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Marc'Antonio ZIANI (1653 - 1715): La Morte vinta sul Calvario
Capucine Keller (L'Anima d'Adamo), Dagmar Šašková (La Fede), soprano;
Maximiliano Baños (La Morte), alto;
Vincent Bouchot (La Natura Umana), tenor;
Yannis François (Il Demonio), bass
Les Traversées Baroques
Dir: Étienne Meyer
rec: Oct 21 - 24, 2023, Vallerysthal (Moselle, F), Chapelle des Verriers
Accent - ACC 24402 (© 2024) (73'17")
Liner-notes: E/D/F; lyrics - translations: F
Cover, track-list & booklet
Scores
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Judith Pacquier, Cyrille Métivier, cornett;
Rémi Lécorché, Émilie Aeby, recorder;
Claire McIntyre, Rémi Lécorché, sackbut;
Monika Fischaleck, Jennifer Harris, bassoon;
Jasmine Eudeline, Clémence Schaming, violin;
Christine Plubeau, Ronald Martin Alonso, viola da gamba;
Étienne Mangot, cello;
Élodie Peudepièce, double bass;
Matthias Spaeter, theorbo;
Laurent Stewart, harpsichord, organ, regal
In the course of the 17th century the oratorio developed into a major genre in Italy. Originally part of the liturgy, with time it became an independent form, and a mixture of entertainment and edification. Oratorios were mostly performed during Lent, and this explains why they usually ended with a reference to the Passion of Christ. Comparable with the oratorio, but as a genre of its own, is the sepolcro, which in a more direct way deals with Christ's Passion. In New Grove the sepolcro is defined as "a 17th-century genre of sacred dramatic music in Italian related to the oratorio and performed on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday at the Habsburg court chapels in Vienna".
The latter is not the only feature which makes it differ from the oratorio. Whereas oratorios were usually not staged, like operas, the sepolcro was performed with scenery and costumes. "[The] most frequently employed setting was of a replica of the Holy Sepulcre (the tomb where the body of Christ lay) - which ended up giving its name to the genre." (booklet) During the second half of the 17th century many such works are known to have been performed (but not all of them have survived) by eminent composers as Antonio Draghi, Johann Heinrich Schmelzer, Pietro Antonio Cesti, Antonio Bertali and Giovanni Bononcini. Even the Habsburg emperor Leopold I contributed to the genre. In the early 18th century the tradition of performing sepolcri came to an end at the court in Vienna, but it was copied and continued elsehwere. La Morte vinta sul Calvario by Marc'antonio Ziani was performed on Good Friday 1706 and has to be considered one of the latest specimens of Viennese sepolcri.
Ziani was born in Venice; his main teacher may have been his uncle Pietro Andrea. He started his career by adapting older Venetian operas. In 1676, when Francesco Cavalli died, he applied for the position of organist at St Mark's, but to no avail. In 1686 he became maestro di cappella di chiesa to Ferdinando Carlo Gonzaga, last Duke of Mantua, but continued his activities in Venice in the field of opera. In 1700 he was appointed vice-Hofkapellmeister in Vienna, and was promoted to Hofkapellmeister in 1712. In this capacity he wrote secular dramatic works and church music. He died in 1715 and was succeeded by Johann Joseph Fux.
The libretti for most of his sacred dramatic works were written by Pietro Antonio Bernardoni, and that also goes for La Morte vinta sul Calvario, in English: Death defeated on Calvary. This is a good indication of what this work is about. Like most sepolcri it does not focus on the events on Good Friday, but rather its effects on man. As in most oratorios, there are five characters, four of them allegorical: La Fede (Faith; soprano), L'anima d'Adamo (Adam's spirit; soprano), La Morte (Death; alto) and La Natura Humana (Human Nature; tenor). The only biblical character is Il Demonio (the Devil; bass). After an overture the Devil is boasting that his arch-enemy Jesus - whose name he does not mention, but to whom he refers as "that proud man" and "my barbaric enemy" - is dead and that he has won. He sings two arias, embracing a recitative. Than Death enters with two recitative and aria pairs. He shares the Devil's joy about Jesus' death, but emphasizes his own role. He who was called the Flower of the Field "was cut down by my sickle".
Then Human Nature enters with two arias, separated by a recitative. He laments that with the death of Jesus comfort is lost. He urges his "heart of stone" to feel pity. The Devil and Death make mock of him: he got excited about nothing. Human Nature reacts by saying that he feels safe from their hatred, and that his tears are caused by his pity for Jesus, as his freedom did cost him his blood. In a recitative he calls Jesus by his name, to which the Devil reacts that he should not mention that name, and that he has been deceived. Faith intervenes, stating that the Devil is the one who has lost, as man has recognized the errors of his ways and no longer fears the Devil's deceptions. She turns to Human Nature, saying that "Jesus has freed you". Human Nature promises to follow Faith. The Devil does not give in; Faith has not overcome the power of his fury.
The Soul of Adam appears, calling himself the first trophy of the Devil's imposture. He ensures him that he and other souls will ascend to heaven. Death asks why the prey God had bestowed on him, is taken away. The Soul of Adam replies that this is because "he absolved the sins
of Man by dying for him." He assures Human Nature that the gates of God's kingdom are also opened to him. The joy about what he heard is reflected in the tone of the aria of Human Nature: the rays from Jesus' wounds are more brilliant that those of sun and stars. The Devil once again states that it is all "tyrannical cruelty". Faith emphasizes that he has lost: "to show you his supreme triumphs, he [Jesus] added another hell to Hell." Human Nature expresses his joy: "By virtue of this blood, which he shed for me, I am no longer guilty." The Soul of Adam then announces Jesus' resurrection: "Before the sun rises twice over the sea, you will see resurrected the one who gave you life; and you will be proud of his death. O Death, you will be punished for your foolish audacity."
The work ends with a chorus: "Rise again, and in the very urn which was the tomb of Jesus, may Death be oppressed by him, may Death be killed by him."
Stylistically this work roots in the 17th century. The strings are scored in five parts, as was common until the early 18th century. Notable is also the role of the cornett, an instrument that was to lose its important role in the course of the 18th century. Other features of the 17th-century style are the use of sackbuts and viole da gamba. However, the Habsburg emperors were musically rather conservative. The Italian style dominated music life at the court, but whereas in Italy the viola da gamba had become obsolete, it was still held in high esteem in Vienna. Sackbuts have always played an important role at the court. The arias are rather short; only one takes more than four minutes. As was common at the time, arias with basso continuo are often concluded with a ritornello of the strings. Although some arias are certainly technically challenging, that is not the main feature of this work. Ziani focuses on depicting the words and their Affekte in his music.
To that end he uses musical figures, obbligato parts for instruments and harmony. The overture is in tho parts; the first is slow and includes some strong dissonants, whereas the second is a fugue. Counterpoint played a major role at the imperial court, and also in this sepolcro. Sackbuts are effectively used in the first aria, accompanying the boasting Devil. In his recitatives he is accompanied by a regal (or, probably, the regal stop of the organ), according to a 17th-century tradition in music connected to Hell and the underworld. The Devil's second aria includes chromaticism. In the first aria of Death, he is accompanied by two obbligato bass viols.
Harmonically unsettling is the first aria of Human Nature, reflecting its content, just like the chromaticism in his second aria. The duet of the Devil and Death includes two obbligato bassoon parts, another effective move by Ziani. The same is the case for the obbligato violin part in the ensuing aria of Human Nature.
Ziani has left a substantial oeuvre; although parts of his output are lost, there is no reason to neglect it, especially considering its quality as shows this sepolcro. From that perspective, this production is of great importance. It is regrettable that the booklet only includes the libretto and a French translation. That makes it hard to follow for those who are not proficient in either language. For this review I was forced to use Google Translate. It is to be hoped that the reader gets at least some idea of what this work is about.
The performances deserve nothing but praise. Yannis François is highly convincing as the boasting Devil; he has the right voice for it, and does exacty what this part needs. In comparison, Death is not the most marked character, but Maximiliano Baños makes the most of it, not forgetting to bring out the nasty elements. The contrasting feelings of Human Nature are perfectly realized by Vincent Bouchot, from desperation to joy. Dagmar Šašková and Capucine Keller both have lovely voices, and are just different enough to tell them apart. Faith is a kind of fighting spirit, and her offensive character comes off very well. Adam's Soul is the comforting character of the two, and Capucine Keller's voice is perfectly suited to it. The instrumental ensemble is excellent throughout, with fine obbligato roles for several of its members.
This production is a most impressive acquisition for the repertoire for Passiontide.
Johan van Veen (© 2025)
Relevant links:
Vincent Bouchot
Yannis François
Dagmar Šašková
Les Traversées Baroques