I Turchini, Antonio Florio - Il Tesoro di San Gennaro: Sacred Music In Early 18th Century Naples
STYLE: Choral RATING OUR PRODUCT CODE: 137512- LABEL: Glossa GCD922605 FORMAT: CD Album ITEMS: 1
Reviewed by Steven Whitehead
Conductor Antonio Florio's deep understanding of the baroque musical terrain of Naples here takes him to the dawn of the 18th century when the fervour held by Neapolitans for their chief patron saint San Gennaro (or Saint Januarius if you prefer) was at its height, in an era when the city had been ravaged by plague and was living in constant fear of eruptions from nearby Mount Vesuvius. Great devotion was directed at San Gennaro, in the belief that he would ward off further evils: a richly-adorned chapel in Naples's cathedral was dedicated to him and provided with its own musical ensemble, and a stream of composers (often pupils of the great Francesco Provenzale) such as Cristofaro Caresana (1640-1709), Nicola Fago (1677-1745) and Gaetano Veneziano (1665-1716) worked there. Central to the programme of I Turchini, prepared by Florio and Dinko Fabris, are performances of Fago's four-part 'Stabat Mater' and Caresana's canzona 'Sirene festose'. There is a rare outing also for a motet, 'Antra valles Divo plaudant', written by the young Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757) with three of his string sinfonias also included. (Scarlatti was one of the organists in the Real Cappella.) A booklet essay by Fabris explains the popular traditions and musical and religious colour surrounding San Gennaro in Naples then and now, a religious world that seems very foreign to this reviewer. However the music is a joy. The compositions are obscure but well worth hearing and listeners who enjoy baroque will appreciate this release. I Turchini give a spirited performance and are well recorded by Rino Trasi in the Chiesa dei Servi di Maria, Sorrento, Italy.
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