Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

Giovanni Battista Sammartini (1700/01-1775) had a long and active musical career, working as maestro di cappella or as organist in several churches in and around Milan but the chances are that you, like me, have never heard of him. The two sacred cantatas on this disc are "Della Passione di Gesù Cristo" ("On Jesus Christ's Passion") and "L'addolorata Divina Madre" ("The Sorrowing Divine Mother"). Both are from Easter 1759 and feature three soloists, Silvia Mapelli (soprano), Miroslava Yordanova (mezzo-soprano) and Giorgio Tiboni (tenor). The music seems surprisingly upbeat for the subject: this is the Passion seen after the Resurrection and therefore something to celebrate rather than mourn. Imagine, if you will, a cheerful Pergolesi or if that does not work for you, pretend that Mozart took a holiday in Italy. It is true that Sammartini is no Mozart but these long-forgotten cantatas deserve to be heard and at the typically generous budget price from Naxos you do not have to break the bank to give them a try.

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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