Antonio Maria BONONCINI (1677 - 1726)
Messa and Stabat mater
Messa a cinque concertata in g minor [47:51]
Stabat mater a quatro in c minor [32:04]
Silvia Frigato, Raffaela Milanesi (soprano), Andrea Arrivabene (alto),
Elena Biscuola, Sara Mingardo (contralto), Valerio Contaldo, Raffaele
Giordani (tenor), Salvo Vitale (bass)
Concerto Italiano/Rinaldo Alessandrini
rec. live, January 2012, Konzerthaus, Vienna, Austria. DDD
Lyrics and translations included
NAÏVE OP 30537 [79:58]
Antonio Maria Bononcini was the younger brother
of the more famous Giovanni. Both were educated as cellists and were
pupils of Giovanni Paolo Colonna in Bologna. From 1690 to 1693 they
played in the orchestra of Cardinal Pamphili, then the papal legate
in Bologna. After that Antonio Maria worked in Rome, and then joined
his brother in Vienna in 1700. From 1705 to 1711 he acted as Kapellmeister
to Charles III, brother of emperor Joseph I, living in Spain. He also
composed music for the court in Vienna, and in 1710 he was named 'composer
to the emperor', with retrospective effect from 1707. When Joseph died
in 1711 he was succeeded by his brother as Charles VI. He did not retain
the Bononcinis, and soon it was Antonio Caldara who became the favourite
composer at the imperial court.
The music of the Bononcinis belongs to that part of the baroque repertoire
which is hardly explored as yet. If it is given any attention it is
mostly Giovanni's output which is performed. This disc brings two large-scale
compositions by his younger brother.
The Mass received its first performance in modern times at the concert
which was recorded for this disc. Rinaldo Alessandrini wrote the liner-notes
in the booklet under the pregnant title "Bononcini: The synthesis of
ecclesiastical and operatic styles". That is a feature of many sacred
works written by Italian composers of the 17th and early 18th centuries.
Counterpoint played a significant role in sacred music, and the tutti
sections of both works are written in a dense polyphonic style. The
arias and ensembles - from duets to five-part episodes - are more in
line with the concertante style of the time, and also show the influence
of opera. However, even in the polyphonic episodes the fashion of the
time shines through, especially in the use of daring harmonies. That
is in particular the case in the Stabat mater.
These two compositions are quite different, which leads Alessandrini
to suggest that they might have been written for different conditions.
The parts of alto and bass in the Stabat mater are relatively
high in tessitura, whereas they are much lower in the Mass. He believes
that the alto parts in the Mass may originally have been sung by high
tenors rather than (castrato) altos. A striking example is the 'Crucifixus'
from the Credo. Although Sara Mingardo and Elena Biscuola are rather
strong in the low part of their range, a performance by high tenors
could have led to a more satisfying result.
It is the contribution of the soloists - in particular the sopranos
and altos - which rather disappoints. They use quite a lot of vibrato
and almost constantly. This is stylistically untenable and also results
in the blending of the voices being less than ideal. There is no lack
of expression in these two compositions. In particular the Stabat
mater includes some verses for one or two solo voices with some
striking text expression. However, their impact is seriously damaged
by the vibrato. The 'Suscipe' from the Gloria of the Mass is one of
the best parts, and the 'Crucifixus' is relatively good as well. Valerio
Contaldo's singing is not marred by vibrato, but he shows too little
sensitivity to the text of 'Fac, ut portem' (Stabat mater). Salvo
Vitale's contributions are also too straightforward and not sufficiently
differentiated.
I have the feeling that the results would have been better if these
works had been recorded in the studio. In this live recording the tutti
parts come off best by far. Concerto Italiano is an excellent ensemble,
and shows its qualities here once again. The instrumentalists also do
a fine job, both in the tutti segments and in the sections for solo
voices.
This disc's main interest is the repertoire and the expressive quality
of these two pieces. It is just unfortunate that they are not ideally
served by the interpretations.
Johan van Veen
http://www.musica-dei-donum.org
https://twitter.com/johanvanveen
