Davide PEREZ (1711-1778)
Mattutino de' Morti
Roberta Invernizzi (soprano), Salvo Vitale (bass)
Ghislieri Choir and Consort/Giulio Prandi
rec. 9-12 September 2013, Aula Magna of the Collegio Ghislieri, Pavia, Italy. DDD
Texts and translations included
DEUTSCHE HARMONIA MUNDI 88843 051022 [70:21]
"Such august, such affecting music I never heard and
perhaps may never hear again, for the flame of devout enthusiasm burns dim
in almost every part of Europe and threatens total extinction in a very few
years. As yet it glows at Lisbon and produced that day the most striking musical
expression. (...) It closed with the Libera me, Domine, de morte aeterna which
thrilled every nerve in my frame and affected me so deeply that I burst into
tears". Thus wrote the English novelist William Beckford (writer of the
Gothic novella Vathek) in 1787 after attending a performance of the
Mattutino de' Morti by Davide Perez as part of the annual
feast of the Saint Caecilia Confraternity in Lisbon. To a music-lover of our
time such words may seem a bit exaggerated. It may be conceivable that a listener
would react in this way to a performance of Mozart's Requiem,
but to some unknown work by a largely unknown quantity as Perez ... Some may
find sacred music from this time hard to swallow anyway, especially considering
the influence of opera. That influence is certainly present here but in a
rather modest way. Listening to this recording the Mattutino de'
Morti turns out to be sincere in the treatment of the subject, certainly
in comparison to some other compositions of the time.
Davide Perez was a prolific composer. The largest part of his output comprises
sacred music, but that was not what was to be expected when he started his
career in Naples, where he was born in 1711. At the age of just 11 he became
a student at the Conservatorio di S Maria di Loreto where he remained until
1733. He then started to compose concentrating on music for the theatre. His
operas were performed not only in Naples, but also in Rome, Palermo, Genoa
and Florence. In 1750 one of his operas was mounted in Vienna. In February
1749 he competed with Niccolò Jommelli in a public examination for the position
of maestro di cappella at the Vatican. He lost the competition, although
he was first choice of the musicians. A colleague stated that he "composes,
sings and plays like an angel".
His fame as an opera composer resulted in his being invited by the King of
Portugal to become mestre de capela and music master to the royal
princesses. He held this position until his death. Opera was important at
the court in Lisbon and the circumstances of the performance of Perez'
operas were pretty much ideal. This all changed when an earthquake hit Lisbon
in November 1755. The court turned to sacred music and opera became far less
important. As a result Perez composed few works for the stage during the rest
of his life. Instead he wrote a large amount of sacred music in every genre,
among them the Mattutino de' Morti which was first performed
in 1770.
The occasion was the pilgrimage to Nossa Senhora do Cabo, a tradition which
is still alive today and which originated in the Middle Ages and enjoyed a
period of great popularity in the 18th century. The legend that an image of
Our Lady appeared at Cabo Espichel, a headland looking out onto the Atlantic
Ocean, led to the construction of a church and a sanctuary in 1701. Every
time the monarchy presided over the feasts ensembles and singers from the
court participated in the performances of music, including the Mattutino
de' Morti. It was an annual tribute to pilgrims and deceased members
of the Confraternity of Nossa Senhora do Cabo. This explains why this work
combines texts from the Office of the Dead and texts from the liturgy for
the pilgrims. Shortly after the first performance the work was adopted by
the Confraternity of Saint Caecilia, to be performed during their annual ceremony
in commemoration of deceased musicians. It remained part of the standard repertoire
in Lisbon until the end of the 19th century.
The Mattutino de' Morti comprises three nocturnes, each of
them divided into three responsories. Each responsory consists of two sections;
the second is followed by a verse after which the second section of the responsory
is repeated. Every third responsory has two verses, the second being Requiem
aeternam. The first section of the responsory is for solo voices and
choir, the second for choir alone; the verses are for solo voices. The third
responsory of the third nocturne - and therefore the last responsory of the
whole piece - is the longest and has three verses. The second is a setting
of the first section of the Dies irae from the Requiem Mass.
The last verse is again the Requiem aeternam, followed by Libera
me Domine.
Obviously the operatic influences come especially to the fore in the solo
sections. A good example is the verse from the second responsory of the first
nocturne, 'Qui venturus est', for soprano and strings. However,
there are also some tutti episodes which are very dramatic. Examples are the
second responsory from the second nocturn ("Have mercy on me, whilst
thou comest in the later day") and the opening of the first responsory
from the third nocturne, 'Libera me Domine'. The words "in
die illa tremenda" (in that fearful day) are performed by the choir,
accompanied by powerful chords from the orchestra. Perez uses the instrumental
forces very effectively throughout the whole work. He uses them to single
out specific words or phrases, such as 'Quia peccavi' (Nocturn
I, resp. 2) with its prominent role for the wind, and "iudicare saeculum
per ignem" (to judge the world by fire) in the third responsory from
the second nocturne. There is also quite a strong element of intimacy and
subtlety. "Whom I myself shall see and not another, and mine eyes shall
behold" is the text of the first verse from the first nocturne (resp.
1) which is sung to wonderful effect by the soprano, accompanied by two transverse
flutes. Another fine example is the verse 'Dirige Domine' (nocturn
1, resp. 3): "Direct O Lord my God my way in thy sight".
The solo parts are partially technically demanding, and that goes especially
for the bass part which includes some very low notes. Perez didn't
use them to give the singer an opportunity to show off, but for expressive
reasons. In the very first responsory the words "de terra" (from
the earth) - followed by a ascending line on "surrecturus sum" (I
shall rise), sung by the choir - and in the second responsory the word "foetidum"
(stinking [from the grave]) are set to probably the lowest notes a bass can
sing. The latter responsory is about Lazarus being resurrected from the dead,
and is scored for bass with two bassoons.
Having listened to this work a couple of times I can understand why it has
remained in the repertoire for such a long time and why it made such an impression
on visitors who attended a performance. It fully deserves to be performed
and this recording is a major contribution to the catalogue. The vocal and
instrumental forces used here are pretty much in accordance with the numbers
deployed at the first performance in 1770. There is documentary evidence of
later performances with much larger forces, but it seems right that Giulio
Prandi decided to remain close to the 1770 performance. Roberta Invernizzi
and Salvo Vitale give excellent accounts of the solo parts. The smaller solos
are also well sung by the Voci di Concerto, as they are called in the booklet.
There is, for instance, a wonderful duet of Salvo Vitale and Marco Bussi (notturno
III, verse 2). There are some moments where some singers use a little too
much vibrato, and the two main soloists are also not always free of it, but
considering the general level of these performances it hardly matters. The
orchestra has all it takes to bring the colourful instrumental score to life.
This is a highly impressive recording of a work of incisive expression. It
suggests that the oeuvre of Perez is well worth being thoroughly explored.
Johan van Veen
www.musica-dei-donum.org
twitter.com/johanvanveen
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