Tag: Baroque

Silvia Frigato soprano, Sara Mingardo alto, Accademia degli Astrusi, Federico Ferri
63:53
Concerto Classics The Magic Of Live 05
+ Vivaldi: Nisi Dominus RV608, Concerto RV169

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]hese live concert recordings of two great vocal works by Pergolesi and Vivaldi separated by the latter’s brief Sinfonia ‘Al Santo Sepulcro’ are showcases for the two eminent Italian vocalists Silvia Frigato and Sara Mingardo, whose powerful performances carry the day. They are ably supported by one of the increasing number of excellent Italian period instrument ensembles, the Accademia degli Astrusi, whose neat and sympathetic playing avoids the voices being swamped in the cavernous acoustic of Santa Maria della Vita in Bologna. The CD opens with a generous burst of applause which usefully intimates that this is a concert, and indeed there are various rustlings, coughings and shufflings throughout, which however didn’t distract me too much from these fine performances. The tortured faces of statues from the concert venue which adron the packaging are in perfect concord with the visceral music of the programme, and there is a helpful programme note by Francesco Lora, which only suffers a little from the latest fashion of skimping on professional translation fees. To my mind these recordings capture how these works might very well have sounded in their composers’ lifetimes, full of the drama of live performance and playing out to large and less than reverentially silent public gatherings.

D. James Ross

Ensemble Inégal, Adam Viktora
50:35
Nibiru 01602231

[dropcap]Y[/dropcap]ou might think the idea of sitting through almost an hour of soprano duet strophic settings of an unintelligible language with only brief ritornelli for a pair of violins would be torture, but not when the music in question is (a) by Adam Michna whose songs all sound like Xmas carols and (b) performed by Ensemble Inégal who could transform even the driest material spring to life. Previous recordings of material from Michna’s settings of Czech poetry have relied on the reconstructive powers of musicologists, but the recent discovery of the original Violin 1 part has meant that Adam Viktora and his excellent musicians take one step closer to the original; indeed, Song 11 now is complete, as it is for only soprano and solo violin above the continuo (here string bass, one plucker and organ – no kaleidoscopic special effects here!) Although the full texts of all the songs are given along with their translation, only selected verses of each are performed. While realizing that this is not the most approachable of music, I would seriously encourage anyone interested in 17th-century music to give it a go; the singing and playing are glorious and Michna’s duets really are very pretty.

Brian Clark

Irish Baroque Orchestra, Monica Huggett
73:00
Linn Records CKD526
Music by Fasch, Graupner, Heinichen, Telemann & Vivaldi

[dropcap]S[/dropcap]even concertos for all sorts of combinations of instruments feature on this entertaining disc; there are two pieces each by Fasch (including one without orchestra!) and Graupner, and one each by the other three composers listed above. Of course there are many interconnections between the four German composers; all of them was influenced by the development of the Italian concerto, whose chief exponent was Vivaldi. The solo line-ups are: flute and oboe, two cellos, two violins and bassoon, and flute d’amore (actually played on a normal traverso), oboe d’amore and viola d’amore (possibly not the piece you are thinking of – this is Graupner at his bizarre best). There are solo concertos for oboe (Heinichen) and bassoon (Graupner again). The concerto without orchestra is Fasch’s septet for pairs of oboes da caccia, violas and bassoons with continuo. The music is always earcatching and the captivating performances (and the bright recording) abound with verve and energy; one striking overall impression is the diversity the five composers brought to a single form, by use of instrumental colour and a variety of compositional styles, some opting for virtuosic display, others (by whom I primarily mean Graupner) preferring to find new ways to keep the listener guessing. Definitely an excellent disc from all concerned.

Brian Clark