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Michel Corboz, Ensemble Vocal de Lausanne - Alessandro Scarlatti: Missa ad Usum Cappellae Pontificiae, 6 Motets (2006)

Posted By: ArlegZ

Date: 3 Aug 2022 11:40:54

There are some real injustices in the business of recorded music and this disc brings one of them very much to light. The opening lines of the liner notes say, "Until relatively recently, the reputation of Alessandro Scarlatti – the son, brother, father and uncle of other illustrious musicians – was overshadowed by that of his son Domenico." It is not stated on this disc whether the notes were written to go with this Apex re-issue or whether they date from the same period as the recording, but Alessandro’s reputation, if he has one, is still very much under his wonderful son’s shadow. It is an indication of a massive injustice, that this re-issue goes some small way to correcting.
Back catalogue notwithstanding, this Apex re-issue must be welcomed. It seemed at first that it was a pity to have to fall back on a recording made in 1965, but listening shows that there are two sides to the argument. This writer is usually not in favour of old recordings of renaissance or baroque music, especially from the point of view of instrumental technique having changed so much with the period instrument revival. In the case of the music recorded here, this becomes less of an issue as it is for unaccompanied singers, but there are several other reasons. Firstly, the Ensemble Vocal de Lausanne is a fine group and Michel Corboz, while a product of his time, had a definite feel for the music that he was directing. The choir is larger than we would expect nowadays, probably about 25 singers by the sound of it. The quality of the singers is, however, excellent and although we are dealing with voices used to singing later repertoire, and with a clear basis in bel canto technique, this also is a product of its time. It must be admitted that the sheer sound quality that these singers make is great, especially the sopranos. While they may be ‘big-chested’ in timbre there is nonetheless a velvety smoothness of line that is most enjoyable. Corboz takes his tempi more slowly than a modern performer would, but the sense of line that is so important to a cappella polyphony is always at the forefront of the interpretation.
The second reason why the age of this recording is not such a bad thing is the curious nature of the music itself. This is strictly polyphonic, four-part stile antico writing. In other words Scarlatti has adopted a consciously archaic style in these works. The Missa ad Usum Cappellae Pontificiae was composed during one of Alessandro’s sojourns in Rome and was dedicated to the newly elected Pope Innocent XIII in 1721. It was thus intended for use not in the Cappella Giulia, the modern instrumental and vocal ensemble of St Peter’s basilica, but for the Cappella Sistina, the Pope’s private cappella that sang nothing but unaccompanied polyphony in the Sistine Chapel. In this mass, the listener would never know that the composer was one of the great innovators of the day; the man who established the da capo aria and developed the three-movement Italian overture. Kyrie, Gloria and Sanctus are all based on the same motivic material, and the Agnus Dei makes use of traditions of canonic counterpoint stemming back to Josquin Dez Pres and earlier. In this context of the consciously archaic, the performance of 1960’s chamber choir singers seems no more out-of-place than the music itself and as each remains beautiful, there is more to enjoy here than might be apparent at first glance.
The motets are also in the same archaic unaccompanied style. These represent something of a rarity in Scarlatti’s oeuvre, for most of his motets were accompanied, at the least by continuo. More usually he wrote in the concertante style for soloists, chorus and orchestra. Only about 20 of these unaccompanied motets were written. The searching lines of Intellige clamorem meum or the chromatic harmonies of Ad te Domini levavi add a sense of baroque piquancy and there are moments of almost operatic intensity. Corboz beautifully handles all of this, although in the motets in particular one may wish for a lighter texture at times.
The age of the recording notwithstanding this is an enjoyable listen. It is something of a pity that the works recorded should be so un-representative of the genius of Alessandro Scarlatti, but in the present environment, listeners with an interest in this neglected giant will have to be pleased with what they can find. At the Apex price there is no reason to avoid this release.
–Peter Well

Performer:
Ensemble Vocal de Lausanne
Michel Corboz, conductor

Track List:
Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725)
6 Motets
01. Intellige clamorem meum
02. Salvum fac populum tuum
03. Exaltabo te Domine quoniam
04. Domine vivifica me
05. Ad te Domine levavi
06. Exultate Deo adjutori
Missa ad Usum Cappellae Pontificiae
07. I. Kyrie
08. II. Gloria
09. III. Credo
10. IV. Sanctus
11. V. Benedictus
12. VI. Agnus Dei

EAC LOG

Exact Audio Copy V1.6 from 23. October 2020

EAC extraction logfile from 2. August 2022, 11:34

Michel Corboz, Ensemble Vocal de Lausanne / Scarlatti - Missa ad Usum Cappellae Pontificiae

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2006 Alessandro Scarlatti Baroque Classical Classical Music FLAC Image Lossless Michel Corboz Sacred