Italian Music from the Late Renaissance and Baroque

[Que]

Please help! Que, Mandryka, Premont!

I´ve been listening to [Trabaci & Frescobaldi]

Last night they put me to sleep within half an hour each. I wait, and wait, and wait, for a melodic line to pop up --- but to no avail! Layer upon layer of chords after chords wihtout any purpose and meaning. What am I missing? Is this music supposed to not have any melody at all? Am I supposed to just revel in the juxtaposition of different harmonic layers? Well, I can´t. Music without melody is no music at all to my ears. Should I then give up on those composers?

I guess that is, like Premont pointed out, that way the music is. But....I do think performances music from this period should have a flow and an improvisatory character to it, like the use of ornamentations.
On those accounts I do not concur with the recommendation of Vartolo's baren, stop-and-go style.

Tasini disspointed me in Mayone. Try  Franceso Cera's organ & harpsichord set on Brillant for Trabaci, that impressed greatly. Though Dévérité's charming Trabaci disc still holds it own.

Q

[Jo498]

In early Italian baroque Monteverdi (and also Caccini and others) can be very melodic, probably more obvious in the solo/duo stuff like scherzi musicali (Maledetto sia l'aspetto or the "Zefiro" with the ciacona pattern etc.) 
I guess Frescobaldi ricercari are supposed to be both "learned" and specifically instrumental, so vocal/melodical qualities are not a priority. I think I have one Leonhardt Frescobaldi disc but I cannot claim deeper familiarity.

[Florestan]

Thank you guys for your thoughts and suggestions.

[Florestan]

Highly recommended (I´m talking to you, Que!)

[asin]B00JRER9MM[/asin]

From the Glossa website:

Mitzi Meyerson likes to come up with surprising musical finds or rediscoveries and her latest, the Opera Prima of Giovanni Battista Somis, is as fascinating as her recordings devoted to Richard Jones and Gottlieb Muffat. Indeed, the harpsichordist chanced upon the score for this set of Baroque violin sonatas – first published in 1717 – when investigating the music of Richard Jones in the British Library, finding thereby another trove of forgotten Baroque gems.

Somis worked for the Dukes of Savoy, initially in Turin, in the early 18th century, but studied with Corelli in Rome, later befriended Vivaldi, and himself taught many subsequent prominent violinists, including Jean-Marie Leclair. Known as a virtuoso on the violin himself (and he is even said to have composed 152 violin concertos!), Somis even performed at the Concert Spirituel in Paris. This, his first collection of sonatas, was dedicated to the powerful Regent of Savoy, Marie-Jeanne-Baptiste de Savoie, the mother of the future duke, Vittorio Amedeo II. The music is often very galant and perfectly combines Italian and French features.

Together with violinist Kreeta-Maria Kentala and cellist Lauri Pulakka, Meyerson fully enters into the Baroque spirit of transcribing and arranging on this Glossa recording by varying these 12 three-movement sonatas with all the stylistic experience and insight that the modern day musicians can offer.

[Jo498]

I can't go through 10 pages to check, but the Glossa disc reminds me of another one from that label, actually a re-issue of some early 1990s italian recording with a set of Lamentationes by Alessandro Scarlatti, directed by Enrico Gatti. These are for solo or maybe sometimes two singers only, not choral like most other settings but for those who like Scarlatti's and Pergolesi's Stabat Mater settings, they should be mandatory:

[asin]B004JP8O96[/asin]

[Que]

Highly recommended (I´m talking to you, Que!)

[asin]B00JRER9MM[/asin]

I hear you, Anrdei! Thanks for the recommendation. 

Q

[Rinaldo]

Albicastro, who the hell is Henrico Albicastro?! I've already gushed about him in the listening thread but guys, his twelve concertos have to be heard to be believed.

Giovanni Henrico Albicastro was the italianized name of Bavarian composer Johann Heinrich von Weissenburg (c. 1660 – after 1730), a talented amateur musician who published his compositions pseudonymously.

I guess his stuff belongs in the Italian thread? I've searched GMG and there was only a single mention of him. Let's fix that! This is gorgeous, Top of the Baroque Pops stuff, no two ways about it. Unfortunately, these are the only recordings available:

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[asin]B000005Z3R[/asin]

[Mandryka]

The music on this recording by Francesco Tasini, part of his complete Alessandro Scarlatti, sounds small scale and domestic. But that's no hardship at all: it is supple, delicate and singing. The real star is the harpsichord, an anonymous 18th century instrument from Ferrara. Well worth hearing I would say, and revelatory for me who had only heard Alessandrini's Scarlatti before: the music and the music making here is a totally different kettle of fish.

[Que]

There is so little information on Roman composer Pietro Paolo Bencini (c. 1670 - 1755) available online, that I am going to copy it in:

Bencini was born into a family of musicians of which he was to become the most famous member. In 1703 he was included in the group of Roman masters of the chapel who were officially recognized by the congregation of musicians; he was then maestro di cappella at Santa Maria dell'Anima, the Germanic church in Rome. The title in fact meant that Bencini had the task of organizing the music for important feast days.

In 1705, he succeeded Alessandro Scarlatti as maestro coadiutore, i.e. 'assistant' to Giovanni Bicilli, who had then composed and directed the music for the Congregazione dell'Oratorio di San Filippo Neri at Santa Maria in Valcella for almost fifty years. When Bicilli died in October of that year, Bencini took over his position. In 1706, he was elected guardian of the congregation of musicians, an important post, to which he was re-elected the following year and again in 1712. In 1743 he obtained the post of maestro di cappella at the Cappella Giulia in St Peter's in succession to Pitoni. As was customary when a maestro di cappella became too old, the chapter of the basilica gave him a maestro coadiutore in 1749. This post was taken by Niccolo Jommelli from 1749 to 1752, then by Giovanni Battista Costanzi (1704-1778), who succeeded him as maestro di cappella of the Cappella Giulia at his death in 1755.

A recent purchase is this recording by the French ensemble A Sei Voci:

[asin]B003AKEQVG[/asin]
To be frank, when I put this recording on my response was initially rather indifferent... This recording is the familiar concept of a vespers assembled from various works by a composer. Since this limited the choice in music to pieces eligible to be included in such proceedings, it turns out not always to be Bencini's best with the inclusion of some early works. The recording starts with some rather run-of-the-mill stuff.... hence my initial impression. Things pick up considerably from track 4 onwards, some of the psalms are quite pretty and cleverly written. To aid things further, performances are generally excellent.
So, a mixed bag per definition, but there are some really nice pieces on here in good performances. Still, any comparison with musical genius Alessandro Scarlatti, as is attempted in the booklet is out of place - these composers are surely not in tbe same league.

Recommended for those with a more extensive Italian Baroque collection that are looking for variety,  but in terms of priority not on top of the list....

There is another disc by A Sei Voci of the same composer that seems to have gathered more positive reviews in the past:



http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2000/nov00/bencini.htm

http://www.classicstoday.com/review/review-5639/

It definitely interests me, anyone knows it? 

Q

[JCBuckley]

There is another disc by A Sei Voci of the same composer that seems to have gathered more positive reviews in the past:




It definitely interests me, anyone knows it? 

Q

I don't know this recording, but I do have a fine performance of the Bencini Magnificat, recorded by Rinaldo Alessandrini about five years back - it's on the CD titled Per La Vergine Maria. Have you heard that one?

[Que]

I don't know this recording, but I do have a fine performance of the Bencini Magnificat, recorded by Rinaldo Alessandrini about five years back - it's on the CD titled Per La Vergine Maria. Have you heard that one?

Haven't heard it, but I do know which disc you mean: 

[asin]B004S7ZZ42[/asin]
Q

[Florestan]

Last night, two splendid Early Baroque CDs.



This is something of a curiosity: the re-creation (musically only, for obvious reasons) of a dancing and singing masquerade (festa a ballo) that was performed in Naples, March 1, 1620. Let me quote the full original title of the printed edition, to give you an idea about the whole thing, together with its political (sic!) implications.

A SHORT ACCOUNT OF
THE
ENTERTAINMENT WITH DANCES
Performed in Naples to celebrate the return to
health of His Catholic Majesty
PHILIP III OF AUSTRIA
King of the Spains
in the presence of His Illustrious and Most
Serene Highness the Duke of Osuna, Viceroy
of the Kingdom, in the Great Hall of the Palace
on the 1st of March, 1620

To cut a long story short, don Pedro Giron, Duke of Osuna, Viceroy of Naples, mounted this magnificent and ostentatious performance in order to ingratiate himself with the King, who was not very happy about the Duke´s military actions against Venice (probably in alliance with the Turks) and his instigating a conspiracy in Venice itself. Not out of love for the bitterly complaining Venetians, of course, but out of fear that the Duke´s growing power, influence and priivate army might have tempted him to independence. The result of the lavishing hosanna was not as expected, for in June 1620 Cardinal Borgia arrived from Rome to replace him as Viceroy. Pedro Giron returned to Madrid to plead his innocence but was soon thrown in jail where he died 4 years later.

(Now, this political cabal so typical of its time might in itself have been the subject of an opera.)

Surprisingly, most of the music for the numbers performed survived in the form of a print edition, making thus possible a musical reconstruction of the masquerade.

The music (which is the work of several composers, the most famous being Giovanni Maria Trabacci) is superb: danceful and tuneful instrumental numbers, with infectious and often irregular rythms, alternate with melodious and highly cantabile vocal sequences, making for an extremely pleasurable listening.

The performance is as magnificent as the original must have been. The forces employed are impressive, spanning the whole range of Rennaissance instruments, from violins & viols to shawms & crumhorns to tambourines & sidedrums and everything in between, as well as a vocal ensemble consisting of 2S, 1A, 2T, 1B. The sound is crystal clear, bright and luminous.

The result is one of the most beautifully interpreted and recorded CDs I ever heard.

Then I played this one:

[asin]B000050431[/asin]

The title is taken from the first piece on the disc: a Capriccio stravagante by Carlo Farina which is indeed extravagant and then some. In terms of quirkiness and moodiness he could have taught CPE Bach a thing or two and there is a brief sequence which, if taken out of context, could have been written by Xenakis no less. The end is surprisingly quiet and subdued, marking one of the strangest but most interesting and enjoyable Baroque pieces I ever listened to.

The mood is thus set for the whole disc (volume one of two, actually): Italian instrumental music from about 1620 (coincidentally contemporaneous with the festa a ballo I have just commented upon) with a clear and present sense of extravagance and virtuosity. Needless to say, the most daring such works on this CD are by Biaggio Marini and Dario Castello, who were a sort of avant-garde of their time. An unknown (for me) Giovanni Picchi delivers a really strange Canzon decima nona a doi chori which juxtaposes in the Gabrieli manner strings and winds, creating a vivid tension between the two groups, as if they are competing for supremacy (an allusion to the then ongoing battle between the old style and the nascent Baroque, perhaps?). Pieces by Frescobaldi, Michelangelo Rossi, Buonamente, Turini, Vitali and Merula, though none as extremely and wildly extravagant as those I mentioned, complete this most charming CD. Excellent performance from The Purcell Quartet and His Majesty´s Sackbutts and Cornets, recorded in very good sonics.

(I can hardly wait for the coming night to listen to the second volume.)

Two winners I heartily recommend to any Early Baroque afficionado.

EDIT: Very informative liner notes on both, with full Italian texts and English translations in the first case.

[Florestan]

.[asin]B00005QF3I[/asin]
Cappricio Stravagante, volume two.

This is a sort of a letdown, honestly. Not because the quality of music and musicmaking is anything less than in the first volume, not at all. It´s just that there is very little of that wild, exhilarating and even frenzied extravagance which was indeed to be found in the preceding disc. Compared to that, the music presented here is tame and subdued. But at the end of the day this is not such a bad thing, actually, because it makes a good contrast to the first volume. If I were to single out the piece that I found most appealling, it would be an exquisite Sonata sopra l'aria di Ruggiero by Salamone Rossi.

I recommend this as heartily as I recommended the first volume.

[Mandryka]

Interesting note by Fabio Falcone, really a plea for funding for his Andrea Antico CD, but I enjoyed reading it. I think Fabio Falcone is a really good harpsichord player in his recording of Gesualdo-inspired music on Brilliant (I'm less interested in the music on the Andrea Antico disc.) 

http://www.kisskissbankbank.com/antico-and-cavazzoni-s-keyboard-works

(Could we change the title of the thread to make it cover early Italian music like this? )

[Que]

I'd like some comments on available recordings of the Tenebrae Responsoria, or rather the Responsoria et alia ad Officium Hebdomadae Sanctae spectantia (1611), written by the (in)famous Carlo Gesualdo da Venosa. 

I am looking for an up-to-date idiomatic reading. Some recordings I am considering:

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[asin]B00DUE8I0M[/asin]	[asin]B00PFAX6V0[/asin]
[asin]B002E2M5GE[/asin]

Any comments would be welcome!
It seems the complete set fills two discs, the 3CD Glossa issue adds Madrigals by other composers... The Stradivarius and Brilliant issues are on one disc, haven't figured the details on that yet....

Q


PS

Johan van Veen:
As I have indicated I am very happy with the recordings by Herreweghe and La Compagnia del Madrigale. Fortunately I don't have to choose, and if you can afford to purchase both recordings, don't hesitate. If not, it is probably a matter of taste. Hopefully my reviews will help you to get a good impression of what to expect. The additional music in this production could be a factor in its favour, but in regard to interpretation you can't go wrong with either of them. 

His review of the recording by La Compagnia del Madrigale: http://www.musica-dei-donum.org/cd_reviews/Glossa_GCD922803.html

His review of the recording by Herreweghe: http://www.musica-dei-donum.org/cd_reviews/Gesualdo_Victoria_Herreweghe_Short.html

[aligreto]

I'd like some comments on available recordings of the Tenebrae Responsoria, or rather the Responsoria et alia ad Officium Hebdomadae Sanctae spectantia (1611), written by the (in)famous Carlo Gesualdo da Venosa. 

I am looking for an up-to-date idiomatic reading.



Q

The only comment that I can make is that I have put the one above on my List immediately solely based on the collection of Josquin CDs that I have sung by A Sei Voci 

[Que]

The only comment that I can make is that I have put the one above on my List immediately solely based on the collection of Josquin CDs that I have sung by A Sei Voci 

That's exactly the reason why I preselected it!  I admire their Desprez recordings as well.

Q

[HIPster]

.

[asin]B002E2M5GE[/asin]

Hi Q,

Thanks for listing these!

The 3 CD set by La Compagnia Del Madrigale interests me very much.  It has been on my wishlist since its release.

However, I was unaware of De Labyrintho's recording!  As you are aware, I am a fan of their Josquin recording and feel they will do very well with Gesualdo's Responsoria.

I just ordered their recording.   

[Mandryka]

I'd like some comments on available recordings of the Tenebrae Responsoria, or rather the Responsoria et alia ad Officium Hebdomadae Sanctae spectantia (1611), written by the (in)famous Carlo Gesualdo da Venosa. 

I am looking for an up-to-date idiomatic reading.

You have to decide whether you want a liturgical setting, whether you'll respond positively to the viol pieces in the Labyrintho CD, or whether you just want all the responsoria one after the other bish bash bosh bob's your uncle à la Hilliard. And whether you want very small scale introverted, or something more flamboyant.

I have heard all the recordings you listed, and I'm still not clear about this music at all.

One thing I can do, when you finally join the 21st century and learn to download, is let you have a tremendous live recording directed by Herreweghe from Alderburgh a couple of years ago. It's better than his CD IMO.

[prémont]

I had come across Lydia Maria Blank before through a recording of Spanish music, misleadingly called Folias (misleading because it's not just stuffed with La Folia music.) It contains the most humane performances of music by Cabanilles I've ever heard.

Recently I got hold of this recording (Presto download), and I am deeply impressed. I find the interpretation extremely brilliant and exciting, stressing the ecstatic elements in the music. And a marvellous sounding harpsichord.