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  40:6 (07-08 /2017)
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Dynamic 
CDS7782  




Code-barres / Barcode : 8007144077822

 

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Reviewer: Bertil van Boer

 

In Venice during the 17th century, opera became the dominant musical form, especially with the rise of a number of theaters. At the end of his long life Claudio Monteverdi rose to the occasion to write three last works that have been seen as the trilogy that pretty much started the fame of the new genre in that city. Though this is a simplification of the gestation of Venetian opera, his work did point the way for his younger successors to achieve success and fame in the years that followed. Certainly, the most important of these was Francesco Cavalli, born Francesco Caletti-Bruni. At an early age, he was mentored by Federigo Cavalli, whose last name he took following the success of his first opera in 1639 at the Teatro San Cassiano. One should note that this is about the same time that Monteverdi also wrote his trilogy, so it would appear that these two composers of separate generations were colleagues at that point in time, though Cavalli probably studied under the elder man for a number of years prior.
 

For all of his fame as an opera composer, leading up to a special journey at the request of French Cardinal Mazarin in 1660, which arguably was a seminal event in the development of the French Baroque opera despite its poor reception, Cavalli made his daily bread as an organist at St. Mark’s. In that post, always considered secondary to his work for the stage, he was also an important figure in the particular divided choral style practiced at the basilica. Indeed, when he finally achieved the position as maestro di cappella there, he was obligated to compose sacred works. This disc covers two sets, Vespers dedicated to the Virgin Mary (the first of three of these) and a series of Marian antiphons, replete with two instrumental interludes. The Gabrielian musical legacy is strong in each of these sets, the latter published in 1656 when Cavalli was at the height of his career and the former appearing in 1675 shortly before his death. In keeping with the probable usage of both sets, this recording intersperses the antiphons with the Vespers setting, saving the instrumental portions for after the Magnificat when they bookend the most important of the Marian texts: the Ave Regina caelorum, the Regina caeli, the Salve Regina, and the Alma redemptoris mater. Each pairing begins with by a plainchant incipit, which sets the tone for each movement pair of antiphon-Psalm.
 

There is a certain stylistic continuity with each of the pairs, which is not surprising given that their intended venue was that echo chamber called St. Mark’s. But on occasion Cavalli knows how to vary dynamics and textures, even as his compositional technique has to be limited to antiphonal effects or homophony. For example, in the Dixit Dominus the cautious use of soloists versus the dual choruses (accompanied by instruments) lends a nicely solemn tone, which is interrupted momentarily by some scaffold solo entrances that sound madrigalistic. In the Nigra sum, a lovely paean to the beauty of women, only the plainchant is left, with the more contrapuntal Laetatus sum providing the wonderfully-textured antiphonal choral response, only this time with more contrapuntal content. The chant for the Ave Maris stella is about as lyrical as one might wish, with a flowing line that is done responsorially by the men’s choir, which makes the antiphon Virgo potens move smoothly into the final canticle, the Magnificat. Here Cavalli offers a chorale-like opening that evolves slowly into the sort of divided chorus, somewhat muted and respectful in tone. This in turn gradually increases in complexity and texture until the final section, where the tempo increases and the rhythm becomes much more of a dance than solemn chords (though these too appear at the Amen).

The two instrumental pieces seem a throwback to the time of Gabrieli, with good brass ensemble work and imitative structures.

The performance by both the Monteverdi choir and the divided brass choirs is nicely integrated, with each sound complementing the other, making it especially noticeable during the antiphonal effects. Of course, La Pifarescha does mainly consist of a quartet of trombones over which hovers a cornett, and the continuo groups, a pair of organs accompanied by a lighter viola for the first choir and a bass viol for the second, functions as a solid bass. The voices in the so-called cori favorite, known as the soloists, are all clear in their diction and blend well together. This may contrast with Cavalli’s use of such in his operas, but here they act well as a foil for the thicker dual chorus textures that he uses in alternation throughout. There seems to be a bit of sameness in Bruno Gini’s tempos, but I find that he has hit a sweet spot wherein the bulk of the music depends upon the contrasts of texture more than abrupt changes in tempo to carry the music. He does, of course, speed things up incrementally from time to time, particularly in those brief madrigal sections, but in general he has hit upon the right tempo for such divided choruses to function. If one is expecting the Cavalli of the stage, with his often naïve and dramatic gestures, this disc will prove his versatility. In addition, it demonstrates that he is the standard-bearer of the Venetian choral tradition beyond Gabrieli, imbuing it with a new life. This is one recording that will set this record straight.
 


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