Scarlatti: Vespro Della Beata Vergine

Scarlatti: Vespro Della Beata Vergine - ATMA - ATMA 22533 - 722056253321

Label: ATMA
Catalog No: ATMA 22533
Format: CD
Release Date: 2010-05-25
Number of Discs: 1
Running time: 1 hr.
Mono/Stereo: Stereo
UPC Code: 722056253321

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Notes & Reviews:

Nederlands Kamerkoor celebrates the 350th anniversary of the birth of Alessandro Scarlatti, whose Vespers are featured on this world premiere recording. The Scarlatti Vespers consists of a series of pieces which, until recently, had been dispersed in various libraries throughout Europe. To determine the exact date for each of the works is very difficult. What unites all these works for 5 voices is the use of a cantus firmus, which makes them part of a closed group and presupposes a common origin in time. Whether they once belonged to a complete cycle of psalms remains uncertain.

"The CD is nicely presented - well up to Atma's usual standards with a short but informative essay as much on the life and musical context of Scarlatti senior as on this work, and the text in Latin, French and English. The acoustic is unfussy and promotes clear listening. An out of the way work that will appeal to lovers of the Italian mid-Baroque. There is no other recording in the catalog: indeed, this is a world premiere and well worth investigating." -Classical.net

"The performances- from the legendary Netherlands Chamber Choir- could hardly be closer to perfection. The choir, as ever, is a paragon of collective vocal virtue, delivering glowing sacred spirit on top of sweetly sonorous and dead-accurate singing, all captured in vibrant sound. Soloists- al from the ranks of the choir- are uniformly first-rate...If you're a fan of the elder Scarlatti or of mid-to-late baroque sacred music in general, you simply must have it."-American Record Guide

"Those used to modern English choirs may well find it a touch too soft-centred but such fragility has charms...This and Van der Kamp's ability to realise the music's unpretentious expressive potential without overworking the interpretational details means that his reading finds a warming level of naturalness and humility. A relatively minor Baroque find, but a pleasing one." -Gramophone Magazine

"The Netherlands Chamber Choir's tender performance of the harmonically adventurous but sweetly contemplative Ave Maris Stella hymn provides a delightful moment of repose...In the rest of the programme, under the direction of its former bass-baritone, Harry van der Kamp, the choir adopts a brisk pace, reflecting Scarlatti's economical and tightly structured writing." -International Record Review

Notes & Reviews:

Recording information: Église St. Augustinus, Amsterdam Nord, Pays-Bas (06/06/2007-06/08/2007).



Reviews

A serene blend of old and new styles
The psalms that make up the vespers recorded here may or may not have been written to form a cycle – impossible to know, as the dates of most of them are uncertain – but they are united by their employment of plainchant melody as the basis of composition, accompaniment by organ/basso continuo, and serene mix of stile antico (written in the high Renaissance style of Palestrina) and stile moderno (written n a style reflecting newer musical developments) elements. With dissonant touches in unexpected places, Scarlatti injects something altogether odder and darker even into movements written in the most traditional style. Following the psalms are settings of the hymn Ave Maris Stella and the canticle Magnificat (this Magnificat was recorded earlier by Alessandrini, who used one voice per part; van der Kamp uses three). In most of the pieces, subtle shades of the stile antico predominate, which makes all the more vibrant and luminous those moments when, betraying the works’ late Baroque provenance, a soloist breaks free of the polyphonic weight of the chorus. Whether mellifluously differentiating themselves in solos or seamlessly flowing together in the tutti sections, the vocalists are first-rate; one could not ask for a more sensitive performance.
Submitted on 08/09/10 by Berna Can 
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Works Details

>Scarlatti, Alessandro : Dixit Dominus (no 1) (Psalm 109), for chorus & organ
  • Performers: Menno Delft (Organ); Roberto De Larrinoa (Violin)
  • Notes: Église St. Augustinus, Amsterdam Nord, Pays-Bas (06/06/2007-06/08/2007)
  • Running Time: 9 min. 57 sec.
  • Period Time: Baroque

>Scarlatti, Alessandro : Laudate pueri Dominum (no 2) (Psalm 112), for soprano, chorus, 2 violins, viola & continuo (incompl
  • Performers: Roberto De Larrinoa (Violin); Menno Delft (Organ)
  • Notes: Église St. Augustinus, Amsterdam Nord, Pays-Bas (06/06/2007-06/08/2007)
  • Running Time: 12 min. 37 sec.
  • Period Time: Baroque

>Scarlatti, Alessandro : Laetatus sum (no 3) (Psalm 121), for chorus, 2 violins & continuo
  • Performers: Menno Delft (Organ); Roberto De Larrinoa (Violin)
  • Notes: Église St. Augustinus, Amsterdam Nord, Pays-Bas (06/06/2007-06/08/2007)
  • Running Time: 2 min. 30 sec.
  • Period Time: Baroque

>Scarlatti, Alessandro : Nisi Dominus aedificaverit (no 1) (Psalm 126), for soprano, alto, chorus, 2 violins & continuo
  • Performers: Menno Delft (Organ); Roberto De Larrinoa (Violin)
  • Notes: Église St. Augustinus, Amsterdam Nord, Pays-Bas (06/06/2007-06/08/2007)
  • Running Time: 2 min. 46 sec.
  • Period Time: Baroque

>Scarlatti, Alessandro : Lauda Jerusalem Dominum, offertory for chorus & organ
  • Performers: Roberto De Larrinoa (Violin); Menno Delft (Organ)
  • Notes: Église St. Augustinus, Amsterdam Nord, Pays-Bas (06/06/2007-06/08/2007)
  • Running Time: 3 min. 21 sec.
  • Period Time: Baroque
  • Written: ?1720

>Scarlatti, Alessandro : Ave maris stella, hymn for chorus & continuo
  • Performers: Menno Delft (Organ); Roberto De Larrinoa (Violin)
  • Notes: Église St. Augustinus, Amsterdam Nord, Pays-Bas (06/06/2007-06/08/2007)
  • Running Time: 7 min. 21 sec.
  • Period Time: Baroque

>Scarlatti, Alessandro : Magnificat for soloists, chorus, 2 violins, viola & continuo in D major
  • Performers: Roberto De Larrinoa (Violin); Menno Delft (Organ)
  • Notes: Église St. Augustinus, Amsterdam Nord, Pays-Bas (06/06/2007-06/08/2007)
  • Running Time: 21 min. 12 sec.
  • Period Time: Baroque
  • Written: ?1720