Cantica Symphonia Maletto - Stabat Mater - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Stabat Mater - Stabat Mater [COMPACT DISCS] date 01/01/2003

This uniquely cross-sectional approach to culture combines great art with great music, and examines the connections between the two. Each piece of music from the carefully chosen selection takes on a new dimension and provides a musical context to the work of leading painters and sculptors. This fascinating series, with a color booklet including a chronology of the principal artistic and political developments of the period, broadens our view of the music itself. The influence of Raphael (1483-1520) has perhaps exceeded that of any other painter in history. For centuries his works were revered as perfect models of grace and harmony, to the point where every creator of a kitsch Madonna felt obliged to plunder his manner and techniques. On this CD, the world of Raphael is given a musical perspective with a carefully chosen selection of pieces by the finest composers of his time. Inside, Hugh Griffith provides explanatory notes on his life and musical environment. 1 CD with full-color, illustrated, explanatory booklet.

Composed 25 years after the celebrated work of the same name by Pergolesi, and for the same forces, the Stabat Mater by Nicola Logroscino (pronounced InchLogròscinoInch) belongs to the long list of compositions born of the Neapolitan school, beginning with the model by Alessandro Scarlatti (1723). Although inspired by it's illustrious precedents, this work distinguishes itself in it's strong theatrical character, derived from the author's long experience in opera (especially comic opera), of which he was a leading figure until the mid-eighteenth century. His Stabat Mater thus seems to be a veritable synthesis of operatic style, whereby lengthy arias alternate with lively duets, and passages of almost folk origins alternate with very simple recitatives. Giulia Semenzato, soprano, and Raffele Pe, countertenor, are the protagonists of this important rediscovery. This album - the first monographic recording dedicated to the composer - includes a brilliant cantata for soprano as well as a concerto for flute (played by Marcello Gatti), a work that represents a precious addition to the repertoire for this instrument. The ensemble InchTalenti VulcaniciInch, under the direction of Stefano Demicheli, deliver an instrumental performance of stylistic coherence and calibrated virtuosity, following their successful recording, Arias for Nicolino (A427), praised by critics for it's Inchtheatrical tautness and élanInch, and Incha reliable sense of pacing, detail and textureInch. (David Vickers, Gramophone, August 2017)