The Vivaldi Collection, Musica Sacra, Vol.1

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The surprising thing about this disc of sacred music by Vivaldi is how very worldly a lot of that music sounds. The lilting solo cantatas and brief, sparkling concerti for a veritable cornucopia of instruments--the specimens offered here include one for violin, cello, and solo organ and another for pairs of recorders, oboes, and early clarinets--may seem frivolous to those who equate 18th-century church music with the profundity of Bach. It's worth remembering, however, that spirituality in Catholic Venice at that time was often more lighthearted and even sensual than in Lutheran Leipzig. Another fact to keep in mind is that Vivaldi wrote most of his sacred music (instrumental as well as vocal) for the famous all-female choir and orchestra of the girls' orphanage and school where he was musical director. These days, Vivaldi's Stabat Mater setting is usually considered the province of countertenors such as Andreas Scholl and Robin Blaze. Contralto Sara Mingardo may not blow these esteemed gentlemen out of the water, but she gives a performance worthy to stand besides theirs--and in this case, the performance is on, as it were, a modern copy of an "original instrument." At first hearing, a listener might miss one of Rinaldo Alessandrini's trademarks: the extreme tempos that seem ridiculous at first and end up sounding just right--startlingly fast at the beginning of Vivaldi's Gloria, for example, or daringly slow at the start of Pergolesi's Stabat Mater. None of his tempos on this disc startle; they simply seem just right. Has Alessandrini mellowed--or have he and his fellow Italians changed the way we hear Vivaldi? --Matthew Westphal

Amazon.com

The surprising thing about this disc of sacred music by Vivaldi is how very worldly a lot of that music sounds. The lilting solo cantatas and brief, sparkling concerti for a veritable cornucopia of instruments--the specimens offered here include one for violin, cello, and solo organ and another for pairs of recorders, oboes, and early clarinets--may seem frivolous to those who equate 18th-century church music with the profundity of Bach. It's worth remembering, however, that spirituality in Catholic Venice at that time was often more lighthearted and even sensual than in Lutheran Leipzig. Another fact to keep in mind is that Vivaldi wrote most of his sacred music (instrumental as well as vocal) for the famous all-female choir and orchestra of the girls' orphanage and school where he was musical director. These days, Vivaldi's Stabat Mater setting is usually considered the province of countertenors such as Andreas Scholl and Robin Blaze. Contralto Sara Mingardo may not blow these esteemed gentlemen out of the water, but she gives a performance worthy to stand besides theirs--and in this case, the performance is on, as it were, a modern copy of an "original instrument." At first hearing, a listener might miss one of Rinaldo Alessandrini's trademarks: the extreme tempos that seem ridiculous at first and end up sounding just right--startlingly fast at the beginning of Vivaldi's Gloria, for example, or daringly slow at the start of Pergolesi's Stabat Mater. None of his tempos on this disc startle; they simply seem just right. Has Alessandrini mellowed--or have he and his fellow Italians changed the way we hear Vivaldi? --Matthew Westphal

Customer Reviews:

beautiful stabat mater.......2005-12-05

This CD is worth its price for its excellent version of Vivaldi's Stabat Mater. The singing from Mingardo is fabulous and the ensemble playing is of the highest order. The other pieces are also great but I frequently return to the Stabat Mater. I like this alto version over the many counter-tenor versions I had heard before. This CD is easy to recommend. I note a brief bit of distortion on the vocals in the 21st track but am suspicious this is specific to my CD as opposed to an engineering problem. This appears to be the same program and artists on the Stabat Mater CD in the Vivaldi edition series so I wonder if that might be a repackaged version of the same recording -- that's the CD with the ridiculous image of a frantic appearing model with a pink cross on her chest on the cover.

Incredible.......2001-08-29

I like this recording to say the very least. This is an invigorating recording to say the least. I listen to this CD in my car quite often. I have never come across such a subtle CD such as this. The orchestrations are very good. I highly recommend this one.

Magnificent.......2000-11-25

Lovely music, mostly instrumental (3 religious concertos and a sonata for diverse instruments, not listed in the header), but all of a festive religious nature designed to attract and delight the Venetian audience. The extraordinary pathos and stasis expressed in the Stabat Mater is captured by Sara Mingardo, in the highlight of this well contrasted program. She has a dark contralto voice that is just so right for the dolorous tale, often singing in the lower registers of her rich voice. Alessandrini imparts a dynamic pulse to the music, Vivaldi in a darker tone than he usually seems to modern ears. The sound is vivid and splendidly reproduces the tone colors of the varied "original" instruments.

Included in the slip case is an illustrated bonus booklet extolling, in five languages, the musical treasures of the Piedmont district and the Turin organizations supporting the Tesori del Piemonte 50-disk compilation, of which this is Vol. 7 (Collezione Vivaldi, Musica Sacra 1). How so many of Vivaldi's scores now repose in Turin libraries is a twisting story outlined here.

Hauntingly beautiful.......2000-04-13

The Stabat Mater is one of Vivaldi's greatest masterpieces, some even say it's finer than the Pergolesi version. There have been of course a few excellent recordings of this work, most notably Andreas Scholl in Harrmonia Mundi. This new one has a female alto in Sara Mingardo, and is she marvelous! Her deep velvet voice is a major one, easily as beautiful as Bartoli's, and she sings with real passion and imagination. Luckily she has the sensational Concerto Italiano at her disposal, and they also play admirably. This is another typical treasure from OPUS111, even if you own the Scholl recording you shouldn't miss this new one.

Track Listings:

Track Listings

track listings

Track Listings

Say It Ain't So [Import]

Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto; Serenade Melancolique; Souvenir d'un lieu cher

The Devil's Buttermilk

Mercury Rhythm & Blues: 1946-1962

Year of the Spider (Clean) [Clean]

The Hi Masters [Import]

The Rat Pack on Stage: Las Vegas/St. Louis [Import] [Live]

Rossini: Il Barbiere Di Siviglia

Storms

The Extension

T.S.O.L./Weathered Statues

They Glued Your Head on Upside Down [CD-single] [Import]

The Lateral

Gospel Celebration

America Swings: The Great Jimmy Dorsey