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CD reviews
"Sancta Ovetensis - Splendor in the cathedral of Oviedo"
Jone Martínez, soprano
Forma Antiqva
Dir: Aarón Zapico
rec: August 2021, Oviedo, Auditorio-Palacio de Congresos Príncipe Felipe (Sala de Cámara)
Winter & Winter - 910 283-2 (© 2022) (64'43")
Liner-notes: E/ES; lyrics - translations: E
Cover, track-list & booklet
Spotify
anon:
Concerto for violin, ripieno violins and bc in Ga;
Música de procesión (Procesión; Misa);
Joaquín LÁZARO (1746-1786):
A Eulalia dichosa;
Del risco de despeña;
Dios mío, calla;
Encendida en vivo fuego;
Noche preciosa, clara y divina;
Reparad qué luz clara y peregrina - Luminosa me conduce, rec & cavatina
Gerard Serrano, Pepe Reche, horn;
Antonio Campillo, Liza Patrón, transverse flute;
Jorge Jiménez (soloa), Víctor Martínez, José Vélez, Cecilia Clares, Roldán Bernabé, Daniel Pinteño, José Manuel Navarro, Pablo Prieto, Roger Junyent, Belén Sancho, violin;
Ruth Verona, Ester Domingo, cello;
Pablo Zapico, archlute;
Daniel Zapico, theorbo;
Jorge Núñez, organ
The music that was written in Spain from the mid-18th century until the early 19th century is still largely unknown, certainly outside Spain. The disc under review is devoted to the oeuvre of Joaquín Lázaro, although the titlepage does not mention his name. It is rather Oviedo that is giving this disc its name, as that is where Lázaro spent the last and most productive stage of his career. His name does not appear in New Grove, and in the description of his life and career in the booklet, a number of names of colleagues are mentioned, who are also absent in this encyclopedia. That says a lot about the obscurity of the late 18th-century music in Spain. Fortunately, performers and ensembles of our time show an increasing interest in this repertoire, and the present disc attests to the value of its exploration.
Lázaro was born in 1746 in Aliaga in the east of Spain (the region Aragón), and received his musical education as a choirboy at Zaragoza Cathedral from 1755 to 1761. In 1771 he was appointed maestro de capilla there, and the next year he was ordained a priest. Unfortunately, he suffered from bad health all his life, and this resulted in frequent absences. This, and problems with the payment of his salary, brought him into conflict with the Cathedral chapter, which ended with his resignation in 1778. He travelled north, where he became maestro de capilla at the cathedral of Mondoñedo. In 1781 he moved to Oviedo, where he took the post of head of teaching at the chapel of the Sancta Ovetensis. In this position he was in charge of the cathedral music. During the five years in office, until his death in 1786, he was productive as a composer, and the fruits of his compositional activities are preserved in the Chapterhouse Archive in Oviedo. It comprises recitados, arias, villancicos and an oratorio.
The vocal pieces included here show the influence of the Italian style, which had started to conquer Spain after 1700. The arias are all in dacapo form, and are very reminiscent of Italian opera arias. The last item in the programme even consists of a recitado - comparable with an Italian recitativo - and a cavatina. At the same time, the scoring is typically Spanish in that the instrumental ensemble omits violas. Most arias are scored for soprano, two violins and basso continuo, to which are often added pairs of horns, sometimes also transverse flutes.
The two arias which open the programme are devoted to Santa Eulalia, patron of the diocese, of the city of Oviedo and its principality. Eulalia of Mérida (292-304) was a young Roman Christian martyred in Augusta Emerita, the capital of Lusitania (modern Mérida, Spain), during the Persecution of Christians under Diocletian. Because of her position, the chapterhouse archive includes a large number of pieces, among them A Eulalia dichosa and Encendida en vivo fuego by Lázaro. In the former, the soprano is accompanied by violins and horns, in the latter by violins alone.
The remaining four vocal pieces are for Christmas. At least, that is what the liner-notes say. This is probably based on what is in the scores, because the texts are not always very specific. Noche preciosa, clara e divina can hardly be misunderstood: "The beautiful night clear and divine lights us with its splendour. The lovely sun is born and its glow illuminated the whole world". The A section of Del risco se dispeña hardly gives a clue about its meaning. The B section raises a corner of the veil: "So my love is set on seeing you my child, seeing in you the dew that is sighing". Rather indirect and not easy to grasp is Dios mío, calla: "My God, be quiet, be quiet my Lord, come and rest upon my chest. And since you come for solace, give my soul every remedy". In Reparad qué luz clara y peregrina the recitado speaks about a "clear and beautiful light" which "announces to us joy and happiness". In the cavatina Jesus - not mentioned by name - is described as "He who as a human sought me".
Lázaro also composed instrumental music, but in the archive there is no such music under his name. Therefore the programme includes some music that has been preserved without the name of the composer. Obviously the Música de processión has a liturgical character; it is scored for violins, horns, oboes and basso continuo. Even the Concierto in G for solo violin, ripieno violins and basso continuo may have been played during the liturgy at an especially festive occasion. The solo part is technically demanding, including triple stops and covering a wide range. It is modelled after the Italian concerto in ritornello form. The composer has remained unknown, but he undoubtedly was a master.
As as wrote at the start of this review, this disc indicates that the music from this period in Spanish music history is well worth being explored. Lázaro was a fine composer; the pieces on this disc make that crystal clear. It is to be hoped that more of his oeuvre is going to be recorded. The performers are his perfect advocates. I didn't know Jone Matínez, who sings all the vocal solo parts; she does so very well. She has a beautiful, clear and flexible voice, and sings with great stylistic understanding. I have heard the ensemble Forma Antiqva before, but in different repertoire and different complexion; I was mostly not that impressed, but here they show how well they can play. The violin concerto is certainly a highlight; Jorge Jiménez is the outstanding and brilliant soloist, and the orchestra his perfect partner.
There are a few issues of a technical nature. In A Eulalia dichosa the booklet omits the text of the B section. According to the liner-notes the Música de processión includes parts for oboes, but I have not heard them, and the list of performers does not mention oboists. Do the oboes play colla parte with the horns? In that case they may be omitted. Lastly, the booklet does not mention who did translate the Spanish liner-notes. That translation leaves something to be desired. It is rather odd that recitados is translated as "recitals". The word villancico is translated as "carol", but that is nonsense: it is the name of a typical Iberian genre that is not comparable with anything in vogue elsewhere.
These are little blots on a production which is of great importance, and sheds light on a part of Spanish musical culture that is still not given enough attention.
Johan van Veen (© 2024)
Relevant links:
Jone Martínez
Forma Antiqva