Customer Reviews

Vivaldi: Stabat Mater (Vivaldi Edition)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I really enjoy this compilation and find it very different from the many other versions of Stabat Mater by Vivaldi that I've heard. While the packaging is a bit chic and designed to capture the eye of a more younger crowd, obviously hoping to take classical music to new places as is the struggle in this field today. This is one in a series, which I've listened to and can say that, as a whole they are all very worthy recordings. The sound quality is very good as far as the ability to "properly" record classical music.

So many Sound Engineers get stuck in a 'pop music' mode when having to face classical recordings, it seems to continually baffle them for some reason. The hope in Vivaldi, as many know, is to not focus on the soloist or what would be seen in modern music as the front-end but listen to the piece as a whole and moreso listening to the "back' tones or undercurrent, which are complex and lost so many times by Rock/Modern sound engineers. This is the real sound which was intended by the composer, almost four hundred years ago.

This recording, overlooked nobly by Laurence Heym, delivers a very rich and rewarding Vivaldi experience. Sara Mingardo is a very talented, commanding and lush Contralto. Perhaps one of the best that I've heard in recent years. And no, that's not her on the cover. The playing is very precise and seamless, wonderfully directed by Rinaldo Allessandrini. I highly recommend this offering by the National University Library in Turin.

And lastly, as a historical note, this was thought to be light years beyond anything at the time when Vivaldi wrote it, which he did very quickly, and it brought people to thier knees, ... which was much appreciated by the Church.

I have generally enjoyed all the items I have purchased from this series. This disc, however, is among my favorites. Mingardo is a singer I was not very familiar with until I began listening to these Vivaldi Edition releases. She has an wonderful voice that is very well suited to the pieces on this disc. The singing is not only technically above par but her singing also communicates the text well and brings the music to life. Additionally, the ensemble playing on the disk is really top notch. I purchased this mainly for the vocal works but find the concerti equally, if not more, exciting.

To my ears, this is the best performance of the Stabat Mater, at least from the 3 performances that i heard:
1. Negri with Kowalski: a good performance, but the use of modern instruments mar the delicate balance.
2. Bancini and scholl: A problematic performance. Scholl get here the full scope with the orchestra quite at the back of the stage, just like a bad concerto.
Moreover, Scholl's singing is a bit detached from the context, and there were moments when i felt that he don't remember if he sing Vivaldi, Pergolesi, Schutz, etc.

3. Alessandrini and Mignardo: as i said, this is the best performance. The combination between the fiery Alessandrini and the introvertic and emotional singing of Mignardo (plus the excellent recording) is unbeatable!

This CD features some of Vivaldi's very best compositions. Its range is extreme - from the celebratory pomp and euphoria of the Concerto per la Solennità di S. Lorenzo to the deep pathos of Stabat Mater, and from instrumental to vocal. The first piece, the above-mentioned concerto, is played at a much quicker tempo than my 'definitive' recording (Parrott, Virgin, 1988). The initial shock fades, however, with each replaying. In fact, on looking at the tempo indication, Alessandrini sounds much more like the required Allegro molto than Parrott. While the first movement shaves off 44", the last is almost a full minute shorter. Ultimately, a strong case could be made for both recordings - Parrott's is arguably more appropriate in its stateliness and boasts a greater variety of colours. But Alessandrini's vivacious and arresting account makes it a very worthy challenger. He certainly reveals new facets to this gem of a concerto.

The main work, Stabat Mater, has now taken its rightful place in the Vivaldi canon. The music is undramatic but intensely heartfelt and might well have been what Michael Talbot had in mind when observing that the composer 'sought a serenity and dignity in church music' that his operatic and virtuosic duties couldn't provide. There is plenty of competition here though, with excellent alternatives offered by Andreas Scholl/Ensemble 415 (HM), Michael Chance/Trevor Pinnock (Archiv) and James Bowman/Christopher Hogwood (Decca) all giving this Naïve recording a severe test. And in this instance, arguably all three of these alternatives offer a more satisfying result. Bowman and Scholl in particular bring a gravitas to the piece that is absent with Mingardo (a criticism that could equally be made of Jean-Christophe Spinosi's recording, also on the Naïve label). Again, questions of tempo arise. The opening movement seems too lethargic - it is intentionally grave, no doubt, but taken to extremes here. (And the same is true of the concluding work, the 'Sonata' à quattro, RV130, where the sepulchrally-slow pace might have worked in isolation, but not immediately after Stabat Mater.) Mingardo is highly impressive, however, with the Motet, Clarae stellae, a relatively little-known but delightful work.

So despite a superb array of contrasting compositions, not quite the usual 5 star recording from Naïve, despite the obvious commitment and imagination on show. This is not a bad CD by any means (there are delights aplenty) but if it's principally Stabat Mater you're after, it might be wise to look elsewhere - even as far back as James Bowman's 1977 analogue recording which, dated and pricey though it is in comparison to this CD, probably remains unsurpassed.