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4.0 out of 5 stars
Another superb effort by Sei Voci!, August 30, 2005
This review is from: Jommelli: Vespers (Audio CD)
Niccoló Jommelli was the most famous composer of his generation, and his music remained popular for nearly 100 years after his death, but by the mid-19th c. was almost entirely forgotten (Neapolitan music of the 18th c. in general fell out of favor and remains largely unkown to the average concert-goer today). And it is unfortunate; one often hears music of composers who had the great luck to be well liked during their lives, but with the distance of time we can understand the decrease of interest in their work. Not so with Jommelli; his music is lively, tuneful, engaging, well crafted, and grateful to the voice (he was primarily an opera and church composer; what little instrumental music I have heard is not nearly so fine). This recording gives us a good idea of Jommelli's skills with the older style favored in the Roman church of the time (mid-18th c.). All selections are for voices and continuo and most are the 'stile antico' style, but possess a freshness and attractive quality that takes them beyond the realm of simple contrapuntal exercises.
The performances are done with scholarly care and real heart, as with all of Sei Voci's work. The sopranos are especially fine here.
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