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Christmas Concertos and Cantatas Francesco MANFREDINI (1684 - 1762)
Concerto grosso in C, op. 3/12 'Pastorale per il Santissimo Natale' [08:49] Alessandro SCARLATTI (1660 - 1725) Cantata pastorale per la nascità di Nostro Signore*
[17:44] Antonio VIVALDI (1678 - 1741)
Concerto for violin, strings and bc in E 'Il riposo - per il Santissimo Natale' (RV
270) Georg Philipp TELEMANN (1681 - 1767) In dulci jubilo, cantata for the 3rd Sunday of Christmas
(TWV 1,939)** [13:34] Arcangelo CORELLI (1653 - 1713)
Concerto grosso in g minor, op. 6/8 'fatto per la notte di Natale' [14:32]
Susan Gritton*; Helen Groves**
(soprano); Caroline Trevor (contralto)**; James Oxley (tenor)**; Simon Birchall
(bass)**
Collegium Musicum 90/Simon Standage
rec. 11-13 May 1998, All Saints' Church, East Finchley,
London. DDD CHANDOS
CHAN0754 X [62:10]
I am a bit puzzled by this disc. The booklet claims that
it was recorded in 1998, and therefore I assumed it was a reissue.
But
there is no reference to a previous release in the booklet
or on the Chandos site. Also I have not been able to find
a review in the online archive of The Gramophone. This
may well mean that this recording has been on the shelf
for about 10 years. I also wondered about the concept behind
this disc. The combination of Italian pieces which are
connected to Christmas makes sense, but what about Telemann?
His cantata is the odd one out and stylistically is completely
different from the Italian items. And then the booklet:
Nicholas Anderson has written notes on every composition
on the programme but there is no cohesion in the programme
notes. This probably reflects the project as a whole: it
seems that the items have been put together more or less
at random.
Christmas during the Middle Ages developed into the main feast in
the church calendar. Against this background it is not
surprising that there is a large corpus of music related
to the Christmas season - roughly from the first Sunday
of the Advent to Epiphany. In Italy much music for this
time of the year had a strongly pastoral character, and
12/8 time was frequently used. That is also the case in
some of the pieces played here. The Concerto grosso by
Manfredini starts with a movement in 12/8, which is followed
by two other movements. This work is the last of a set
of 12 concerti grossi, and is virtually the only well-known
composition by Manfredini. It is a shame that his small
oeuvre is largely unexplored. His op. 3 has been recorded
complete by Les Amis de Philippe, directed by Ludger Rémy
(CPO). Their performance is much better than what we hear
here, especially in regard to the use of dynamics and the
exploration of the effects Manfredini has crafted into
this piece.
Vivaldi's Concerto for violin, strings and bc - strangely enough the
tracklist and the programme notes don't mention the solo
part - is a remarkable piece: from beginning to end it
is to be played with muted strings, and Vivaldi specifically
asks not to use a harpsichord. The reason is to create
the effect the title suggests: 'rest'. This work was not
written as a Christmas concerto, but Vivaldi later used
it to this end, probably for a performance in Rome. It
is not played badly, but it is too bland, and performances
by Italian ensembles do much more justice to this concerto.
The many long slurred phrases are better realised by, for
instance, the Academia Montis Regalis with Enrico Onofri
as the soloist (Naive).
The disc ends with the most popular Christmas concerto of the
baroque era, Corelli's Concerto grosso op. 6/8. There is no
need
to say anything about it. It is available in numerous recordings,
many of which are much more engaging and sparkling than
what is on offer here.
Alessandro Scarlatti wrote many chamber cantatas, mostly with secular
texts, usually scored for voice and basso continuo, sometimes
with an additional treble instrument. The Cantata pastorale belongs
to this genre, but differs in two ways: it is scored for
voice, four-part strings and bc, and its text is sacred.
In the introductory sinfonia and the closing aria bagpipes
and shawms are imitated - instruments traditionally associated
with shepherds. Although the chamber cantata is close to
the opera, its character is much more intimate and asks
for a different approach. In this case there is an additional
reason: this cantata was to be performed on Christmas Eve.
But this seems to be lost on Ms Gritton whose operatic
style of singing shows a misjudgement of the character
of this cantata. Her rather strong vibrato is out of place
too. In comparison Nancy Argenta, in her recording with
the Chandos Baroque Players, shows a much better understanding.
Although not without vibrato - a bit too much in my opinion
- she gives a much subtler account, and in addition her
ornamentation is far better. The performance with one instrument
per part is also more in line with the practice in chamber
cantatas than the use of a full body of strings on this
disc.
Lastly, the cantata by Telemann. I can't remember having heard this
before. On the internet I found an older recording on Carus,
directed by Günter Graulich, which is likely performed
on modern instruments, but I have never heard it. Even
so, as far as repertoire is concerned this recording is
most welcome. In comparison to the other items on this
disc this is performed rather well. It is based on 'In
dulci jubilo', one of the most popular Christmas hymns
in Germany. It is used in the opening section and returns
in the third section, after a recitativo accompagnato for
the tenor. The fourth section is the highlight of this
cantata, a da capo aria for bass. The A part expresses
a nocturnal atmosphere through a kind of halo radiated
by the strings. The B part brings a strong contrast as
the oboes and horns enter. Simon Birchall gives a nice
performance, and James Oxley sings the only other and much
simpler aria equally well. In between the arias there is
a secco recitative for alto, which Caroline Trevor sings
nicely, although rhythmically she is too strict. In the
closing chorus Telemann shows his contrapuntal skills.
Some lines are sung by solo voices, and unfortunately Helen
Groves spoils the sound of the ensemble with her wide vibrato.
The cantata was written in Frankfurt, where Telemann worked
from 1712 to 1721. It is very likely that cantatas like
this were performed with one voice per part. From that
perspective the use of a choir (4/3/3/3) is superfluous;
its sound is acceptable, but lacks clarity.
I don't think I need to sum up my impressions. Sometimes one wonders
why a recording has collected dust on the record company's
shelves. But in this case I wish they had left it there.
All pieces, with the exception of Telemann's cantata, are
available in far better recordings. If you really want
to buy a nice disc for the Christmas season, look elsewhere.
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