that the earliest known
performance of San Casimiro should have
been in Florence, in 1705. Maybe there
was an earlier performance in Rome,
of which no record has yet been found?
Still, Scarlatti did have connections
with Florence, where he made repeated
efforts to secure employment with Prince
Ferdinando de’ Medici.
San Casimiro,
Rè di Polonia is a fine
piece, and it is good to have this very
satisfactory recording of it. Like Scarlatti’s
more or less contemporary oratorio San
Filippo Neri, in which the dying
saint converses with personified figures
of Faith, hope and Charity, San Casimiro
consists of a kind of inner dialogue.
In Part One, Profane Love and Royal
Pomp plan to tempt Casimir towards worldly
pleasures and grandeur. Chastity and
Humility announce their intentions of
giving Casimir their support against
the temptations of Profane Love and
Royal Pomp. In Part Two we meet Casimir
himself for the first time. Faced with
the urgings of Royal Pomp he is momentarily
tempted, but with the support of Humility
he resolves finally to "disdain
pomp and the senses, and forget the
world".
There are secco recitatives,
solo arias and two duets. The tempters
are generally given fast music and are
often accompanied by vibrant, insistently
rhythmic music. The virtues, on the
other hand, generally express their
views in slower more lyrical music,
often in minor keys. Most of the soloists
are thoroughly accomplished. The Ukrainian
soprano Olga Pasiecznik is an outstanding
singer, possessor of a truly lovely
voice and the musical intelligence to
use it well. Jacek Laszckowski shows
himself a very secure counter-tenor
with an attractive voice. The duet between
the two, which closes Part One, is a
gorgeous siciliano which is thoroughly
tempting! Anna Mikolajczy has a bright,
attractive voice and Marcin Ciszewski,
though not blessed with the most intrinsically
attractive of voices, sings his role
with judgement and intelligence. In
the title role, Krzysztof Szmyt is an
authoritative presence, with a clear,
rounded tone.
Scarlatti’s instrumental
accompaniment is quite various – instruments
are used in different formations and
groupings. Here, the chamber orchestra
under the direction of Jerzy Żak
is lively, colourful and assured.
The score for this
performance was prepared by Wydawnictwo
Muzyczne, using manuscripts in the Vienna
Osterreichische Nationalbibliothek and
the Biblioteca Nacional in Madrid. For
rescuing an interesting and attractive
composition from oblivion he deserves
our thanks – as does this very enterprising
label for recording it.
Glyn Pursglove
Full
Acte Préalable Catalogue
Krzysztof Szmyt (tenor) – Saint Casimir 
for
details
