Lo Sposalizio - Giovanni & Andrea Gabrieli, Etc - King, King's Consort (2012)

From the eleventh century, Venetian mariners gathered together once each year to offer prayers to San Nicolò, the patron saint of sailors, asking for his continued protection. Initially the service was a simple benediction in which the Adriatic Sea was blessed with holy water. By the late-sixteenth century the ceremony had evolved into one of the most lavish and important dates in the Venetian calendar. Ascension Day now launched a large spring festival which was headed by the symbolic wedding of Venice to the Adriatic—the Sposalizio.

Robert King and his serried ranks of instrumentalists and singers recreate this glorious event in the grandest style. Giovanni Gabrieli’s twenty-two-part Sonata (his largest-scale instrumental work), Andrea Gabrieli’s ‘Battle’ Canzona, the church bells of Venice, fanfares for trumpets and drums, the massive sixteen-part madrigal Udite, chiari—the catalogue of riches goes on …

Composer: Giovanni Gabrieli, Andrea Gabrieli, Claudio Monteverdi, Lodovico da Viadana, …
Performer: William Carter, David Miller, Lynda Sayce, James O'Donnell
Conductor: Robert King
Orchestra/Ensemble: King's Consort

Reviews: This is a rerelease of a Hyperion twofer recorded in 1998, but not seemingly reviewed in Fanfare at the time. It is a concept album in spades: given that by the 16th century Venice had developed highly ritualized celebrations honoring San Nicolò, the sailors’ patron saint—and the overwhelming importance of the Adriatic to the city’s life—what would a person lucky enough to witness the festivities have heard? Fortunately we know many of the details of how these Ascension Day activities went, this wedding of the Serene Republic to the Adriatic Sea, followed by a magnificent Mass given in the Church of San Nicolò at Lidò. The music that accompanied these events has to be largely surmised, but Robert King has a lot of possibilities to draw from.


The first part, “The Procession and Journey Across the Lagoon,” is more fancifully derived. For example, would Giovanni Gabrieli’s eight-part madrigal Lleto godea sedundo have figured into a triumphal celebration of any sort, with its theme of happiness turned to despair because of being suddenly smitten with love? Just perhaps; but do we also need repeated drums and tolling bells, each on a separate cut and lasting roughly a minute or more? I find the second section, “The Solemn Mass Held in San Nicolò,” more musically apt, though we do get a couple of cuts of yet more undifferentiated bells. There’s a sumptuously grand Kyrie of Gabrieli on hand, the dark edifice of Massaino’s Canzon per otto trombone —eight sackbuts playing together, not a single intonational slip—and Monteverdi’s gripping Christe, adoramus te , both spare in effects and devastating in the perfection of all it attempts. I like the music of the Lagoon section, but the Mass portion of the program holds to its theme better.


Not that there’s any reason to complain about these performances. Robert King has this style down to perfection: the stately, imposing aural fabric, the clarity and beauty of the vocal and instrumental textures, the rhythmic variety and chiaroscuro of it all in juxtaposition.


At just under 90 minutes, it would be reasonable to complain about the program’s length, if it were not that Hyperion dyads are offered at special prices (depending upon source). Factor in the well-outlined program, full texts in original Latin or Italian and English, and instrumentation stated in full for each number. This is a winner, beyond doubt.

Tracklisting:

1. Lieto godea by Giovanni Gabrieli
Conductor: Robert King
Orchestra/Ensemble: King's Consort
Period: Renaissance
Written: by 1587; Italy
Date of Recording: 02/1998
Venue: St. Jude on the Hill, Hampstead, England
Length: 4 Minutes 36 Secs.
Language: Italian

2. Vieni Himeneo for 8 Voices by Andrea Gabrieli
Conductor: Robert King
Orchestra/Ensemble: King's Consort
Period: Renaissance
Written: 1590; Venice, Italy
Date of Recording: 02/1998
Venue: St. Jude on the Hill, Hampstead, England
Length: 2 Minutes 25 Secs.
Language: Italian

3. Christe, adoramus te a 5 by Claudio Monteverdi
Conductor: Robert King
Orchestra/Ensemble: King's Consort
Period: Baroque
Written: by 1620; Italy
Date of Recording: 02/1998
Venue: St. Jude on the Hill, Hampstead, England
Length: 3 Minutes 35 Secs.
Language: Latin

4. Sinfonie musicali, Op. 18: no 3, La Venetiana by Lodovico da Viadana
Conductor: Robert King
Orchestra/Ensemble: King's Consort
Period: Baroque
Written: 1610; Italy
Date of Recording: 02/1998
Venue: St. Jude on the Hill, Hampstead, England
Length: 3 Minutes 13 Secs.

5. Bell Toll by Anonymous
Date of Recording: 1998
Venue: Live St. Mark's Church, Venice, Italy
Length: 2 Minutes 15 Secs.

6. Drum processional by Traditional
Conductor: Robert King
Orchestra/Ensemble: King's Consort
Date of Recording: 02/1998
Venue: St. Jude on the Hill, Hampstead, England
Length: 0 Minutes 52 Secs.

7. Rotta by Girolamo Fantini
Conductor: Robert King
Orchestra/Ensemble: King's Consort
Period: Baroque
Written: by 1638
Date of Recording: 02/1998
Venue: St. Jude on the Hill, Hampstead, England
Length: 0 Minutes 52 Secs.

8. Canzon a 8 no 24 by Gioseffo Guami
Conductor: Robert King
Orchestra/Ensemble: King's Consort
Period: Renaissance
Written: by 1608; Italy
Date of Recording: 02/1998
Venue: St. Jude on the Hill, Hampstead, England
Length: 3 Minutes 35 Secs.

9. Libro IV d'intavolatura di chitarrone: Kapsberger by Giovanni Kapsberger
Performer: William Carter (Guitar), David Miller (Chitarrone), Lynda Sayce (Chitarrone)
Period: Baroque
Written: by 1640; Italy
Date of Recording: 02/1998
Venue: St. Jude on the Hill, Hampstead, England
Length: 1 Minutes 26 Secs.

10. Cantiam di Dio by Andrea Gabrieli
Conductor: Robert King
Orchestra/Ensemble: King's Consort
Period: Renaissance
Written: 16th Century; Venice, Italy
Date of Recording: 02/1998
Venue: St. Jude on the Hill, Hampstead, England
Length: 6 Minutes 35 Secs.
Language: Italian

11. Aria della battaglia per sonar d'istrumenti by Andrea Gabrieli
Conductor: Robert King
Orchestra/Ensemble: King's Consort
Period: Renaissance
Written: Italy
Date of Recording: 02/1998
Venue: St. Jude on the Hill, Hampstead, England
Length: 6 Minutes 51 Secs.

12. Intavolatura di liuto et di chitarrone, Book 1: Romanesca variate by Alessandro Piccinini
Performer: David Miller (Chitarrone), William Carter (Guitar), Lynda Sayce (Chitarrone)
Period: Baroque
Written: by 1623; Bologna, Italy
Date of Recording: 02/1998
Venue: St. Jude on the Hill, Hampstead, England
Length: 1 Minutes 9 Secs.

13. Sonate con alcuni concerti con le sue sinfonie…ad lib: Sonata for 2 instrumental choirs "La leona" by Cesario Gussago
Conductor: Robert King
Orchestra/Ensemble: King's Consort
Period: Renaissance
Written: by 1608; Italy
Date of Recording: 02/1998
Venue: St. Jude on the Hill, Hampstead, England
Length: 2 Minutes 39 Secs.

14. Udite, chiari et generosi by Giovanni Gabrieli
Conductor: Robert King
Orchestra/Ensemble: King's Consort
Period: Renaissance
Date of Recording: 02/1998
Venue: St. Jude on the Hill, Hampstead, England
Length: 8 Minutes 5 Secs.
Language: Italian

15. Prima entrata imperiale by Girolamo Fantini
Conductor: Robert King
Orchestra/Ensemble: King's Consort
Period: Renaissance
Written: Italy
Date of Recording: 02/1998
Venue: St. Jude on the Hill, Hampstead, England
Length: 2 Minutes 23 Secs.

16. Sonata Imperiale II: Intrada by Girolamo Fantini
Conductor: Robert King
Orchestra/Ensemble: King's Consort
Period: Baroque
Written: by 1638; Italy
Date of Recording: 02/1998
Venue: St. Jude on the Hill, Hampstead, England
Length: 1 Minutes 24 Secs.

17. Symphoniae sacrae, Book 2: Kyrie a 12 by Giovanni Gabrieli
Conductor: Robert King
Orchestra/Ensemble: King's Consort
Period: Renaissance
Written: Venice, Italy
Date of Recording: 02/1998
Venue: St. Jude on the Hill, Hampstead, England
Length: 7 Minutes 10 Secs.
Language: Latin

18. Gloria a 16 by Andrea Gabrieli
Conductor: Robert King
Orchestra/Ensemble: King's Consort
Period: Renaissance
Written: 16th Century; Italy
Date of Recording: 02/1998
Venue: St. Jude on the Hill, Hampstead, England
Length: 4 Minutes 44 Secs.
Language: Latin

19. Intonationi d'organo: Del settimo tono by Andrea Gabrieli
Performer: James O'Donnell (Organ)
Period: Renaissance
Written: 16th Century; Venice, Italy
Date of Recording: 02/1998
Venue: St. Jude on the Hill, Hampstead, England
Length: 1 Minutes 4 Secs.

20. Canzona no 34 a 8 by Tiburtio Massaino
Conductor: Robert King
Orchestra/Ensemble: King's Consort
Period: Renaissance
Written: Italy
Date of Recording: 02/1998
Venue: St. Jude on the Hill, Hampstead, England
Length: 4 Minutes 15 Secs.

21. Sursum corda by Anonymous
Conductor: Robert King
Orchestra/Ensemble: King's Consort
Date of Recording: 02/1998
Venue: St. Jude on the Hill, Hampstead, England
Length: 2 Minutes 5 Secs.
Language: Latin

22. Symphoniae sacrae, Book 2: Sanctus a 12 by Giovanni Gabrieli
Conductor: Robert King
Orchestra/Ensemble: King's Consort
Period: Renaissance
Written: Venice, Italy
Date of Recording: 02/1998
Venue: St. Jude on the Hill, Hampstead, England
Length: 3 Minutes 51 Secs.
Language: Latin

23. Intonationi d'organo: Del primo tono by Andrea Gabrieli
Performer: James O'Donnell (Organ)
Period: Renaissance
Written: 16th Century; Venice, Italy
Date of Recording: 02/1998
Venue: St. Jude on the Hill, Hampstead, England
Length: 1 Minutes 0 Secs.

24. Canzoni et sonate (21): Sonata XX a 22 by Giovanni Gabrieli
Conductor: Robert King
Orchestra/Ensemble: King's Consort
Period: Renaissance
Written: Venice, Italy
Date of Recording: 02/1998
Venue: St. Jude on the Hill, Hampstead, England
Length: 8 Minutes 59 Secs.




Thanks to the original releaser