Search - Alessandro Scarlatti, Accademia Bizantina, Ottavio Dantone :: Alessandro Scarlatti: Il Giardino di Rose [Hybrid SACD]

Brilliant performances of average compositions

G. Newby | Memphis, TN United States | 08/13/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The problem with Allesandro Scarlatti is that he just wasn't as talented a composer as some of his contemporaries were. Sure, he imbibed the baroque forms, but his compositions seemed more like regurgitated cliches than anything striking or original. Try as he might, Scarlatti simply couldn't live up to the measure of a Handel, Bach or Vivaldi. In fact, it wouldn't be amiss to describe his work with that dreaded b-word that can be the death of any artist: Boring. Still, he was highly respected in his own time, even enjoyed royal patronage, and his compositions represent important historical documents. So we really can't fault anyone for wanting to work with his music.



Thank heavens, though, that such a talented ensemble as the Accademia Bizantina undertook this effort. The Accademia is a highly skilled collective, and they succeed where others might have failed. They bring an emotional intensity to these works, giving them a sense of both gravitas and drama. At the same time, the Bizantina is careful to avoid finessing the music with too many frivolous flourishes, a temptation to which many baroque performers succumb. The acoustics are masterful, too. You can hear each member of the string section, for instance, instead of just a mish-mash of violins. You can also feel the bows travelling across the bridges of these instruments, and the warming effect is physically palpable. I also feel compelled to say something kind about the unsung harpsichord player who turns in a stellar performance here. Somewhere along the way he cranks out a blistering solo or two, as though he were a 17th Century version of Eddie Van Halen. I'm tempted to rip the corset off of a Parisian maiden, but such a gesture would be improper. All in all, a collection of super-stellar renditions, even if the music is only so-so."

I Don't Know Much about Rose Gardens...

Giordano Bruno | Wherever I am, I am. | 09/09/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"... but I know what I like. I DO know somewhat more than my share about 17th Century music performance, and perhaps that knowledge keeps me from appreciating this recording with innocent ears. The musicianship is excellent, the overall sound is suave and decorous, the scholarship is plausible, and yet I don't like the final product much. That's a disappointment, as it is when I put money and ear-time into any CD.



It's the bottom line of interpretation, of style, that I find dissatisfying. It's important to realize that what the Accademia Bizantina is playing is not strictly the work of Alessandro Scarlatti. Rather, all the harpsichord concerti are elaborate reconstructions by Ottavio Dantone, from a single very sketchy manuscript. Dantone is quite forthright about his reconstruction, and describes his efforts in interesting detail in the note booklet. He also performs on a modern harpsichord built "after" a 17th C Venetian model. What puzzles and disappoints my ears is the oddly piano-like timbre of Dantone's harpsichord, in the very oddly "modern orchestra" timbre of the Accademia. Their sound is too thick, too orotund, for Scarlatti. There seem to be too many strings on every line, though in fact the orchestra is of a plausible size. There's no lift to the ornaments, no wit in the orchestration. This is Scarlatti half way to sounding like Sibelius."

Great Alessandro Scarlatti music

Johann Del Campo | Leipzich,Belgium | 11/01/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In my opinion Alessandro Scarlatti is one of the greatest baroque composers. His instrumental music is less boring and much more creative than Vivaldi's and Telemann's. I put him at the same level as Händel and Buxtehude. The only composer that really surpasses him is, of course, BACH.

These performances are extraordinary in that they show how brilliant he was. Although some of the sources for the music on this album are spurious and incomplete, this music is full of surprises and different emotions. It is sparkingly rendered by the Accademia Bizantina."