Giovanni Lorenzo LULIER (c.1662-1700)
La Gloria, Roma e Valore
Chiara Balasso (Gloria); Lia Serafini (Roma) (soprano); Matteo Pigato (Valore) (alto)
I Musicali Affetti/Fabio Missaggia
rec. 26-27 Nov 2014, Chiesetta delle Monache, Vicenza, Italy. DDD
Libretto without translation available at the Fra Bernardo website
FRA BERNARDO FB1505643 [60:00]
It seems very likely that you have never heard of Giovanni
Lorenzo Lulier. Hardly any music from his pen has been recorded. The ensemble
Alte Musik Köln included a Concerto da camera in F in its recording of music
written in Rome in the last decades of the 17th century (review),
but that's about it. It is notable that the work-list in New Grove
includes no instrumental works. The Petrucci
Music Library has a concerto for cello - in fact a concerto with solo
parts for violin and cello - which is part of Schrank 2, the collection
of music connected to the Dresden court chapel under Johann Georg Pisendel.
However, it is questionable whether it is from the pen of Lulier.
The composer in the manuscript is given as Giovanni a Roma. Lulier also had
a nickname: Giovannino del Violone. That is an indication of the
instrument he played: probably not the violone as it is known in our time
- the 16' violone grosso - but rather the bass violin, today
known as the cello. Lulier was born and died in Rome and here he made a career
as a player of the cello, first in the service of Cardinal Pamphili and then
in the chapel of Cardinal Ottoboni. He was close to Corelli; it seems that
they often played in the same orchestra. Corelli also composed the sinfonia
to Lulier's oratorio S Beatrice d'Este, first performed
in 1689.
La Gloria, Roma e Valore is called a cantata, but belongs to the
genre of the serenata. It could well be the last composition from Lulier's
pen: it was performed in February 1700, and the next month Lulier died of
a stroke. A serenata was written to pay homage to a specific person. In this
case two individuals are the addressees of this serenata: Cardinal Ottoboni
and the new Venetian ambassador Nicolò Erizzo. They were connected by the
fact that both were born in Venice, and therefore it comes as no surprise
that part of this work is a eulogy to the glory of Venice.
The work has no instrumental introduction. Excerpts from Corelli's
Concerto grosso in D, op. 6,7 are used as such. It is followed by
a sequence of recitatives and arias of the three characters: Gloria, Roma
and Valore. Gloria opens the proceedings: she returns to Rome which she protected
for a long time. Now she finds its former glory gone: the great buildings
of imperial Rome have run to ruin. She then meets Rome who complains about
the loss of her former glory. Valore intervenes: Rome's glory has been
restored: the power of the emperors has been given to Piero - a reference
to the Pope. Then Rome remembers one of them: Alessandro Ottoboni, who was
pope as Alexander VIII from 1689 to 1691 and was the grand-uncle of Cardinal
Pietro Ottoboni. It gives her reason to sing an elegiac aria. Valore then
points to his nephew - Cardinal Ottoboni - who within him unites all the qualities
of the deceased Pope. Next Gloria puts the spotlight on the Venetian ambassador,
hailed as a "new light" which illuminates Rome's hills. His
wife - Samaritana Nani - is included in the songs of praise as she is from
a distinguished family which includes doges, ambassadors and even a martyr.
She is called "sun among the stars" and "rose among the flowers".
Gloria then addresses Rome: as she is the mother of great heroes she should
stop complaining and be happy. Time destroys buildings, but Rome's
name will last forever. In a duet Gloria and Valore say that the virtues of
Rome will not yield to time and transience. In an accompanied recitative Rome
pronounces that her she-wolf will bow to Venice's lion and that she
bows her "seven heads" - referring to the seven hills on which Rome
is built - for the great Ottoboni and Erizzo. She closes the work with its
most brilliant aria.
With four and a half minutes it is also the longest; the other arias are more
modest in length. Those without a dacapo last less than two minutes, the arias
with a dacapo take a little more than three minutes. The closing aria is not
only the longest but also includes more coloratura than the others. The instrumental
scoring is for strings - including viola - and basso continuo. Some arias
have an obbligato part: the first aria (Ma vegg'io giacer tra l'Erbe)
a violin, 'Così quel bianco giglio' two violins. Gloria's
aria 'Se d'Eroi bella Madre pur sei' has an obbligato
part for transverse flute or oboe; here the former option is chosen. The inclusion
of a flute or oboe is quite remarkable: the oboe had only made its appearance
in Italy in the last decade of the 17th century and it seems unlikely that
the transverse flute was widely used in Italy before the first decade of the
18th century. The last aria also includes instrumental obbligatos, for violin
and cello. The latter was certainly played by Lulier himself in the performance
in February 1700.
There is every reason to be very happy about this disc. First of all, this
serenata is of fine quality. It includes many beautiful arias and the recitatives
are short but well written. The instrumental parts also give much reason for
enjoyment. Listen, for instance, how the opening phrases of the aria 'Comino,
violino, celeri, rapidi' are depicted by the strings. Secondly, Lulier's
serenata receives an outstanding performance. The three singers are fully
up to the job: they have very nice and agile voices, are totally convincing
from a stylistic angle, avoid incessant vibrato and pay much attention to
the text. The instrumental parts receive an engaging interpretation from I
Musicali Affetti.
In short, this disc is a delight from start to finish. It will appeal strongly
to any lover of baroque vocal music.
N.B. The booklet mentions an English translation of the libretto being available
on the website. At the time I am writing this review only a German translation
is available.
Johan van Veen
www.musica-dei-donum.org
twitter.com/johanvanveen
|
Support us financially by purchasing
this from
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|