Rinaldo Alessandrini is worldwide. His profound knowledge
and love of the Italian repertoire is naturally reflected in programmes in
which he seeks to reproduce the essential, but often elusive, expressive and
cantabile elements so fundamental to Italian music in the seventeenth and
eighteenth centuries.
The ensemble’s current schedule features sacred music by
Handel, Scarlatti, Legrenzi, Vivaldi, Melani, Pergolesi, and Stradella;
instrumental works by Bach, Vivaldi, Corelli, Geminiani, Locatelli, and
Rossini; and secular vocal music by Monteverdi, Marenzio, De Wert, Charpentier,
Nenna, and De Monte.
In celebration of the
thirtieth anniversary of Concerto Italiano, Rinaldo Alessandrini returns to his
preferred composer, in the magnificent Basilica of Mantua, with a recording for
Naïve www.naive.fr of an imagined Vespri Solenni per la Festa di San Marco (Vespers
Service for San Marco) assembled
from various parts of the Selva Morale. This represents a first step in the
recording of the Selva morale e
spirituale, a collection of sacred music by Monteverdi, published in Venice
in 1640, to be completed in the coming years.
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| CD + bonus DVD OP 30557 |
Selva morale e spirituale contains various forms of sacred music, from madrigals to a complete Mass, varying between a single voice to eight voices with instruments. The collection also contains Marian hymns such as the Magnificat in two versions and three settings of Salve Regina.
On this new release sections of the Selva morale are interspersed in the appropriate places with motets
by Monteverdi, instrumental sonatas by Giovanni Gabrieli (c.1554/1557-1612), Francesco
Usper (1561-1641) Usper and Giovanni Battista Buonamente (c.1595-1642) as well
as plainchant Antiphona and a grand opening Responsorium
from Monteverdi’s 1610 Vespers.
Even though much of the music was written after Monteverdi’s
employment by Vincenzo I, Duke of Mantua from c.1590 to 1612, the venue, the
basilica of Santa Barbara, Mantua, Italy, as an alternative to St. Mark’s
itself, is appropriate given its links to the composer and its architecture and
acoustics.
The Vespers open with the fine voice of tenor Gianluca
Ferrarini in the Responsorium: Deus in
adiutorium meum intende from Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610, to which the
choir and instrumental ensemble of Concerto Italiano join in some of the best
of this composer’s ceremonial liturgical style. Concerto Italiano, consisting
of a small ensemble of eight singers and an ensemble of just fourteen
instrumentalists, provide a very fine sound in the acoustic of the basilica of
Santa Barbara, Mantua. Alessandrini brings a real blend of fine textures from
both choir and instrumental ensemble. In fact, to call the vocal ensemble a
choir does it less than justice given the individual strength and qualities of
the voices.
It is Gianluca Ferrarini who returns for the Antiphona: Egregrius Christi petrus apostolus, as he does in all of the Antiphona, before Psalmus 109: Dixit Dominus, the first of the pieces from Monteverdi’s Selva Morale, 1640. The choir supported by the splendid sounds of the instrumental ensemble provide some gorgeous textures and harmonies with particularly fine individual voices blending finely together and some terrific rasping, brass textures from the instrumental ensemble. There is much felicitous, flexible singing from individual voices.
Concerto Italiano provide many lovely subtleties in the
beautifully played music instrumental Sonata
in loco antiphonae: Canzon ottava a 8 from Giovanni Gabrieli’s Canzoni e
sonata, 1615 before Ferrarini returns for the Antiphona: Doctrinam apostolicam evangeliste marco committens.
There follows a lively, buoyant Psalmus 110: Confitebor tibi domine from Selva Morale with the fine voice of soprano Anna Simboli, soon
joined by tenor Luca Dordolo who also brings a fine, flexible voice. When bass,
Matteo Bellotto joins he has a rich and secure tone. Together with the
beautifully nuanced instrumental accompaniment these singers blend extremely
well together.
Motectus in loco
antiphonae: Christe adoramus te is the first of Monteverdi’s motets from
his Bianchi, Libro primo mottetti of
1620 where Concerto Italiano bring lovely sonorities of both voice and
instruments in this melancholy piece. After the Antiphona: Ad hec disponente dei gratia comes Psalmus 111: Beatus vir (Selva
Morale) which has a lovely lightness of texture, a lovely sprung buoyancy
with the voices nicely set against the instruments, these singers showing a fine
flexibility of voice.
Fine brass timbres combine with the other instrumentalists,
including the deep rich resonances of the archlute, in Francesco Usper’s Sonata in loco antiphonae: Sonata a 8
from his Composizioni armoniche Op.3 (1619).
These really are fine players brining out all of the lovely textures of the
music.
Another Antiphona,
Beate sancta marce, follows, again with the fine clear voice of Gianluca Ferrarini before Psalmus 112: Laudate pueri (Selva Morale) which brings some lovely
blending of individual voices in the opening and later, slower passages before
the music picks up its rhythmic bounce with each of these fine singers
providing a terrific voice. Towards the end there is some particularly fine
singing in the difficult intricate decorations.
Another of Monteverdi’s motets from his Bianchi, Libro primo dei mottetti of 1620 is Motectus in loco antiphonae: Cantate domino, a brilliantly lithe,
rhythmically sprung work with glorious long held textural phrases. After the Antiphona: Sancte evangelista marce comes
Psalmus 116: Laudate dominum (Selva Morale, 1640). It is lovely how Alessandrini
moves from quiet, controlled passages for a single soloist with lute to the
impressive choral and instrumental passages.
Giovanni Battista Buonamente’s attractive Sonata in loco antiphonae: Sonata a 6 per
violin, cornetto, tre trombone at liuto tiorbato from his Sonate, et
canzon…libro sesto (1636) brings some fine string and wind sounds before we
turn to another piece from Monterverdi’s Selva
Morale, the Hymnus: Athleta Christi bellinger.
It brings more fine individual singing from tenors, Raffaele Giordani, Luca
Dordolo and bass, Salvo Vitale as this ensemble weave their lovely vocal sounds,
so finely accompanied by the strings of Concerto Italiano, with some lovely,
subtle little harmonic shifts.
The Versus/responsorium:
Pulchra facie et alacri vultu/deprecare, pastor bone brings back Raffaele Giordani together with
tenor Gianluca Ferrarini and bass, Matteo Bellotto providing a lovely blend in this attractive plainchant,
beautifully controlled, not to mention very fine individual contributions.
Gianluca Ferrarini shows his impressive range in the lower
rich textures of Antiphona: Post angelicam
allocutionem before the final Magnificat
Primo a 8. Voci & due violini &
quarto viole ouero Quattro Tromboni quali in accidente si ponno lasciare again
from Monteverdi’s Selva Morale of
1640. This Magnificat has a terrific
opening with full ensemble as many fine passages with groups of these fine
singers and quieter instrumental moments, contrast with the rich outpourings of
Monteverdi’s more dynamic music. There is a wonderful blending of Monteverdi’s
individual instruments with individual voices and more fine individual
flexibility of voice before the glorious conclusion.
This ‘imagined’ Vespri Solenni per la Festa di San Marco
is a fine achievement by Rinaldo Alessandrini and his terrific Concerto
Italiano. So many of the pieces here stand as great works in their own right
and, as an overall group, stand extremely well together.
This release comes with a bonus DVD, The Human and the Divine, a 51 minute film (with sub-titles in
English and French) by Claudio Rufa that is a feast in more ways than one with shots
of Mantua’s beautiful architecture and paintings, extended musical extracts, food
from Monteverdi’s time being prepared and served as part of an informal gathering
to discuss Monteverdi and his developing style.
The recording from the Basilica of Santa Barbara, Mantua,
Italy is first class and there are excellent notes by Rinaldo Alessandrini
together with full texts and French and English translations.
All in all this is a release that should not be missed.
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