Vivaldi's vocal music

[Elgarian]

This is a plea for help.

I was looking at the Hyperion website - that section where they offer their ten worst-selling CDs at greatly reduced price - and found a copy of Volume 7 of Vivaldi's Sacred Music (King's Consort). I nearly skipped by because I'm on a Handel hunt, primarily, and what little I've heard of Vivaldi's instrumental music hasn't made me think it would be my kind of thing. But I tried a few samples from these vocal works, and I tried a few more, and I thought this was really quite extraordinarily beautiful music. So I sampled a few of the other volumes in that series (not reduced) and thought 'Oh-oh... this is dangerous territory'.

Eventually I discovered this box set:



All 10 volumes, in a box, at about half the total cost of buying them separately.

Now this would be a big step. My recent forays into the baroque period have led me into some unexpectedly exciting places (Handel, Rameau, Lully, Charpentier, Couperin), but in my ignorance I never imagined Vivaldi would feature, and I'd had no idea he'd composed all this vocal music. Does anyone out there own this box? Or any of these 10 recordings separately? And are there any words of encouragement (or discouragement) you'd like to offer before I splash the cash (or not)?

[DarkAngel]

I can't help much with sacred music, but recently I have acquired most of the Naive label individual opera boxsets which have greatly impressed me.

Since the Italian government purchased large sets of Vivaldi manuscripts from private collectors and made them available in the Vivaldi museum I believe there are now more than 40 known Vivaldi operas, Naive has big job ahead of them as they gradually record these

[Sorin Eushayson]

I've been spelunking through Vivaldi's sacred music quite a bit lately: it's good.  Real good.  I suppose it should come as no surprise that the man known as 'The Red Priest' should have great sacred music!  

I've seen that box set as well, but would advise against the King's Consort. All of the their efforts with Baroque have left me feeling cold and uninspired (with no exceptions).

Try this disc to start:



You get three massive settings, performed by the magnificent Choir of King's College Cambridge, all for $13!

[Mozart]

I have a different set of his sacred works, and I def made the wrong choice. Anyways, it just sits there now...along with his operas...one day I decided Handel was just better and since then I've left Vivaldi's vocal music gather dust except for a few arias I particularly enjoy.

[Elgarian]

I've seen that box set as well, but would advise against the King's Consort. All of the their efforts with Baroque have left me feeling cold and uninspired (with no exceptions).

Thanks for this, though my own experience with King's consort (admittedly purely with Handel), has been very different to yours - I've found them delightful and full of life. Clearly this is a matter of taste more than anything else, so this leaves me with the jury still out, really.

I've been trying to compare the recording you recommended against the King's Consort version by listening to the two sets of samples of the Dixit Dominus (yours on Amazon, Consort on Hyperion website). My feeling is that the King's Concert is lighter, more airy, more delicate, whereas the EMI recording is weightier, more ponderous. I couldn't say whether one is better than the other, but that lightness and airiness is what drew me to the music in the first instance - so I'm inclined to go in that direction I think (if I go at all).

[Elgarian]

I can't help much with sacred music, but recently I have acquired most of the Naive label individual opera boxsets which have greatly impressed me.

Oh heck, DA - I am on the road to ruin, here. I just listened to a few samples from one of those. Oh crikey!

[Que]

Thanks for this, though my own experience with King's consort (admittedly purely with Handel), has been very different to yours - I've found them delightful and full of life. So this leaves me with the jury still out, really.

Firstly, Vivaldi's vocal music is worthwhile IMO.

On performances I would advise against King's Vivaldi, or Cleobury for that matter, though I cannot claim to have heard all of Kings' Vivaldi. And that has nothing to do with the King's Consort: great in Handel. The reason is that the combination of Vivaldi and British choral tradition doesn't work. I would opt for performances by Alessandrini, De Marchi, Tabacco, Spinosi. All on Naïve's sublabel Opus 111.

Some sacred vocal favourites:





Q

[Elgarian]

Firstly, Vivaldi's vocal music is worthwhile IMO.

Thanks Que - I should explain that I wasn't initially on a hunt for sacred vocal music; it just so happened that that was what I stumbled across, and was smitten by. I'll see if I can find some samples of the recordings you're recommending, but I'm already scared that this Vivaldi thing may be about to snowball out of control and become unsolvable....

[Que]

Thanks Que - I should explain that I wasn't initially on a hunt for sacred vocal music; it just so happened that that was what I stumbled across, and was smitten by. I'll see if I can find some samples of the recordings you're recommending, but I'm already scared that this Vivaldi thing may be about to snowball out of control and become unsolvable....

Absolutely!

Q

[Que]

Some previous recommendations:

Orlando Furioso

Serenata a Tre

Juditha Triumphans

Q

[springrite]

Vivaldi's vocal music is excellent! We often forget that in his day, Vivaldi is more popular as a vocal (including operatic) music composer than has a concerti composer.

I have not heard that much Vivaldi vocal music, but of the ones I have, Orlando Furioso is a favorite for sure.

[KevinP]

I'm not the biggest fan of Vivaldi's instrumental music, the big one included, but the vocal music is just stunningly beautiful. I bought the ten King's Consort CDs individually and love them. In fact, they've spoiled me so that everything else just sounds wrong now, and I'm generally not enamored with King's interpretations.

[Elgarian]

Some previous recommendations:

Orlando Furioso

Serenata a Tre

Juditha Triumphans

This is really useful, Que - thank you. One of the problems at the start of ventures such as this is that one doesn't always know what are the questions that one wants to ask ....

Thanks, too, to everyone else who is commenting.

[DarkAngel]

This is really useful, Que - thank you. One of the problems at the start of ventures such as this is that one doesn't always know what are the questions that one wants to ask ....

Thanks, too, to everyone else who is commenting.

Since we already know that you love Handel's Italian operas, it is only natural that you explore Vivaldi's operas on Naive label, both composers were composing opera during same time period 1710-1740........I think you will find thier style similar

And although the Naive label conductor group (mostly young Italian) is different than those currently recording Handel opera many of the same vocalists are used like Piau, Gens, Mingardo, Ciofi etc. and the Naive sound quality is just excellent. I think Handel specialist Alan Curtis even has a couple Vivaldi operas recorded now.

[Sorin Eushayson]

I'm already scared that this Vivaldi thing may be about to snowball out of control and become unsolvable....

Absolutely!

As it should! 

Que's right though, Elgarian.  You should trust his opinion more than mine, as he has more experience in this area.  It also makes sense that Italians will perform Vivaldi better than Englishmen.  I've been quite tempted by those Naive discs with the concerto Italiano, may have to check them out - especially if they have a disc of Vivaldi's magnificent Dixit Dominus!   

[DarkAngel]

Plus  

Elgarian
This will get you caught up, all the Naive Vivaldi operas plus the Biondi/Virgin Bajazet
A second mortgage on the home may be necessary but you can then relax knowing that for now you are nearly caught up  

[The new erato]

Griselda seems to be currently OOP since my backorder at mdt is 2 months old.

[Que]

This is really useful, Que - thank you. One of the problems at the start of ventures such as this is that one doesn't always know what are the questions that one wants to ask ....

Thanks, too, to everyone else who is commenting.

Your welcome. 
Perhaps you are already familiar with the resources site newolde?
Always an interesting read: http://www.newolde.com/vivaldi.htm (Note that it has a separate section on Vivaldi operas and special pages dedicated to Händel.)

Q

[71 dB]

Some previous recommendations:

Juditha Triumphans

Q

I happened to listen to that in Spotify a week ago and I found it very very good.  0:)

[Elgarian]

I'm doomed, I tell you all. Doomed!

OK, OK let me try to make some coherent plan out of this. It seems to me I have two roads before me:

1. The sacred music; here the issue is King's Consort 11 CD box set, or the Opus 111 alternatives. Now, I have to remember in all this that it was listening to the King's Consort that made me start this project in the first place, so I mustn't lose sight of that. But also, if I were to decide to buy their box, I wouldn't be able to afford it until next month. So I have two weeks for further research.

So what I've done is to order a cheap copy of this:



This, which I know is an acclaimed recording, will give me a decent shot at the Alessandrini take on things and help me to make a decision about the Hyperion box.

2. Quite separately there's the issue of whether to try one of the Opus 111 operas, and I much appreciate what everyone's saying here. OK, I might just be able to squeeze one of those out before the end of the month. So which should I get? Orlando Furioso?

Thanks to everyone for your help. Confusing it may still be at present, but all your suggestions have been valuable.