Italian music from the first half of the 17th century is often performed
and recorded. That is not surprising: the emancipation of instruments,
especially the violin, resulted in a technically demanding repertoire
of instrumental music. Moreover, the aesthetic ideals fundamentally
changed. The solo voice was given a central role and the singer was
expected to convey the affetti which were expressed in a text
and which were depicted by the music. There is much to choose from
as the repertoire of vocal and instrumental music is huge. Several
composers are particularly well represented on disc: Monteverdi with
vocal music, Frescobaldi with keyboard works and the likes of Marini
and Castello with instrumental music. From this perspective the programme
of the present disc is slightly disappointing in that it includes
various pieces which are well-known, especially the two items by Monteverdi.
On the other hand, we do get a vocal composition by Riccio who is
mainly known for his instrumental music. Natale Monferrato is a composer
who is hardly known at all. Maybe this mixture of the well-known and
the little-known will make this disc more attractive for potential
purchasers than a disc with only unknown repertoire.
This repertoire is not only often technically challenging. The emotional
and dramatic aspects are even harder to realize as many recordings
show. In fact, there are not that many that fully realise these features.
This disc is no exception, I'm afraid. The instrumentalists do a fine
job: they have mastered their instruments and have grasped this particular
style quite well. However, their performances are not very exciting
- dull even. The main problem is that the many contrasts within single
pieces are not fully explored. Dynamically the playing is rather flat
and the tempi are often too moderate. This music is much more theatrical
and dramatic than these performances suggest. After all, this was
also the time that saw the birth of opera. In fact, almost all Italian
music of this time is fundamentally theatrical.
That comes to the fore even more strongly in vocal works, and that
includes sacred music. The pieces recorded here are all for one voice
with basso continuo, sometimes with additional instruments. In every
case the text is most important and its emotional content should be
communicated. Kajsa Dahlbäck has a very nice voice which is perfectly
suited to this repertoire. She sings the sacred concertos quite well
but her performances are short on emotion. Monteverdi's Confitebor
primo, a setting of Psalm 110 (111), is not very interesting and
the general tempo is too slow.
Several pieces reflect the veneration of the Virgin Mary. That was
especially important in the first half of the 17th century which saw
the emergence of the Counter-Reformation. This disc is devoted to
music from Venice, and here the Marian cult was even more important
as Mary was the city's patron saint. These factors account for such
music being highly emotional. The stile nuovo, with its emphasis
on affetti, was the perfect vehicle for the expression of the
adoration of the Virgin. This disc includes several examples, such
as the Marian antiphons Alma redemptoris mater (Monferrato)
and Ave Regina coelorum (Riccio), but also Gaudeamus omnes
by Merula and especially O quam speciosa by Grandi. The emotional
character of these pieces doesn't quite come off. Grandi's motet is
especially disappointing. A phrase like "O Maria dulcis rosa" almost
begs for the use of the messa di voce, but there is little
dynamic shading here. The whole piece is full of emotional moments,
but they are hardly moticeable in this performance. Ms Dahlbäck
does too little with "suspirantis" in Grandi's Jesu mi dulcissime,
and the joyful character of Merula's Gaudeamus omnes doesn't
fully come off. Here she makes an error by singing "beata Maria" instead
of the (correct) "beatae Mariae". In addition more rhythmical liberties
should have been taken in sacred concertos such as this.
On balance, while the programme may include several little-known pieces,
the performances, by and large, fail to do them real justice. The
emotional and dramatic character of this repertoire is barely conveyed.
On balance, this disc errs on the dull side.
The booklet includes liner-notes in English. It is therefore incomprehensible
that the lyrics are only translated into Finnish.
Johan van Veen
http://www.musica-dei-donum.org
https://twitter.com/johanvanveen
Track Listing
Claudio MONTEVERDI (1567-1643)
Confitebor primo [7:46]
Dario CASTELLO (c.1590-c1658)
Undecima sonata a due violini e fagotto [6:31]
Alessandro GRANDI (1586-1630)
Jesu mi dulcissime [4:07]
Biagio MARINI (1594-1663)
La Foscarina [4:17]
Claudio MONTEVERDI
Laudate Dominum [3:57]
Giovanni PICCHI (1572-1643)
Pass'e mezzo [5:58]
Alessandro GRANDI
O quam speciosa [8:13]
Dario CASTELLO
Sonata prima a soprano solo [4:35]
Tarquinio MERULA (1594-1665)
Gaudeamus omnes [2:57]
Biagio MARINI
Sonata a violino o cornetto e basso [4:38]
Natale MONFERRATO (1603-1685)
Alma redemptoris mater [4:29]
Claudio MERULO (1533-1604)
La Cortese [4:25]
Giovanni Battista RICCIO (fl. 1609-1621)
Ave regina coelorum [3:04]