Vivaldi's 'other' Dixit Dominus and his 'other' Gloria
J Scott Morrison | Middlebury VT, USA | 01/09/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Prolific as Vivaldi was, he seems to be represented in most people's minds by only a few works: 'The Four Seasons,' of course, a few others of the violin concerti and among his sacred vocal works the 'Gloria' in D major, RV 589 (with its familiar opening bouncing octaves on D) and the 'Dixit Dominus,' RV 594. Presented here, however, are the other surviving 'Gloria', RV 588, also in D major, and the rarely heard other 'Dixit Dominus,' RV 595. Confusing? Well, yes. It doesn't help that the RV numbers (Ryom-Verzeichnis, named for musicologist Peter Ryom) are contiguous in each case and thus easily mistaken for each other. It is a shame, though, that these alternative settings are not better known, and it was a brilliant idea for Kevin Mallon and his Aradia* Ensemble to put them together on a CD and, further, to give them sterling performances. I expect some buyers might obtain this CD thinking they were getting the better-known versions of 'Gloria' and 'Dixit Dominus.' Naxos makes it clear in the printed matter on the back of the CD that these are not those, but frankly even if a musiclover bought these by mistake he or she wouldn't be disappointed in the music itself, because these two lesser-known settings are every bit as good as their sister works. Indeed, in my opinion the second 'Gloria' is ultimately more satisfying because it is more subtle and also because in this presentation it is linked with a lightly scored introduction containing a da capo aria for contralto, 'Jubilate, o amoeni chori' ('Rejoice, fair choirs'), a B minor recitative, and another brief aria 'Sonoro modulamine' ('In sounding music') that then lead directly in the choir's jubilant 'Gloria in excelsis.' Nonetheless, this 'Gloria' partakes of the same joy and choral felicity as its sibling. High points include the minor-key 'Et in terra pax' with its descending scale motif with close imitation in the choral voices, against throbbing chords in the now-expanded orchestra. 'Laudamus te' is a duet for sopranos in joyous roulades in thirds. 'Domine deus, rex coelestis' is a spirited tenor solo. 'Domine, Fili unigenite' is a short choral fugue, just as it is in its better-known sister, and frankly it strikes me as having more satisfying counterpoint but, darn it, it's too brief! A plaintive oboe solo opens the soprano's aria, 'Domine Deus, Agnus Dei.' Then two oboes join in in the following choral 'Qui tollis.' These two linked movements are the sublime apex of the musical arc. Tension is released in a lilting contralto aria, 'Qui sedes ad dextram patris,' which is followed by the soprano's buoyant G major 'Quoniam tu solus sanctus.' We return to our home key of D major in the choral 'Cum Sancto Spirito,' which begins solemnly but then breaks into final fugue with baroque trumpet obbligato.
'Dixit Dominus,' a setting of the 109th Psalm ('The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand') is scored for five vocal soloists, five part chorus, two oboes, strings and continuo. It is partly celebratory and partly minatory ('The Lord ... shall wound even kings in the day of his wrath') and Vivaldi catches both aspects of this Vespers Psalm beautifully, weaving back and forth between the joyous and the sternly remonstrative. This 20-minute work is served well by Mallon and his marvelous Aradia Ensemble, which includes both instrumentalists and chorus. His vocal soloists are largely drawn from the chorus and there is not a weak one among them. They are Michelle de Boer, soprano; Anita Krause, mezzo; Peter Mahon, countertenor; Nils Brown, tenor; and Giles Tomkins, bass.
The only soloist from outside the chorus is Jane Archibald whose silvery and flexible soprano is heard not only in 'Dixit Dominus' and 'Gloria' but also in the extraordinarily beautiful (and new to me) motet for solo soprano, strings and continuo, 'Nulla in mundo pax sincera' ('In the world there is no real peace'), in which she charms with both her sweet tone and absolutely secure coloratura. It contains a gentle siciliano 'Nulla in mundo' that sounds as much like Handel as anything here; for some reason it reminds me of the opening chorus of his 'Solomon.' The text promises serenity in the world beyond. The following recitative and da capo aria warn that the blandishments of the world are false (with fiercesome fioriture) before returning to the hope of sacred peace, ending with an 'Alleluia.' This is a very fine piece and is done superbly by soloist and orchestra alike.
I've increasingly come to feel that the Aradia Ensemble has become one of the better baroque music groups in the world. I look forward to each of their releases.
Give yourself a present. Get this CD and learn some unfamiliar Vivaldi in marvelous performances.
Scott Morrison
*It's Aradia - not ArCadia. Aradia was Apollo's twin sister, daughter of Leto and Zeus, who was sent by the gods to teach humankind to transmute the music of the natural world into song."
Glory be to God, for Vivaldi
P. Alvarez | Killeen, Texas United States | 10/03/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Nobody else but Vivaldi from
the opening notes of the
Dixit Dominus, to the
closing ones in the
"Cum Sancto Spiritus"
Vivaldi's musical style
of well specified.
Choral music from
the same great composer
who brought us "The Four Seasons".
Vivaldi's choral works
too are as highly regarded
as his most famous concerti.
In the Gloria we get a bonus,
there is an introductory "Jubilate"
that in the original is attached to
the RV 588 Gloria, that we do not
get with most recordings, but the
reason for this is that the
"Jubilate" can be played separate.
The Aradia Ensemble does a great
job, and the soloists sing wonderfully.
Mr. Mallon did a great job putting
all together..."
Track Listings (28) - Disc #1