Gramophone – September 2019

100 GRAMOPHONE SEPTEMBER 2019 gramophone.co.uk

VOCAL REVIEWS

Vivaldi

‘VivaldiEdition,Vol 59 – Musicasacraperalto’

Deustuorummilitum,RV612.Introduzione

alMiserere,‘FiliaemaestaeJerusalem’,

RV638.Noninpratisautinhortis,RV641.

Reginacoeli,RV615.Salveregina,RV618.

ViolinConcerto,RV582

DelphineGaloucontrAlessandroGiangrande

tenAlessandroTampierivnAccademia

Bizantina/ OttavioDantone

NaïveFOP30569(60’• DDD• T/t)

Vivaldi

‘VivaldiEdition,Vol 60 –

Ariee cantatepercontralto’

LaCandace– Carepupille;Perdarpace

altuodolore;Sì,sibelvoltochev’adoro.

Cessate,omaicessate,RV684.Il Giustino–

È purdolceadun’animaamante.Omie

porporepiùbelle,RV685.Qualinpioggia

doratai dolcirai,RV686.Tieteberga–

L’innocenzasfortunata.TitoManlio–

Andròidae sconsolata;Liquoreingrato.

Laveritàincimento– Semplicenontemer

DelphineGaloucontr

AccademiaBizantina/ OttavioDantone

NaïveFOP30584(58’• DDD• T/t)

Andstilltheycome.Vols 59 and 60

inNaïve’sheroiccompleteVivaldi

Edition,nowseeminglyintenton

thehomestraight,coversacredand

secularmusicforalto,thecomposer’s

favouritevoicetype.Exceptforthe

Salveregina,thesacredworkswere

fashionedfortalentedcontraltosat

thePietà,whereVivalditookoverthe

dutiesofmaestrodicoro(fornoextra

fee)in1713.It’salltooeasy,ofcourse,

totaketheRedPriestforgranted.Yet

evenVivaldi-scepticsmightbestruck

bytheexpressivepowerofthemusic

here,whetherinthepassionatemotet

forTenebraeFiliaemaestaeJerusalem,

themingledvigourandtenderness

oftheSalvereginaorthemotetNon

inpratis,withitsgravelybeautiful

centralaria.

TheFrenchcontralto

DelphineGalouhaslong

provedherselfafineVivaldi

stylistandsingsherewithher

trademarkimaginationand

involvement(blandnessisnot

inherarmoury).Incaptious

modeI’dpointtomoments

whereherpure,rather

instrumentaltimbredevelops

aflutterunderpressure.At

timesherrhetoricalintensity

cancompromiseevennessof

lineandtone.ButGalou’s

singingalwayscompelswith

itseloquenceofphraseand

urgentengagementwiththe

text.ThetenorAlessandro

Giangrandemakesalively

duetpartnerinthehymn

Deustuorummilitum–

determinedlyjolly,despite

itstext.Heis,though,

lessconvincingslipping

betweenfalsettoandhis

naturaltenorvoiceinthe

fragmentaryantiphon

Reginacoeli,writtenfor

aPietàcontraltowith

afreakishlylowrange.

Dantone’sAccademia

Bizantinaprovide

colourful,vividlygestural

accompaniments,andwith

thebrilliantAlessandro

Tampierirelishthefantasy

andflamboyanceoftheDmajorViolin

Concertowithdoubleorchestra.

GalouandAccademiaBizantinaare

likewiseintheirelementinthediscof

cantatasandoperaarias.Mostfamiliar

hereistheArcadianchambercantata

Cessate,omaicessate,longacountertenor

favouritebutalsorecordedbyahandful

ofcontraltos,includingSaraMingardo

(Opus111,11/97).IfMingardosings

withmoreroundeddepthoftone,

Galou’sno-holds-barredpassionand

anguisharejustasaffecting,notleast

intheterrificfinal‘vengeance’aria.

Shefindsabright,sopranoishedge

forthecheerfulOmieporporepiùbelle,

composedtocelebratethenewBishop

ofMantua,andbringsavirtuoso

ELOQUENT VIVALDI

Focus

Richard Wigmore welcomes a pair of discs from Delphine Galou and Accademia

Bizantina, celebrating the expressive richness of Vivaldi in both sacred and secular music

Trademark imagination: Delphine Galou excels in Vivaldi

swagger to the horn-fuelled homage

cantata Qual in pioggia dorata, music to

massage a princely ego. Although the

booklet note is light on dramatic context

(depressingly familiar litany), Galou

characterises each of the assorted opera

arias with flair. My own highlights

included the gentle pathos of ‘Andrò

fida’ from Tito Manlio, soft-toned

recorders cooing in sympathy with

the voice, and Damira’s gleefully

manipulative ‘Semplice non temer’,

tossed off with real comic panache.

Minor reservations aside, both discs

are worthy of the consistently high

standards set by the whole series. Galou

fans and Vivaldi collectors alike should

need no encouragement.