When I received this disc I was expecting a new recording. In
fact this is a reissue of one released only four years ago. I'm
not sure what to make of this. Maybe the first release was so
successful that it was soon out of print. I can understand that,
because the repertoire is exciting and the performances are very
good.
The veneration of the Virgin Mary began in the 4th century and
became increasingly important during the ensuing centuries. It
led to a large number of compositions on texts connected to Mary
and the various stages and aspects of her life. The main texts
are the five so-called 'Marian antiphons': Alma redemptoris mater,
Ave Regina coelorum, Regina coeli, Sub tuum praesidium and Salve
Regina. Another important text is the Stabat mater, a poem which
expresses the grief of Mary about the passion of her son, and
probably dates from the 13th century.
This anthology presents a sequence of Marian motets written in
Italy during the 17th century. It is interesting to look at the
views of the Church on music for the liturgy. In 1562 the Council
of Trent stated that during mass "all music containing, whether
in the singing or at the organ, anything lascivious or impure"
should be avoided. At the same time liturgical music should become
simpler and their texts easier to understand. It was especially
the oeuvre of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina which was considered
the most ideal expression of the views of the Church.
But one could argue that the
stile nuovo which made its
entrance in Italy around 1600 was an even more appropriate expression
of those views. In particular the predominance of the text over
the music, which was advocated by Giulio Caccini, and his ideal
of
recitar cantando - a speech-like way of singing - were
highly suited to communicating the text to an audience. At the
same time, this style tended to blur the boundaries between sacred
and secular music. And that increased the danger of the entrance
of "lascivious" and "impure" influences into a sacred realm.
The programme here reflects the musical forms which composers
used to express the veneration of the Virgin Mary as well as the
changes in the style of composing during the 17th century. Jean-François
Lattarico, in his programme notes, tends to simplify the character
of the music of the first half of the century, when he writes
that Alessandro Grandi, like his teacher Claudio Monteverdi, abandoned
the polyphonic techniques of the
prima prattica. In fact,
both aimed at blending elements from the
stile antico and
the
stile nuovo in their compositions. The first item of
the programme, Grandi's
Salve Regina, attests to that.
The vocal line is written in the style of the monody, but the
instrumental parts are written in polyphonic style. In the closing
episode the voice is completely embedded in the polyphonic texture.
That is also the case in Casati's
Sanctissima virgo.
In particular the compositions which date from around the middle
of the century show the evolution to greater independence of the
music from the text. Cavalli's
O quam suavis and
Ave
Regina coelorum by Mattioli are just two examples. In the
latter half of the century this development increases, as the
compositions by Bassani and Colonna consist of a sequence of recitatives
and arias.
The Italian music of the 17th century, whether secular or sacred,
is often dramatic and emotional. This is a great challenge for
the interpreters. Philippe Jaroussky has a wonderful voice, among
whose features are a great flexibility and a wide range. That
is especially suitable for the many and often virtuosic ornaments
which are a feature of this repertoire. There is no lack of emotion
in his interpretations. He goes a long way towards achieving ideal
interpretations and in this he is effectively supported by his
Ensemble Artaserse.
Even so, I feel there is more in this music than comes off in
these performances. There should be much more ornamentation; Jaroussky
is too sparing in this department. He makes use of the
messa
di voce now and then, and again I feel he should have used
it more frequently. Composers often made use of the figure of
the
esclamazione on words like "O" (O quam tu pulchra es,
O intemerata). And I also think Jaroussky could have used a wider
dynamic range in the
messa di voce.
The recitatives in the compositions of the late 17th century are
well realised, but the declamatory passages in the compositions
from the first decades of the century, like Grandi's
O quam
tu pulchra es, are rhythmically too strict. The ideal of
recitar
cantando is not fully realised. I have to admit that I find
it a little odd to hear a woman's voice singing the lower part
in the duets. Once I got used to it, I appreciated the way Philippe
Jaroussky and Marie-Nicole Lemieux sing Grandi's
O intemerata.
I was less impressed by Legrenzi's
Ave Regina coelorum,
where Ms Lemieux's vibrato spoilt my enjoyment.
Despite my critical remarks I think this is a very interesting
and captivating recording. The programming is imaginative, as
it contains compositions of a number of hardly-known composers
and delivers an interesting survey of the compositional developments
during the 17th century. If you didn’t purchase this disc
when it was first released, you now get a second chance. Don't
miss it.
Johan van Veen
Track listing
Alessandro GRANDI (1586?-1630)
Salve Regina [3:13]
Govanni LEGRENZI (1626-1690)
Ave Regina coelorum [3:26]
Francesco CAVALLI (1602-1676)
O quam suavis [4:36]
Giovanni Antonio RIGATTI (1613-1648)
Regina coeli laetare [3:04]
Giovanni Paolo CAPRIOLI (d.1627)
Vulnerasti cor meum [2:37]
Girolamo FRESCOBALDI (1583-1643)
Ave maris stella (organ) [3:40]
Giovanni Felice SANCES (1600-1679)
Stabat mater [11:25]
Giovanni Battista BASSANI (1650-1716)
Corda lingua in amore [10:11]
Alessandro GRANDI
O quam tu pulchra es [3:26]
Giovanni Battista BASSANI
Sonata prima (2 violins, bc) [8:10]
Alessandro GRANDI
O intemerata [3:09]
Andrea MATTIOLI (1620-1679)
Ave Regina coelorum [2:57]
Girolamo CASATI (c1590-after 1657)
Sanctissima Virgo [3:16]
Giovanni Paolo COLONNA (1637-1695)
O coeli devota [7:12]
Philippe Jaroussky (alto) 
