Alan Curtis: Vivaldi – Motezuma (3 CD box set, APE)

Performer: Inga Kalna, Maite Beaumont, Marijana Mijanovic, Roberta Invernizzi, Romina Basso, et al.
Orchestra: Il Complesso Barocco
Conductor: Alan Curtis
Composer: Antonio Vivaldi
Audio CD
SPARS Code: DDD
Number of Discs: 3
Format: APE (image+cue)
Label: Deutsche Grammophon
Size: 934 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes

Disc: 1
01. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Sinfonia. Allegro
02. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Sinfonia. Andante molto
03. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Sinfonia. Allegro
04. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 1. Scene 1. Recitativo accompagnato. Son cinto, eterni dei! / Recitativo
05. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 1. Scene 2. Aria. Gl’oltraggi della sorte
06. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 1. Scene 3. Recitativo. Oh comando! Oh dovere!
07. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 1. Scene 3. Aria. Là sull’eterna sponda
08. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 1. Scene 4. Recitativo accompagnato. Che legge è questa mai! / Recitativo. Ferma, Teutile
09. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 1. Scene 5. Aria. Dallo sdegno che m’accende
10. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 1. Scene 6. Recitativo. Mirarti appena ardisco
11. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 1. Scene 6. Aria. Barbaro, più non sento
12. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 1. Scene 7. Recitativo. Infausto dì, quante sciagure veggo
13. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 1. Scene 7. Aria. Tace il labbro
14. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 1. Scene 8. Recitativo. Numi, se ancor pietosi / Scene 9. Recitativo. Seguimi / Che ricerchi?
15. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 1. Scene 11. Recitativo. Qual silenzio è mai questo? / Scene 12. Recitativo
16. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 1. Scene 14. Aria. I cenni d’un sovrano
17. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 1. Scene 15. Recitativo. Confesso: non discerno ave son / Recitativo accompagnato
18. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 1. Scene 15. Aria. Se prescritta in questo giorno
19. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 1. Scene 16. Recitativo accompagnato. Parte l’affitto sposo
20. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 1. Scene 16. Aria. S’impugni la spada
21. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 1. Scene 17. Recitativo. Non m’avvilisco ancor
22. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 1. Scene 17. Aria. Nell’aspre sue vicende

Disc: 2
01. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 2. Scene 1. Recitativo. Vani i consigli sono
02. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 2. Scene 1. Aria. Brilleran per noi più belle
03. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 2. Scene 2. Recitativo. Principio a resirar / Scene 3. Recitativo. Grav’è l’impegno mio
04. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 2. Scene 3. Aria. Quel sossor ch’in volto miri
05. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 2. Scene 4. Recitativo. Fernando, il gran momento s’avvicina fra noi / Scene 5. Recitativo
06. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 2. Scene 5. Terzetto. A battaglia, a battaglia!
07. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 2. Scene 6. Recitativo. Consolatevi, amici / Scene 7. Recitativo. Lo faccia, e s’ha coraggio
08. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 2. Scene 7. Aria. Sei troppo, troppo facile
09. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 2. Scene 8. Recitativo. Mi deride, mi sprezza
10. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 2. Scene 8. Aria. D’ira e furor armato
11. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 2. Scene 9. Recitativo. Fermati, non fuggir
12. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 2. Scene 9. Sinfonia per il combattimento
13. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 2. Scene 10. Recitativo. Che fate? Ove correte, valorosi guerrier?
14. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 2. Scene 10. Aria. In mezzo alla procella
15. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 2. Scene 11. Recitativo. Vanne, crudel! / Scene 12. Recitativo. Fermati, il tuo destino
16. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 2. Scene 13. Aria. Un guardo, oh dio!
17. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 2. Scene 14. Aria. La figlia, lo sposo

Disc: 3
01. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 3. Scene 1. Recitativo. Esci german
02. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 3. Scene 1. Aria. L’aquila generosa
03. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 3. Scene 2. Recitativo. Or ch’è salvo il german
04. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 3. Scene 2. Aria. Anche in mezzo dei contenti
05. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 3. Scene 3. Recitativo. Eseguite, soldati
06. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 3. Scene 3. Aria. Dal timor, dallo spavento
07. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 3. Scene 4. Recitativo. Ecco, fedeli miei
08. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 3. Scene 4. Aria. Nella stagion ardente
09. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 3. Scene 5. Recitativo. Meno apparati
10. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 3. Scene 5. Aria. L’agonie dell’alma affitta
11. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 3. Scene 6. Recitativo. Figlia, una volta ancora
12. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 3. Scene 6. Recitativo accompagnato. Dunque è un errore / Recitativo. Madre infelice!
13. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 3. Scene 9. Recitativo accompagnato. Ed ho cor di soffrir? / Recitativo. Ferma, sposa
14. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 3. Scene 10. Aria. Dov’è la figlia?
15. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 3. Scene 11. Al gran genio guerriero
16. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 3. Scene 11. Recitativo. Popoli vinti
17. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 3. Scene 11. Al gran genio guerriero
18. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 3. Scena ultima. Recitativo. Seguimi, e non temer
19. Motezuma, opera in 3 acts, RV 723: Act 3. Scena ultima. Imeneo, che sei d’amori

One of the best Vivaldi Recordings

In the past five or six years, the recording industry has been very generous with baroque opera, in general, and Vivaldi’s operas in specific (despite the well known crisis of classical music recordings). It has to do with all the research that has been done about this field and the Vivaldi’s operas that have been found… Motezuma is the latest recording addition to this operatic side of Vivaldi’s music and it is presented as a first world premiere of the original opera with some reconstruction for the recitativos. (In 1992 Jean- Claude Malgoire’s make a recording of a pasticcio with the name of Montezuma, using music from cantantas, serenatas and other Vivaidi Operas).

To be honest, I was not expecting very much of the recording. Motezuma was written and performed in 1733, and, at this time, Vivaldi was concentrated more in pasticci and adaptations of earlier works than in composition of new music… Well, Motezuma is an exception: almost the entire score was composed for the libretto and the music is Vivaldi at his very best.

Il complesso Barocco and Alan Curtis need no recomendation, but in this specific work they are in great form… it may be the fact that they are really making new music, and you can feel it.

Now the singers. All of them are up to the challenge, and this is music of extreme virtuosity. Vito Priante has and imposing bass-bariton voice and sings fluent coloratura. I am not sure if Vivaldi wrote the part of Motezuma for low male voice insted of a castrato, but it works very well. Mariana Mijanovic sings the part of Mitrena, the emperor’s wife. For me, she is the less effective of the singers in this recordings. She sounds to virile for the part. She is a contralto with a very androgenous voice that worked very well in Giulio Cesar with Minkowski but in this specific work, a more feminine and agile voice would be more appropriate, but, anyway, she is exciting! Roberta Invernizzi sings Teutile, the princess. She has very beautiful voice and fits the arias perfectly. Maite Beaumont sings Fernando, the spanish invader, and she could not be better. Her arias are very difficult with a very wide range and she is great! Romina Basso sings the small part of Ramiro, Fernando’s brother, she has few moments but those are done very well. Inga Kalna sings another small part: Asprano, general of the mexicans… and surprisingly, I think this is the most difficult part in the entire opera. Few arias, but what kind of music! And Inga Kalna excels in it. You can listen to this prodigious singer in Rene Jacobs Giulio Cesar, where she takes the opera for herself… I wish she would record more often.

The story of the opera is an european-baroque-view of the conquest of Mexico but with interesting details: Motezuma and his wife are presented as a regal and loving couple willing to sacrifice themselves in the sake of honor… there is also a love story between the mexican princess and the brother of the invader.

Very recommendable recording. One of the best of the year. If you love baroque music, this is an opera you must have… if you don’t love this genere, I am sure this recording will change your mind.