Beloved of choral societies everywhere, Vivaldi’s
Gloria is so famous that simply performing it or recording it can be
something of a stunt. This disc breathes new life into the work without
making a song and dance about it. Originally issued in 2003, it has been
reissued on Carus Classics celebrating the label’s 40th anniversary.
Tonu Kaljuste is the founder of the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber
Choir. He and the performers place the music in context by surrounding the
Gloria with Kyrie, Credo and Magnificat settings
also by Vivaldi. The music-making goes to show that he was certainly not a
one-hit wonder. It also makes you wonder why choirs ignore all this other
music.
The Kyrie opens with a long expressive orchestral
introduction. The choir adds Vivaldi’s richly subtle and chromatic
vocal lines. Though the first Kyrie is technically for two choirs,
Vivaldi very much explores varied groupings. The surprisingly lively
Christe was written for four female soloists, but here is nicely sung
by all the choir’s sopranos and altos. The two choirs join for the
rather mobile concluding fugue.
From the opening note and the brisk speed adopted it is clear that
in the Gloria Kaljuste will be taking no prisoners. The strings
respond with clean, inspiring playing. The impetus and bounce of the vocal
lines draw you in. The Tallinn Chamber Orchestra is a modern instrument
group but there is nothing lush or romantic about this.
A quietly intense Et in terra pax is followed by a soprano
duet sung by the nicely balanced pairing of Kaia Urb and Vilve Hepner. These
are clean vibrant voices with neat passagework and a lovely bounce to the
line. Again the performance infectiously draws you in.
In the solo soprano number, Domine Deus, the graceful and
shapely solo line is finely matched with some lovely oboe playing. The whole
movement is well judged and has a dancing lilt.
By contrast, Domine fili unigenite is all rhythm and crisp
articulation from choir and orchestra; not overdone, it is wonderfully
vivid. Domine Deus Agnus Dei sees soloist Anna Zander displaying a
mellow mezzo-soprano voice with a thoughtful feeling for the music’s
line.
Zander is back for Qui Sedes, the slight edge to her timbre
adding vibrancy to the shapely vocal part. There’s a good perky
accompaniment from the strings. Finally the fugue, with its weighty subject
and dancing counter-subject, brings the work to a close.
This account of the Gloria has all the strengths of clarity
and vividness. It is thoughtful when it needs to be and always involving and
infectious. The soloists are not grand, well known names but they articulate
Vivaldi’s music in just the right way. Their shapely approach blends
adroitly with that of the choir.
The Credo is entirely different. Despite the length of the
text, it is divided into just four movements with the words chanted by the
four-part choir. There are no soloists. The opening and closing movements
share musical material and the speeds are brisk. The voices and strings
articulate clearly and the results are rather exciting. The middle two
movements are slower, ensuring that the crucial texts Et Incarnatus
est and Crucifixus make maximum impact.
The final Magnificat uses mainly choir (in four-parts) but
with a soprano duet and roles for alto and tenor. A massive opening
statement is followed by a lively Et exultavit with a soprano solo
followed by and one for the alto. The booklet does not specify which of the
two soprano soloists gets which solo. Tenor soloist Mati Turi makes only one
brief appearance, but impresses through his neatly turned passagework. The
movements are all quite short, with Vivaldi ensuring that the chorus are
presented with maximum variety. The Magnificat would be one of the
centre-pieces of choral vespers, a service popularly used for music and
vocal display at the period.
The penultimate movement includes some lovely bubbly writing for
oboes and bassoons. These are heard in dialogue with the strings before
lively transparent vocal lines are added on top. The work concludes with a
lively fugue.
The CD comes with texts and English translations, plus a short
article on Vivaldi’s music.
The disc would certainly be highly attractive for someone who does
not want a period performance. As someone who normally prefers the
historically informed approach, I found this disc refreshing and
infectiously engaging. The choir and orchestra are technically on top form,
but impress more by the way they draw you in. This is not a period style
performance, but speeds are brisk and the results highly stylish. By
including companion pieces from the Mass and the Vespers, Kaljuste and his
forces give us a picture of Vivaldi’s sacred music and make us wonder
why it isn’t heard more often.
Robert Hugill
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Kaia Urb (soprano); Vilve Hepner (soprano); Anna Zander (alto); Mati
Turi (tenor)
