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Post by MartinT on Mar 6, 2020 6:57:59 GMT
March 2020 - Vivaldi - Gloria, AAM, Choir of Kings College, Cambridge (2002)Of all the great choral works that I love, from Beethoven's 9th Symphony to Mozart's Requiem, the Vivaldi Gloria (1715) holds a special place for me. In its composition it is as infectious as his Four Seasons and gets right under my skin. Listen to the interplay in the simply mesmerising 2nd movement 'Et in terra pax', though, and you have music of the very highest quality with sections of the choir in call-and-response mode. This is what raises Vivaldi to the pinnacle of the baroque world. I have chosen this performance, Cleobury / AAM / Kings, as a very good all-rounder. My very favourite, Hogwood / Preston / Kirkby, is a supreme performance marred by mic amps running into distortion. The Gloria is one of those 'comfort' pieces that I return to again and again. Extraordinary music that is easy to listen to and always brings pleasure. open.qobuz.com/track/1021219en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloria_(Vivaldi)
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Post by julesd68 on Mar 6, 2020 12:35:06 GMT
Thanks Martin - I love the Hogwood version and have it on vinyl. I don't know this version but Cleobury always very reliable so will be an interesting comparison.
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Post by Slinger on Mar 6, 2020 15:41:09 GMT
I have this by Ricardo Muti with Teresa Berganza and the New Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus, so will be listening to that version.
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Post by Tim on Mar 6, 2020 15:45:28 GMT
I'm not sure I'm familiar with this, so I'll pop my headphones on with the shiny new amp and give it a spin  |
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Post by Slinger on Mar 6, 2020 17:35:10 GMT
A 4/5 that would have been a 7/10 from me. The lad Vivaldi did like a bit of coloratura, didn't he? Thankfully there's not as much in this Gloria as there is in his "other" Gloria. It's just my personal taste, obviously, and coloratura certainly has it's place in music, even if it does sometimes sound like the composer gave up on the lyrics but still needed pad them out to fit the nice tune he'd come up with.
My favourite piece was not the "Et in Terra Pax Homnibus" you mentioned, but the 8th section in the recording I listened to (the 7th in your choice) "Domine Deus, Agnus Dei" with both contralto and chorus. It was almost Mahleresque in places, and quite different to the Cleobury recording, although I can't listen to that on a decent system.
Tell me what you think, Martin. It seems to be treated with more "reverence" by Muti.
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Post by jandl100 on Mar 6, 2020 18:05:04 GMT
I was being gently wafted by Cleobury, but Paul's suggestion of Muti has me a bit more enthusisatic - the added heft takes it to a deeper level of seriousness for me. Not heard the Muti before, Berganza the contralto may be a bit plummy. I will give it, and probabl;y other recordiongs, more of a listen and I may well up my score. Eventually found the Muti on Qobuz - open.qobuz.com/album/5099991875556 |
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Post by julesd68 on Mar 6, 2020 18:39:24 GMT
I'll be comparing to Bach Consort Wien.
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Post by jandl100 on Mar 6, 2020 18:53:04 GMT
Muti is too old fashioned for me. Best so far for me is Parrott, not as light-hearted and frivolous as Cleobury. More than half way toward the magnificence of Mozart's Requiem. I'll up my score to 4 on the basis of who's-a-pretty-boy-then. And the sq is amazing, imo.  |
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Post by MartinT on Mar 6, 2020 21:22:21 GMT
Thanks, all. The Muti (found it on Qobuz) is very rich but I fear the slow pace actually loses impact for me over the Hogwood or Cleobury. Nice harpsichord, though.
Actually, do try the Hogwood especially 'Et in Terra' as it is a quite fantastically good performance.
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Post by MartinT on Mar 6, 2020 21:34:04 GMT
More than half way toward the magnificence of Mozart's Requiem. That is high praise, Jerry, as I consider Mozart's Requiem to be at the very pinnacle of musical creation, especially when performed by Fruhbeck de Burgos. |
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Post by jandl100 on Mar 6, 2020 21:40:41 GMT
More than half way toward the magnificence of Mozart's Requiem. That is high praise, Jerry, as I consider Mozart's Requiem to be at the very pinnacle of musical creation, especially when performed by Fruhbeck de Burgos. ... but as performed under Parrott, not Cleobury! |
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Post by MartinT on Mar 6, 2020 21:44:45 GMT
Yes, I got that. Not sure about the Parrott yet, need another listen.
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