Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

In this most enjoyable recital David Bates leads La Nuova Musica in a pair of contrasting settings of Psalm 109 (numbered as Psalm 110 in Protestant Bibles). Georg Frideric Handel (1685-1759) wrote his masterful and ambitious setting (HWV 282) in 1707 during a youthful visit to Italy. Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) penned his vivid and economical version (RV 807, Vivaldi's third Dixit Dominus) some time in the early 1730s and in point of fact this piece was long mistakenly attributed to Baldassare Galuppi. Rounding out the programme is Vivaldi s dazzling motet for solo voice, 'In furore iustissimae irae' ("In wrath and most just anger"; RV 626), featuring a breathtaking performance by soprano Lucy Crowe. 'Dixit Dominus' ("The Lord said") has a long and venerable history reaching back to the Old Testament and a special place in the Roman Catholic liturgy as the opening Psalm in the daily service of Vespers. Thus it has been set to music more often than any Psalm and, as we said above, Vivaldi for one set it more than once. The two versions on this disc are probably among the best known and best loved and it is fascinating to hear how the two great composers approach the same set of Latin words. Handel needs about 10 minutes more than Vivaldi to get them across - a fact which has absolutely no bearing whatsoever on the quality of both compositions or this listener's enjoyment of them both. Yes, there are other recordings available but this one is as good as any we have heard and the bonus motet is also well worth hearing.

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