Francesco GASPARINI (1668-1727)
Io che dal terzo ciel (Venere e Adone) [24:26]
Antonio CALDARA (c1670-1736)
Trio sonata in e minor, op. 1,5 [8:17]
George Frideric HANDEL (1685-1759) (attr.
Rondeau in G [2:01]
Domenico SCARLATTI (1685-1757)
Sonata in G (K 63) [2:43]
Alessandro SCARLATTI (1660-1725)
Questo silenzio ombroso (Il Sonno) [10:41]
Domenico SCARLATTI
Sonata in d minor (K 32) [1:28]
George Frideric HANDEL
Sonata in G (HWV 579) (alternative version) [4:47]
Amarilli vezzosa (Il duello amoroso) (HWV 82) [24:51]
Anna Dennis (soprano), Andrew Radley (alto)
Sounds Baroque (Jane Gordon,Jorge Jimenez (violin), Jonathan Rees (cello, viola da gamba), Frances Kelly (harp), James Akers (archlute, theorbo, guitar), Julian Perkins (harpsichord, organ)/Julian Perkins
rec. 16-18 July 2013, All Saints' Church, East Finchley, London, UK. DDD
Texts and translations included
AVIE AV2296 [79:14]
This is the second disc Sounds Baroque has devoted to repertoire
performed during the conversazioni of the Arcadian Academy
in Rome in the decades around 1700. This circle of aristocrats,
poets, musicians and artists was founded in 1690, and the model
was soon copied across Italy. The gatherings of the Roman academy
took place on Sunday afternoons in the palaces of its aristocratic
members. It was during such conversazioni that the vocal
and instrumental music recorded here might have been performed.
Obviously we, for the most part, don't know exactly which
music was sung and played, but the composers included here were
all in Rome or had connections there. That makes the performance
of these pieces plausible.
The first disc was devoted to solo cantatas while the thread of
the present volume is the duet. That is expressed in the subtitle:
'Duelling Cantatas'. Today this genre seems a little
under-exposed: there are many more concerts and recordings with
solo cantatas than with duets. However, in the time of the Scarlattis
and Handel this was a very popular form of musical entertainment.
The duet could indeed circle around a conflict - or at least a
dialogue - between two different characters. The duets by Gasparini
and Handel belong to that category as their subtitles indicate.
Alessandro Scarlatti's cantata is different: here the two
singers represent only one protagonist who uses the singing of
the nightingale as a metaphore for a lament about a lost love.
The disc opens with a cantata by Francesco Gasparini, one of the
lesser-known composers of operas in the early 18th century. In
1716 he became maestro di cappella of Prince Ruspoli,
one of the members of the Arcadian Academy. Gasparini himself
became a member two years later. The cantata Io che dal terzo
ciel is a specimen of a duet in which there is no conflict
between the two characters. On the contrary: they express their
eternal love, and this lends this piece a great amount of elegance
and refinement. The two parts for violins are treated in different
ways. In some arias they play ritornellos, in others they are
fully integrated. Notable is the imitation of the nightingale
by the solo violin in the duet at the end. It is nicely sung,
but too restrained. Both singers could have given their respective
characters a stronger profile.
That goes even more for Handel's cantata Amarilli vezzosa
which is far more dramatic because of the conflict between the
protagonists. It is one of Handel's best-known duets and
has been recorded several times. This is not the most dramatic
interpretation I have heard. It is again nicely sung, although
both singers should have used a little less vibrato. However,
a 'nice' performance is not the main thing required
here. This cantata is quite close to opera, and that aspect doesn't
come off here. The singers are again too restrained, and the playing
of the strings too restrained. The transition from allegro to
adagio in the opening sinfonia is not dramatic enough. In the
recitatives there are several moments where the soloists should
have done more with the text.
The most satisfying part of this disc is the cantata by Alessandro
Scarlatti, who worked in Rome and Naples, and was also a member
of the Arcadian Academy. His cantata Questo silenzio ombroso
is a lyric piece and is perfectly realized here. Especially beautiful
is the last section. In the second section the balance between
the voices is not entirely satisfying as Anna Dennis is a bit
too loud and as a result overshadows Andrew Radley.
This disc is not only about duels between two characters, it is
also about a historical duel: between Handel and Domenico Scarlatti.
The keyboard pieces in the programme have been selected to document
a contest which, it is assumed, took place shortly after Handel's
arrival in Italy. It is reported that Handel was declared the
winner on the organ, whereas Scarlatti won the contest on the
harpsichord. The musicologist Graham Pont believes that Scarlatti's
Sonata in G (K 63) and Handel's Sonata in
G (HWV 579) have their origin in improvisations forming part
of this contest. Interestingly Scarlatti's sonata is preceded
here by the Rondeau in G which is attributed to Handel.
There is a strong similarity between the two pieces; the opening
statements are almost identical. If Handel is indeed the composer
of the Rondeau it is an intriguing question who was paying
tribute to whom. The dates of composing are apparently not known.
Julian Perkins gives no indication in this regard, and it may
be impossible to say which of the two pieces was written first.
Considering that Scarlatti was chosen as the winner on the harpsichord
it seems a bit odd that the Sonata KV 63 is played on
the organ.
This is definitely a most interesting disc as it gives us some
idea of what a conversazione may have looked like in
musical terms. The fact that the choice of music is obviously
speculative doesn't diminish its value however, the performances
do, in some respects. There is much to enjoy as I have indicated,
but part of the repertoire doesn't receive an ideal performance.
The Handel cantata is the least satisfying, but fortunately there
are several recordings on the market which may offer a good alternative.
The cantatas by Gasparini and Alessandro Scarlatti are nice additions
to the catalogue.
Johan van Veen
http://www.musica-dei-donum.org
https://twitter.com/johanvanveen
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