In 1718 Vivaldi entered the employment of Prince Philip of Hesse-Darmstadt who had been appointed governor of Mantua, then part of the Austrian Empire. His responsibilities seem to have been varied but probably the most important of them was to provide operas for his employer’s court. One of these was Tito Manlio, which was produced for the Mantuan Carnival season in 1719; and, if we are to believe a note by Vivaldi himself at the head of the score, written in the space of five days.
This recording of the work was first issued on LP 18 years ago but only now makes its debut on CD. In 1978 the late Roger Fiske, while acknowledging that Vivaldi was no Handel, nevertheless gave Tito Manlio an enthusiastic, if qualified welcome. Listening to it now, freshly and effectively transferred on to CD, I feel that the work deserves at least that, and that it certainly ranks among the most successful of all the ten Vivaldi operas so far commercially recorded.
The libretto, by Matteo Noris, whom Vivaldi set on more than one occasion, centres round a dispute between the Romans and the Latins which has arisen because the Roman Senate, headed by Titus Manlius, has denied the Latins a consul of Latin birth. The Latins declare war on Rome but, since until now the opposing camps have been on friendly terms, Titus forbids his son Manlius to engage the enemy in single combat. Manlius disobeys him and is sentenced to death by his father. These events, together with drama provided by lovers separated by war, sustain the opera successfully by and large, through three substantial acts. All this takes place in about 340 BC, by the way.
Readers familiar with Vivaldi’s oratorio, Juditha Triumphans, will know how resourceful the composer could be in achieving variety within a long sequence of arias. In Tito Manlio his melodic invention is often as alluring and, if the libretto is no masterpiece, at least it provides a wealth of opportunities for evocative image painting. Latin knight Lucius’s “Alla caccia d’un ben adorato” (first disc, track 12), with its colourful writing for hunting horn, is a splendid piece which Vivaldi devotees may recognize from its inclusion in the Serenata a Tre (RV690), probably composed at about the same time. No less effective is Lucius’s “Parla a me speranza amica” (first disc, track 20), but simple sentiments often call for simple means with Vivaldi and there is a delightful ingenuousness here, though I question the authenticity of a brief string pizzicato in the da capo.
Of an entirely different character again is Lucius’s Act 3 “Non basta al labbro” (fourth disc, track 4) in which Vivaldi affectingly expresses a dichotomy between head and heart. The role is stylishly sung by Margaret Marshall. Titus’s daughter Vitellia, sung by Birgit Finnila, is also allotted some engaging music. Her Act 1 “Di verde ulivo” (first disc, track 22) is a virtuoso partnership between voice and cello in which Vivaldi skilfully portrays her agitated state of mind. Then there is Titus’s music, sung by Giancarlo Luccardi; he had a reputation as a stern consul and Vivaldi underlines this side of his character with some robust arias. I especially enjoyed his Act 1 “Orribile lo scempio” (first disc, track 18) with its busy string accompaniment, sung with great authority by Luccardi. Manlius, Titus’s son, sung by Rose Wagemann, also has some strong arias – not surprisingly since his predicament seems hopeless on all fronts, so much so, in fact, that even the customary “lieto fine” begins to look in jeopardy. After listening to the death sentence pronounced upon him at the end of Act 2, he reflects upon his desperate situation in an impassioned “Vedra Roma e vedra il Campidoglio” (second disc, track 2).
In short, this is an opera which both in content and performance, albeit dated in some respects, goes some way towards rehabilitating Vivaldi in the minds of readers who, over the years, have encountered more than their fair share of indifferent recordings. The cast, as I have implied, is mainly a strong one with the Berlin Chamber Orchestra of modern instruments providing solid support. If the overture to the work has survived it can no longer be identified. Negri, instead, has chosen three movements from three different concertos (RV562, 579 and 141). The solution is both apt in context and extremely effective. A welcome and stimulating reissue.'