Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

Carlo Lenzi was born in 1735 near Bergamo in northern Italy and after being educated in Naples worked for 40 years as maestro di cappella at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in his home town. His permanent residence in that town was both a blessing and a curse to the composer: on the one hand he occupied a prestigious position, which was safe and stable, but on the other hand he was limited to a local audience, so that his works were largely confined to Bergamo, cut off from the rest of the musical world in contrast to, say, his contemporaries Mozart or Haydn. The comparison with these two giants is not out of place and had Lenzi been based in Salzburg or Milan perhaps his fame would have spread. Out of Lenzi's output, his 34 'Lamentations For The Holy Week' stand out. For this recording, the first lamentation for Good Friday in 1777 and the second lamentation for Maundy Thursday in 1780 were chosen. Both share a modern style, a pathetic-sentimental expression, as well as brilliant and intricately composed vocal parts delivered with great aplomb by the soprano Francesca Lombardi Mazzulli. Along with Lenzi's 45 minutes on this disc we hear 26 minutes of Mozart. He composed the motet 'Exsultate, Jubilate' (KV165) in Milan in January 1773 for the soprano Venanzio Rauzzini. This motet is one of Mozart's most remarkable spiritual works and it is to Lenzi's credit that his contributions to this collection are not overshadowed by Mozart's. Signora Mazzulli's singing is well worth hearing but 25 minutes of the 66 on the disc is instrumental with both Lenzi and Mozart contributing two sonatas. Ensemble Autarena under Marcello Scandelli give a creditable performance but this reviewer would have preferred to hear more from Francesca Mazzulli. Listeners who want to explore away from the well-worn tracks of European baroque will enjoy the journey and may find in Carlo Lenzi a composer who deserves to be better known, and all who appreciate excellence in vocal music cannot fail to be thrilled by Francesca Lombardi Mazzulli.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.