(+++) SACRED AND SECULAR

Vivaldi: Musica sacra per alto. Delphine Galou, contralto; Alessandro Giangrande, tenor; Accademia Bizantina conducted by Ottavio Dantone. Naïve. $16.99.

Vivaldi: Arie e cantate per contralto. Delphine Galou, contralto; Accademia Bizantina conducted by Ottavio Dantone. Naïve. $16.99.

     The 59^th and 60^th releases in Naïve’s remarkable, nearly two-decade-long series of presentations of Vivaldi music held at the National University Library of Turin are, like many entries in this outstanding series, first-class achievements that may nevertheless be a bit much for all but the most-dedicated Vivaldi lovers. There is nothing on either CD that will be a must-have for listeners, but there are many nice-to-have works on these two discs focused on the contralto voice (one CD called “per alto” and the other “per contralto” for no apparent reason: Delphine Galou is listed as “contralto” on both). The CD of sacred music is the more interesting of the two. There is genuine depth and intensity here, more than may usually be associated with Vivaldi, and both the sincerity of the settings and the severity of expression of the material may come as a surprise to audiences that think of Vivaldi mainly in terms of his plethora of short and formulaically laid out concertos. There is one of those here, RV 582 in D for solo violin and two string orchestras: it appears on the disc of sacred music because Vivaldi designated it as “The Assumption of the Virgin Mary.” And while its scale is not significantly different from that of many other Vivaldi concertos, its emotional strength and seriousness, as performed by Accademia Bizantina conducted by Ottavio Dantone, do set it apart. The five other works on this disc are all vocal and all impressive. One, Deus tuorum militum, RV 612, is for both contralto and tenor, and here Vivaldi interweaves the low female and high male voices to particularly good effect, while also including two oboes that he uses expertly for emphasis of portions of the material. The contralto is the sole voice in the remaining works: Filiæ mæstæ Jerusalem, RV 638; Salve Regina, RV 618; Non in pratis, RV 641; and Regina Cœli, RV 615. Each of these has exceptional touches that turn this CD into a very varied program of sacred music. For example, Salve Regina opens instrumentally, the ensemble building gradually to full strength, and it is only after a minute of introduction that the vocal line, filled with expressive depth, begins. The pastoral and gentle aria later in this work, Et Jesum, benedictum, is a highlight. And Vivaldi adds two specially adapted, trumpet-like trombe violins to Regina cœli (played here by actual trumpets), producing a sound both martial and celebratory – and not unlike some of his opera arias.

     Some of those arias, along with excerpts from chamber cantatas, are heard on the secular disc, whose 11 tracks include material from, among other works, Tito Manlio, RV 738; Tieteberga, RV 737; La verità in cimento,RV 739; La Candace o siano li veri amici, RV 704; and Il Giustino, RV 717, which was presented in its totality as the 58^th release in this series. The specifics of the sources matter little to the enjoyment of the arias, and the disc is really a showcase for Galou, whose rich, warm and well-controlled voice handles the demands of the music – some of which are considerable – stylishly and with a strong understanding of Vivaldi’s expectations and those of his time period. What impresses in this collection of arias is the gentle flow and well-thought-out ornamentation in a piece such as Liquore ingrate; the martial sound of voice and instruments in Ombre nere; the effective scene-painting of Nell’orrido albergo; the emphatic instruments that contrast with the voice in O mie porpore più belle; the thin, sweet introduction that sets up No, non vidi; and many other elegant little touches. There is no single aria here that stands high above the others, and the totality of the disc rather than its individual elements is, accordingly, what provides it with its effect. Both the singing and the accompaniment are simultaneously careful and enthusiastic, and the familiarity with Baroque style of both Dantone and Galou – frequent contributors to this Vivaldi series – comes through again and again. This disc of secular arias will be of interest primarily to listeners who want to hear Vivaldi’s way with words without wishing to wade through all the recitative-based storytelling of the complete works from which the arias are drawn. The CD also offers a chance for people familiar with Vivaldi as an instrumental composer to hear his equal skill in vocal material. Although nothing here is earthshaking in terms of causing a reconsideration of Vivaldi’s place in music, everything helps contribute to a better-balanced understanding of his importance in his own time and his significance for other composers in the Baroque and thereafter. That, ultimately, is the major contribution of this entire now-60-release-long exploration of so many of Vivaldi’s compositions, including quite a few that these releases are bringing out of undeserved obscurity.