Benedetto MARCELLO (1686-1739)
Psalms and Sonatas
Salmo XXI (Volgi, volgi, mio Dio) [34:56]
Sonata for keyboard No. 5 in F:
larghetto [05:22]
Sonata for keyboard No. 4 in g minor:
toccata [03:34]
Sonata for violin and bc in e minor, op. 1,10 [08:16]
Salmo XLII (Dal tribunal augusto) [12:55]
Ensemble Salomone Rossi/Lydia Cevidalli
rec. 2018 at Sala musicale Giardino, Crema, Italy
Texts and translations included
DYNAMIC CDS7882 [65:18]
Benedetto Marcello seems to receive quite some interest recently. Two discs with secular cantatas have been released and also two discs with Psalms. The latter are taken from a collection of 50 which Marcello published between 1724 and 1726 under the title of Estro poetico armonico. Rather than setting the texts of the Vulgata, the official Latin translation of the Bible of the Catholic Church, he opted for poetical paraphrases by Girolamo Ascanio Giustiniani who, like Marcello, was from Venice. This is quite remarkable in itself, bnt what is also notable is that these settings became very popular, and were still sung long after the composer's death. They were performed across Europe, often in translations. According to New Grove, the number of copies across Europe is estimated at more than ten thousand.
The title of the collection can be interpreted as a snub of Vivaldi, who had published a set of concertos under the title of L'Estro armonico. Marcello may have expressed what he thought about Vivaldi's style with the addition of poetico. He was an advocate of naturalness, as he had already shown in his book Il teatro alla moda in which he dealt with the bad habits prevalent in the theatre at the time. He wanted to reform the style of singing and clear away exaggerated ornamentation.
His Psalms bear witness to that. The text, divided in sections in the form of recitatives, ariosos and arias, is always in the centre. Marcello's main aim is to express its content. In order to achieve that he avoids excessive ornamentation and coloratura, and omits dacapos in the arias. The Psalms are scored for solo voice(s) and basso continuo. Only two - Psalms 21 and 50 - have additional parts for two string instruments, indicated as violette. It is not entirely clear which instruments Marcello had in mind. Guido Balestraci, who recorded four of the Psalms (Arcana, 2017), considers viole da gamba the most obvious option. Lydia Cevidalli has opted for violas instead in the performance of Psalm 21 (22 in the King James Bible and other Protestant translations). This lament of King David has always been closely connected to Passiontide, as Jesus quoted this Psalm at the Cross. It is the longest, as well as the most expressive and dramatic work on this disc. The violas play a particularly notable role in the expression of the text, for instance in the sixth section: "I am surrounded by enemies, like ferocious bulls that proudly accompany me in this folly. (...) My courage dissolves like water, my bones are all shaken". It is preceded by an equally emotional long recitative. This Psalm includes also more intimate episodes with the character of a prayer, as well as expressions of desperation, and these contrasts are masterfully depicted by Marcello. The last sections are expressions of hope and trust.
Marta Fumagalli delivers impressive performances, in which all these different aspects come off to full extent. One may assume that Marcello opted for a scoring for alto with a purpose, as its rather dark sound perfectly fits the tenor of the text. Although it was undoubtedly sung by a male performer in his days, Fumagalli's voice suits this Psalm perfectly. Now and then she uses a bit too much vibrato, but it does not really compromise my appreciation of her performance.
The other Psalm Dal tribunal augusto, is for bass and basso continuo, and is based on Psalm 42 (43), known with its Latin title as Judica me Deus. The text is divided into several sections, which all have the character of arias or ariosos; there are no recitatives. This psalm includes more coloratura than Psalm 21 and the singer needs to have a wide tessitura. Laurence Meikle deals well with its technical requirements and there is no lack of expression. I personally would prefer a different type of voice, but that is obviously a matter of taste.
In between the two Psalms we get some instrumental music. It is a bit of a mystery why Giovanni Togni plays the first movements of two sonatas. Why did he not opt for one entire sonata? The playing time of this disc is such that both sonatas could have been recorded. The violin sonata also raises questions. Marcello did never publish a set of violin sonatas as Op. 1. I assume that we get here a sonata from the collection of twelve recorder sonatas that was printed as Op. 2 in Venice in 1712 and reissued as Op. 1 in London in 1732. Lydia Cevidalli produces a rather weird sound, which I find unpleasant to listen to. The miking is too close for comfort, and in the basso continuo the cello and the theorbo are clearly audible whereas the sound of the harpsichord is almost unnoticeable. The instrumental pieces are the least satisfying part of this recording.
However, this disc is about the vocal music, and for that reason I can recommend it. It is a bit of a shame that two Psalms were selected that are already available in other recordings. It is to be hoped that those Psalms which have not been recorded yet, will find their way to disc some time. A complete recording of Estro poetico armonico is long overdue.
Johan van Veen
www.musica-dei-donum.org
twitter.com/johanvanveen
