Luigi
Rossi was one of Italy's most celebrated composers of the
17th century. He was mentioned in the same breath as Cavalli:
Rossi's stature in Rome was comparable to that of Cavalli
in Venice. They are also similar in that their fame stretched
as far as France. Operas by Cavalli and Rossi were performed
in Paris, mainly thanks to Cardinal Mazarin, who was of Italian
origin and tried to enthuse French audiences about Italian
music.
But
whereas Cavalli's fame is mainly based on his operas, the
bulk of Rossi's output consists of secular vocal music. This
disc offers an overview of the genres represented in his
oeuvre. All the pieces here are written for two or three
voices with basso continuo. Some, like 'Infelice pensier',
a 'dialogue between thought and lover', are very dramatic
and stylistically connected to opera. Others are similar
to contemporary arias for solo voice, like the lament 'Disperate
speranze, addio' (Desperate hopes, farewell). The longest
work, 'Noi siam tre donzelette semplicette', is very different.
It is a comical piece in which the 'three little innocent
maids' make a fool of men because of their "empty babbling" about
their love for women. "There is a man who swears that
my eyes are like the sun itself! Now imagine if I believe
that, because the sun gives light and in the dark I can't
see!"
The
pieces on this disc are written for two or three female voices.
And Luigi Rossi had specific singers in mind. 'Le Canterine
Romane' was a trio of singers, consisting of a mother and
her two daughters. The mother, Adreana Basile, sang with
two sisters at the Mantuan court early in the 17th century,
where Monteverdi got to know her. She had two daughters:
Leonora (b.1611) and Caterina (b.1620), who also became singers.
After a stay in Naples from 1624 to 1633 they settled in
Rome where they often performed and were part of the circle
around Cardinal Barberini. All three not only sang, but also
accompanied themselves and each other on instruments, like
lirone, viola da gamba and harp. Leonarda was considered
the most brilliant of the three. A whole collection of poems
was written in her honour. And in 1639 the English poet John
Milton heard them and wrote three epigrams in honour of Leonora
as well. In that same year the French gambist André Maugars
heard them during his visit to Rome and wrote that "three
fine voices and three different instruments so took my senses
by surprise ... I forgot my mortality and thought I was already
among the angels".
Luigi Rossi and the three
ladies knew each other well. Leonora sent some of Rossi's
music to Cristina of France, Regent of Savoy. And when the
Francophile Barberini family was banished from Rome - after
the death of Cardinal Barberini's uncle, Pope Urban VII -
both Luigi Rossi and Leonarda found protection at the French
court, under the patronage of Cardinal Mazarin.
There
can hardly be any doubt that Luigi Rossi wrote these cantatas
specifically for these three fine singers. For this reason
the disc does not restrict itself to a selection of Rossi's
cantatas. Instead it also gives an idea about the art of
the ladies who left nobody unmoved by their singing. Whether
the three ladies on this disc - the mezzo only takes part
in the first two items - are a match for their 17th-century
predecessors is anyone's guess, but their singing is certainly
exciting. This recording demonstrates that being Italian
is no prerequisite to revealing the emotion in this kind
of music. One need only slough off any shreds of reserve,
and that is what the singers do here. Another important aspect
of this recording is the playing of the basso continuo which
supports the singers brilliantly and follows the 'affetti'
very closely. The musicians also give splendid performances
of some instrumental compositions which are of the same quality
as Rossi's vocal works.
In
my view this is one of the best recordings of 17th century
Italian music ever made. I am very pleased that it is available
again, and at budget price too.
Johan van Veen
Tragicomedia
(Barbara Borden, Suzie LeBlanc, Emily Van Evera (soprano);
Päivi Järviö, (mezzo); Erin Headley (viola
da gamba, lirone); Stephen Stubbs (chitarrone, guitar);
Andrew Lawrence-King (arpa doppia, harpsichord, organ))/Stephen
Stubbs 
