Reviewed by Dave Massey

The Gloria is a celebratory Mass, a declaration of the glory and goodness of God and his mercy to the likes of you and me. It was often sung at Easter, and on this recording are the two settings that Vivaldi produced. The second is the most famous and 'well rounded' work and is often performed by choral societies around this time of year. Some similarities may be detected in the "Cum Sancto Spiritu" with which both works end, highlighting a Baroque custom of borrowing from one of your earlier works to save time! Vivaldi goes a little further by 'bootlegging' some of the chorus from a little-known composer by the name of Ruggieri. He can be forgiven however, because in the process he substantially improves on the original. The soloists on this recording, Patrizia Kwella, Elizabeth Priday, Catherine Wyn-Rogers and Andrew Carwood give fine performances - the ladies producing a thinner tone in keeping with the aim for a more authentic sound. Kwella and Priday give a particularly good performance of the "Laudamus Te" (Praise the Lord) on the second Gloria. Dorchester Abbey provides just the right amount of ambience for the recording, giving a crisp quality to both the choir and the orchestra - especially the trumpets on the Gloria (RV 558). This recording is great for comparing the two works too, especially if you have a CD player. Try programming the identical movements to play one after the other...great fun!!

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