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CD reviews
Benedetto MARCELLO (1686 - 1739): "Sinfonias & Cantatas"
Nuria Rial, soprano
La Floridiana
Dir: Nicoleta Paraschivescu
rec: August 26 - 28, 2021, Seewen (CH), Katholische Kirche
deutsche harmonia mundi - 19658710682 (© 2023) (69'27")
Liner-notes: E/D/IT; lyrics - translations: E/D
Cover, track-list & booklet
Scores
Spotify
A voi prati felici (SF A4);
Non son morta nel partire (SF A213);
Qual turbine improvviso (SF A266);
Sinfonia a 4 No. 1 in B flat (SF C781);
Sinfonia a 4 No. 2 in A (SF C777);
Sinfonia a 4 No. 3 in G (SF C778);
Sinfonia a 4 No. 4 in G (SF C779);
Sinfonia a 4 No. 5 in D (SF C776);
Ti sento Amor, ti sento (SF 350a)
Katharina Heutjer, Johannes Frisch, violin;
Christoph Riedo, viola;
Amélie Chemin, cello;
Markus Bernhard, violone;
Juan Sebastian Lima, theorbo;
Nicoleta Paraschivescu, harpsichord
Benedetto Marcello is one of the rather unconventional characters in music history. One could call him a maverick, as he did not care very much about the common habits and opinions in his time. That comes especially to the fore in his treatise Il teatro alla moda, in which he, albeit anonymously, sharply criticised the 'bad habits' in the theatre. His independence can partly be explained by his social standing. Being of aristocratic birth, he could afford to be his own man: he was never in the service of anyone, and was in musical matters what was known as a dilettante.
His best-known work is a collection of 50 Psalms, which was published under the title Estro Poetico-Armonico. The name of the collection is interesting as this
was very likely intended as a taunt in Vivaldi's direction. In 1711, the latter had published a collection of concertos as his Op. 3 under the title L'estro armonico. The choice of the same title and adding the word poetico may have been his way of indicating what he thought was lacking in Vivaldi's music: poetry. The Psalms are made up of sections of a kind we also know from opera, such as arias and recitatives, but the arias are rather short and dacapo sections are omitted altogether. Marcello himself was praised for "strength and regularity of design", and "noble simplicity". This simplicity was a feature associated with 'early music', meaning the music of the 16th and early 17th centuries, in which Marcello was strongly interested. In a way one can see him as an early representative of what would become the standard in the time of Giuseppe Tartini, who was also very critical of Vivaldi's music, especially his compositions for his own instrument, the violin.
The oeuvre of Marcello reflects his scepticism towards the opera habits of his time. In this department he composed a few pieces, called intreccio scenico musicale. It is probably telling that one of them, Arianna, consisted of two parts, like the oratorios of the time, rather than three acts. There may have been little opportunity to perform operas written in the style Marcello preferred. He also wrote a few serenatas and some oratorios.
The disc under review here focuses on one of the main parts of his oeuvre: the chamber cantata. This was the most popular form of musical entertainment to be performed during the gatherings of the academies, which had come into existence in Italy from the late 17th century onwards. The texts of such works bring us into the world of Arcadia, since the late Renaissance the ideal of the higher echelons of society. We meet the standard characters of this world of shepherds and nymphs, such as Clori, Tirsi and Dorinda. In his cantatas Marcello largely follows the model laid down by Alessandro Scarlatti. The poetry of Marcello's cantatas may often have been of his own pen, as he was known as a poet too.
Marcello composed at least around 380 cantatas, which makes him one of the most prolific composers of such works in his time. It is often stated that chamber cantatas were a kind of pocket-size operas, and that is certainly correct in some cases, but not in all, and it certainly does not go for Marcello's cantatas. The programme of the present disc comprises four cantatas, which are generally more lyrical than dramatic. That does not mean that they are devoid of drama. The most dramatic is Qual turbine improvviso, which - unlike the other three - has parts for two violins. It is a rather disturbing piece, but that is more due to the instrumental parts than the vocal part. Marcello makes use of the means of counterpoint to illustrate the text and the emotions it wants to express. It consists of two pairs of recitative and aria. The first recitative is accompanied, and is preceded by a short instrumental introduction. As nearly all chamber cantatas of the time it is about love and the trials and tribulations of it. Poets often used images of a storm, whirlwinds and waves to depict the latter, and that is also the case here. Especially harmony is used to illustrate the feelings of the protagonist.
The other three cantatas are for soprano and basso continuo. A voi prati felici closes with an aria, which may indicate a dramatic setting: "O flowers, why not tell me that Niso is a traitor and unfaithful? You concealed from me the grievous wrong and I trample you with my avenging foot." One can only imagine how someone like Vivaldi may have treated such a text, but Marcello opts for a different approach, which is much more restrained. Ti sento, Amor, ti sento is a lament about an unfaithful lover, but here again there is little in the music that suggests anger. The closing aria is dominated by duplets in the basso continuo, which has quite an intriguing effect.
In the sinfonias for strings and basso continuo Marcello sings a different tune. These probably find their origin in dramatic vocal works, such as oratorios, serenatas and cantatas. They have marked theatrical traits, and often the second slow movement follows the first attacca, sometimes with a quite dramatic effect, as in the Sinfonia No. 5. These pieces may well date from between 1716 and 1726. Marco Bizzarini, in his liner-notes, mentions that they are written in a 'pre-Galant' idiom, and that is certainly right, as the importance of counterpoint indicates.
Marcello is not that badly represented in the catalogue; especially his Psalms and also some instrumental works have been recorded. His large number of chamber cantatas need to be explored further, as most of them are not known and seldom part of programmes of such works. This disc proves that they deserve better, and is a testimony of their quality. With Nuria Rial we have a fine interpreter, whose voice and style of singing fits Marcello's cantatas perfectly. She is not a very dramatic singer, so it seems, and that is alright here. However, sometimes I felt that she is too restrained, especially in the closing aria of A voi prati felici. It is nice that she avoids the eccentricities of some of her colleagues. She is generous in her ornamentation, but does not rewrite the dacapos; the original is always recognizable. La Floridiana is an excellent ensemble; the sinfonias are played with much panachee and a perfect feel for their dramatic features.
Nicoleta Paraschivescu has found the right approach to Marcello's music and this disc attests to the quality of his oeuvre. Let us hope for more.
Johan van Veen (© 2024)
Relevant links:
Nuria Rial
Ensemble La Floridiana