Antonio Vivaldi, Aradia Ensemble, Kevin Mallon - Sacred Music 3

Published Tuesday 21st October 2008
Antonio Vivaldi, Aradia Ensemble, Kevin Mallon - Sacred Music 3
Antonio Vivaldi, Aradia Ensemble, Kevin Mallon - Sacred Music 3

STYLE: Classical
RATING 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9
OUR PRODUCT CODE: 51504-
LABEL: Naxos 8570445
FORMAT: CD Album
ITEMS: 1
RRP: £5.79

Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

Having reached Volume Three of the Naxos collected sacred works of Antonio Vivaldi we can be certain in saying that it is, indeed, a series and not merely an odd couple of discs. The easiest comparison would be with the 10 volumes of The King's Consort on Hyperion, some of which have been reviewed by Cross Rhythms. If I had to choose then King's wins on quality - just - but Aradia win on value for money - hands down. In this volume we get the final and expanded version of Vivaldi's G minor setting of the Magnificat, his setting of the Vespers Psalm 126, "Nisi Dominus", and the dramatic yet poignant Roman motet, "In Furore Iustissimae Irae" (In the fury of most righteous anger Thou showest thy divine power"). There is even a free downloadable bonus track from the Naxos catalogue to encourage the doubtful. Some find Vivaldi too baroque and here he is certainly much more ornate than, say, Bach or Handel but he is also a composer of great tenderness and sombre beauty and some passages on this disc are almost operatic. All the soloists are female and all sing well: Carla Huhtanen (soprano), Lynne McMurty (mezzo-soprano), Eve Rachel McLeod (mezzo-soprano) and Jennifer Enns Modolo (mezzo-soprano). Overall, a joyful 75 minutes and excellent value for money.

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.

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