Giovanni Paolo Cima, Musica Fiorita, Daniela Dolci - Vespro Della Beata Virgine
STYLE: Classical RATING OUR PRODUCT CODE: 157626-25789 LABEL: Pan Classics PC10316 FORMAT: CD Album ITEMS: 1
Reviewed by Steven Whitehead
In his day Milan's Giovanni Paolo Cima (c.1570-c.1626) was considered the musical equal of Monteverdi but today is little more than a footnote in the history of music for his pioneering work in instrumental music, such as solo and trio sonatas. And there lies the rub: as a composer of instrumental music he was to be superseded by others who built on Cima's foundations without even knowing it and as a composer of sacred music - his preferred medium - he was and is outshone by Monteverdi. Daniela Dolci and Musica Fiorita have raided Cima's 'Concerti ecclesiastici' of 1610 and constructed a hypothetical 'Vespro della Beata Virgine' from this material, modelling it on the more famous 'Maria Vespers' of Monteverdi. On first listen I found the instrumental pieces of greater interest, looking ahead as they do to the Early Baroque. The vocal music is, to my ears at least, worthy but dull, looking back to Medieval Plainchant. However there are moments when the two combine to produce something special, such as the eight-part "Assumpta est Maria" with its echo and dialogue structure. For this four and a half minutes alone Cima is worth your attention. For the other 57 minutes this CD, while lovingly compiled and skilfully performed, is of interest only to musicologists and historians.
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