Music From The Venetian Ospedali / Paul, SF Girls Chorus

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One shudders at the number of good recordings of Vivaldi's Gloria available (such as the famous account, newly reissued, with Riccardo Muti), but this one is both superb and different. The entire disc is devoted to music composed for the homeless (or wayward) girls who lived at the Venetian Ospedali in the early 18th century and, in addition to a version of the Gloria in which women sing the bass and tenor lines an octave higher than composed, introduces us to very-little-known music by Giovanni Porta, Nicola Porpora, and Francesco Brusa. Once one adjusts to the lack of low voices, this CD surprises time and again with the quality and diversity of the lovely sounds actually made by the "girls" in this chorus. Clearly aware of the importance of various textures in polyphonic music, the chorus, under the leadership of Sharon Paul, pulls out all the stops: They whisper and caress; they exult at full voice. Tempi are nicely old-fashioned and slow in the Vivaldi, and all of the other music is worth hearing. This is a special CD, and an auspicious debut. Go for it. --Robert Levine

Product Description:
The recording is the first to feature adolescent female voices performing music sung by the young female orphans of the 18th century Venetian ospedali. The ospedali repertoire is considered to be the largest existing collection of music for female voices and is known for its great rhythmic vitality, vivid solo writing, and a clear tonal framework and musical form. In the 1300s, the ospedali began in Venice as homes for orphans and foundlings and later evolved into music conservatories for young girls. Ospedali choirs were the first to perform four-part music composed for girls voices and attracted top composers, including Vivaldi, who many scholars believe composed 'Gloria' specifically for female voices during his 30 years as concertmaster and violin teacher at the Ospedale della Pieta. The 65-minute recording features the 45-voice Chorissima, SFGC's large concert and touring ensemble; the 26-voice Ospedali Chorus, comprised of Virtuose, SFGC's small concert ! and touring ensemble, plus Chorus alumnae. The SFGC Sinfonia accompanies the choral ensembles and features some of the best early music players in the Bay Area.

Music From The Venetian Ospedali / Paul, SF Girls Chorus

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