A. Scarlatti Cantatas
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: (Pietro) Alessandro (Gaspare) Scarlatti
Label: Pierre Verany
Magazine Review Date: 9/1990
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 68
Mastering:
DDD
Catalogue Number: PV790013
Tracks:
| Composition | Artist Credit |
|---|---|
| Diana ed Endimione, 'Voi solitarie piante' |
(Pietro) Alessandro (Gaspare) Scarlatti, Composer
(Pietro) Alessandro (Gaspare) Scarlatti, Composer Alain Aubin, Alto Alix Verzier, Cello Helen Williams, Viola Jacqueline Nicolas, Soprano Julien Julien-Laferriere, Violin Malcolm Bothwell, Viola da gamba Philippe Ramin, Harpsichord Stuart Deeks, Violin |
| Ero ed Leandro, 'Leandro, anima mia' |
(Pietro) Alessandro (Gaspare) Scarlatti, Composer
(Pietro) Alessandro (Gaspare) Scarlatti, Composer Alain Aubin, Alto Alix Verzier, Cello Malcolm Bothwell, Viola da gamba Philippe Ramin, Harpsichord |
| Correa nel seno amato |
(Pietro) Alessandro (Gaspare) Scarlatti, Composer
(Pietro) Alessandro (Gaspare) Scarlatti, Composer Alix Verzier, Cello Jacqueline Nicolas, Soprano Julien Julien-Laferriere, Violin Malcolm Bothwell, Viola da gamba Philippe Ramin, Harpsichord Stuart Deeks, Violin |
Author: Nicholas Anderson
The three works by Alessandro Scarlatti performed here all date from the last two decades of the seventeenth century. Diana ed Endimione is a serenata for two voices, while Leandro, anima mia and Correa nel seno amato are chamber cantatas, each for one voice. Scarlatti was a master of both these forms, between which there often is, however, little distinction. Both terms referred to dramatic but usually non-staged works, serenatas written to order, and both intended more often than not for performance in private houses. The scoring for each is modest; in Diana ed Endimione for soprano and alto, the voices are accompanied by violins, viola and continuo. Leandro, anima mia for alto requires only continuo, while Correa nel seno amato for soprano has two violins. The performance of Diana ed Endimione furthermore claims to be the first in modern times.
While there is much that is appealing in Diana ed Endimione the music seldom reaches the high level of interest found in Scarlatti's serenatas dating from the first decades of the eighteenth century. Unlike Il giardino di amore (c. 1705) or Endimione e Cintia (c. 1705), Scarlatti makes only occasional use of da capo form in the arias; instrumental ritornellos occur less frequently than in the later serenatas and there is but a single duet to relieve the lengthy alternating sequence of solo aria with recitative. Correa nel seno amato, probably the latest of the three compositions, is the more immediately attractive of the cantatas and all the more so in the present context, for the much needed relief which it offers from 45 minutes of an almost unbroken pattern of minor keys.
The performances are variable. The artists have a good sense of style but seldom the technique to go with it. Jacqueline Nicolas has a pleasing voice, which I have previously remarked upon on a disc of cantatas by Campra issued by the same company ((CD) PV786101, 5/87); but she has problems with intonation and there are awkward modulations in some of the pieces which tax her uncomfortably. Alain Aubin has a good ear but the vocal timbre in the upper reaches of his tessitura is unappealing. The instrumental support is largely sympathetic but the violins do not always play in tune and the cello, too, is not always dependable in this respect. Stronger performances undoubtedly would make out a better case for the music. Good recorded sound, but a full text is provided only for the serenata. That is given in Italian, French and English.'
While there is much that is appealing in Diana ed Endimione the music seldom reaches the high level of interest found in Scarlatti's serenatas dating from the first decades of the eighteenth century. Unlike Il giardino di amore (c. 1705) or Endimione e Cintia (c. 1705), Scarlatti makes only occasional use of da capo form in the arias; instrumental ritornellos occur less frequently than in the later serenatas and there is but a single duet to relieve the lengthy alternating sequence of solo aria with recitative. Correa nel seno amato, probably the latest of the three compositions, is the more immediately attractive of the cantatas and all the more so in the present context, for the much needed relief which it offers from 45 minutes of an almost unbroken pattern of minor keys.
The performances are variable. The artists have a good sense of style but seldom the technique to go with it. Jacqueline Nicolas has a pleasing voice, which I have previously remarked upon on a disc of cantatas by Campra issued by the same company ((CD) PV786101, 5/87); but she has problems with intonation and there are awkward modulations in some of the pieces which tax her uncomfortably. Alain Aubin has a good ear but the vocal timbre in the upper reaches of his tessitura is unappealing. The instrumental support is largely sympathetic but the violins do not always play in tune and the cello, too, is not always dependable in this respect. Stronger performances undoubtedly would make out a better case for the music. Good recorded sound, but a full text is provided only for the serenata. That is given in Italian, French and English.'
A. Scarlatti Cantatas
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