Guest, Ledger, Cleobury: Vivaldi – Glorias Dixit Dominus, Magnificat, Beatus Vir (2 CD, APE)

Performer: Lynda Russell, Patrizia Kwella, Anne Wilkens, Kenneth Bowen, Peter Castle, Isobel Buchanan, Helen Watts, Ian Partridge
Orchestra: Cambridge St John’s College Choir, Wren Orchestra
Conductor: George Guest, Sir Philip Ledger, Stephen Cleobury
Composer: Antonio Vivaldi
Audio CD
Number of Discs: 2 CD
Format: APE (image+cue)
Label: Decca
Size: 662 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes

CD 01
01. Gloria, R.588 – 1. Gloria in excelsis Deo
02. Gloria, R.588 – 2. Et in terra pax hominibus
03. Gloria, R.588 – 3. Laudamus te
04. Gloria, R.588 – 4. Gratias agimus tibi
05. Gloria, R.588 – 5. Domine Deus
06. Gloria, R.588 – 6. Domine Fili Unigenite
07. Gloria, R.588 – 7. Domine Deus, Agnus Dei
08. Gloria, R.588 – 8. Qui tollis peccata mundi
09. Gloria, R.588 – 9. Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris
10. Gloria, R.588 – 10. Quoniam tu solus Sanctus
11. Gloria, R.588 – 11. Cum Sancto Spiritu
12. Gloria in D, R.589 – 1. Gloria in excelsis Deo
13. Gloria in D, R.589 – 2. Et in terra pax hominibus
14. Gloria in D, R.589 – 3. Laudamus te
15. Gloria in D, R.589 – 4. Gratias agimus tibi
16. Gloria in D, R.589 – 5. Propter magnam gloriam
17. Gloria in D, R.589 – 6. Domine Deus
18. Gloria in D, R.589 – 7. Domine Fili Unigenite
19. Gloria in D, R.589 – 8. Domine Deus, Agnus Dei
20. Gloria in D, R.589 – 9. Qui tollis peccata mundi
21. Gloria in D, R.589 – 10. Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris
22. Gloria in D, R.589 – 11. Quoniam tu solus Sanctus
23. Gloria in D, R.589 – 12. Cum Sancto Spiritu

CD 02
01. Magnificat – Ed. H. C. Robbins Landon, 1960 – Magnificat…Et exultavit
02. Magnificat – Ed. H. C. Robbins Landon, 1960 – Et misericordia…Timentibus Eius
03. Magnificat – Ed. H. C. Robbins Landon, 1960 – Fecit potentiam…Deposuit potentes
04. Magnificat – Ed. H. C. Robbins Landon, 1960 – Esurientes implevit…divites dimisit inanes
05. Magnificat – Ed. H. C. Robbins Landon, 1960 – Suscepit Israel…Sicut locutus est
06. Magnificat – Gloria patri…sicut erat…amen
07. Dixit Dominus (Psalm 109), R.594 – 1. Allegro: Dixit Dominus
08. Dixit Dominus (Psalm 109), R.594 – 2. Largo: Donec ponam
09. Dixit Dominus (Psalm 109), R.594 – 3. Allegro: Virgam virtutis tuae
10. Dixit Dominus (Psalm 109), R.594 – 4. Andante: Tecum principium
11. Dixit Dominus (Psalm 109), R.594 – 5. Adagio – Allegro: Juravit
12. Dixit Dominus (Psalm 109), R.594 – 6. Allegro: Dominus a dextris tuis
13. Dixit Dominus (Psalm 109), R.594 – 7. Largo – Allegro molto: Judicabit
14. Dixit Dominus (Psalm 109), R.594 – 8. Andante: De torrente
15. Dixit Dominus (Psalm 109), R.594 – 9. Allegro: Gloria Patri
16. Dixit Dominus (Psalm 109), R.594 – 10. Allegro: Sicut erat
17. Beatus Vir (Psalm 111), R.597 – 1. Allegro: Beatus vir
18. Beatus Vir (Psalm 111), R.597 – 2. Allegro non molto: Potens in terra/ Allegro (antifonia): Beatus vir
19. Beatus Vir (Psalm 111), R.597 – 3. Allegro: Gloria et divitiae
20. Beatus Vir (Psalm 111), R.597 – 4. Andante molto: Exortum est
21. Beatus Vir (Psalm 111), R.597 – 5. Allegro: Jucundus homo/ Allegro (Antifonia): Beatus vir
22. Beatus Vir (Psalm 111), R.597 – 6. Andante molto: In memoria aeterna/ Allegro (Antifonia): Beatus vir
23. Beatus Vir (Psalm 111), R.597 – 7. Allegro: Paratum cor
24. Beatus Vir (Psalm 111), R.597 – 8. Largo – Presto: Peccator videbit/ Allegro (Antifonia): Beatus vir
25. Beatus Vir (Psalm 111), R.597 – 9. Allegro: Gloria Patri

Welcome introdution to neglected part of Vivaldi’s oeuvre.

Vivaldi’s sacred music is not so famous as that of his contemporaries Bach and Handel, so this is a bargain opportunity to catch up. You might think Vivaldi’s playful, virtuoso Italianate character and Catholic context would produce radically different music, but in George Guest’s urgent readings, the mixture of restrainedly exultant choruses and austerely beautiful arias are near-identical to Bach.
The opening movement of the second ‘Gloria’, with its swirling violins and temperately joyous trumpet and winds, is one of the most celebrated pieces of Baroque music; nothing here quite equals it, but there is a haunting, echoing quality to some of the slower movements at odds with the generally celebratory form. The reverb-heavy production exploits this somtimes too much, making the sound seem artificial. For a more ‘Italianate’ interpretation, I would recommend Trevor Pinnock, whose caressing tempos allow Vivaldi’s warm harmonic spaciousness to breathe.

A Glorious Recording

Being already familiar with Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and also a big fan of Choral works, I picked this up not knowing anything about the pieces and was pleasantly surprised. Two versions of Gloria in D major take up the first disk. RV 589, the second version of Gloria is the better known of the two versions, but I wouldn’t say that it is superior. Both versions have their merits and I enjoy listening to them back to back. The second disk is my favorite. Although I bought it for the Glorias, I have fallen in love with the Magnificat in G major. This two-disc set is, in my opinion, all about the Magnificat. What a wonderful piece! Dixit Dominus and Beatur vir are both great pieces as well. This is a great recording and the music within in excellent.