Delphine Galou, Ottavio Dantone, Accademia Bizantina – Vivaldi: Arie e cantate per contralto (2019) [FLAC 24bit/96kHz]

Delphine Galou, Ottavio Dantone, Accademia Bizantina – Vivaldi: Arie e cantate per contralto (2019)
FLAC (tracks) 24-bit/96 kHz | Time – 57:35 minutes | 1,09 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Master, Official Digital Download | Digital Booklet, Front Cover | © naïve classique

When it comes to prosperity, Vivaldi got pretty lucky. Thanks to a succession of happy accidents, his personal collection of manuscripts has survived through the centuries, allowing his music to be preserved, then later played and recorded. The contralto Delphine Galou and Ottavio Dantone, the director of the Accademia Bizantina, drew from this priceless batch of nearly 450 compositions to develop the program for this album of sacred music pieces dedicated to the alto voice.

This new recording of the Vivaldi Edition, begun by NAÏVE many years ago, offers cantatas and arias for viola, functioning as perfect companions for the album of works sung by the same Delphine Galou. The lyrics, often by unknown authors, do not have a strong literary interest. Here, we find a pastoral world populated by shepherds in need of love as well as cruel and fickle nymphs, obeying the cannon of the time.

Vivaldi takes advantage of these stereotypical characters to vary his expressive palette in a very subtle way and introduce the operatic style into works primarily intended for living rooms. The exceptional quality of his music generally transcends the commissioned work he is obliged to do, both in Mantua and Venice. These cantatas are accompanied here by some arias from his many operas. They allow Delphine Galou to fully express the variety and range of her singing through the pathetism of Liquore ingrato (Tito Manlio), the sweetness of “Andrò fida e sconsolata” of the same opera or the innocent grace of a childish song in the aria “È pure dolce ad un’anima amante” (Il Giustino). – François Hudry

Tracklist:
01. Cessate, omai cessate, RV 684: Cessate, omai cessate (Recitativo)
02. Cessate, omai cessate, RV 684: Ah ch’infelice sempre (Aria)
03. Cessate, omai cessate, RV 684: A voi dunque ricorro (Recitativo)
04. Cessate, omai cessate, RV 684: Nell’orrido albergo (Aria)
05. Tito Manlio, RV 738: Liquore ingrato
06. Tieteberga, RV 737: L’innocenza sfortunata
07. La Candace, o siano Li veri amici, RV 704: Care pupille
08. O mie porpora più belle, RV 685: O mie propore più belle (Aria)
09. O mie porpora più belle, RV 685: Tutta vaga e festosa (Recitativo)
10. O mie porpora più belle, RV 685 No, non vidi (Aria)
11. Tito Manlio, RV 738: Andro fida e sconsolata
12. La Candace, o siano Li veri amici, RV 704: Si, si bel volto che v’adoro
13. La verità in cimento, RV 739: Semplice non temer
14. Qual in pioggia dorata, RV 686: Qual in pioggia dorata (Recitativo)
15. Qual in pioggia dorata, RV 686: Ombre nere (Aria)
16. Qual in pioggia dorata, RV 686: Cosi fia che baleni (Recitativo)
17. Qual in pioggia dorata, RV 686: Luce placida e serena (Aria)
18. La Candace, o siano Li veri amici, RV 704: Per dar pace al tuo dolore
19. Giustino, RV 717: E pur dolce ad un’anima amante