VENICE BY NIGHT ALBINONI · LOTTI POLLAROLO · PORTA VERACINI · VIVALDI LA SERENISSIMA ADRIAN CHANDLER MHAIRI LAWSON SOPRANO SIMON MUNDAY TRUMPET PETER WHELAN BASSOON ALBINONI · LOTTI · POLLAROLO · PORTA · VERACINI · VIVALDI VENICE BY NIGHT Arriving by Gondola Antonio Vivaldi 1678–1741 Antonio Lotti c.1667–1740 Concerto for bassoon, Alma ride exulta mortalis * Anon. c.1730 strings & continuo in C RV477 Motet for soprano, strings & continuo 1 Si la gondola avere 3:40 8 I. Allegro 3:50 e I. Aria – Allegro: Alma ride for soprano, violin and theorbo 9 II. Largo 3:56 exulta mortalis 4:38 0 III. Allegro 3:34 r II. Recitativo: Annuntiemur igitur 0:50 A Private Concert 11:20 t III. Ritornello – Adagio 0:39 z IV. Aria – Adagio: Venite ad nos 4:29 Carlo Francesco Pollarolo c.1653–1723 Journey by Gondola u V. Alleluja 1:52 Sinfonia to La vendetta d’amore 12:28 for trumpet, strings & continuo in C * Anon. c.1730 2 I. Allegro assai 1:32 q Cara Nina el bon to sesto * 2:00 Serenata 3 II. Largo 0:31 for soprano & guitar 4 III. Spiritoso 1:07 Tomaso Albinoni 3:10 Sinfonia to Il nome glorioso Music for Compline in terra, santificato in cielo Tomaso Albinoni 1671–1751 for trumpet, strings & continuo in C Sinfonia for strings & continuo Francesco Maria Veracini 1690–1768 i I. Allegro 2:09 in G minor Si 7 w Fuga, o capriccio con o II. Adagio 0:51 5 I. Allegro 2:17 quattro soggetti * 3:05 p III. Allegro 1:20 6 II. Larghetto è sempre piano 1:27 in D minor for strings & continuo 4:20 7 III. Allegro 2:17 6:01 2 La Serenissima Mhairi Lawson soprano Peter Collyer viola Simon Munday trumpets in C & D Joseph Hill, c.1760, London Matthew Parker, 2001, after models by J. L. Ehe II Malgosia Ziemkiewicz viola of Nurnberg, c.1700 Jan Pawlikovski, 2006, after Amati Journey by Gondola At the Opera House Peter Whelan bassoon James O’Toole viola Peter de Koningh, 2007, Holland, after anonymous Anon., c.1760, England Venetian model Anon. c.1730 Giovanni Porta c.1677–1755 Gareth Deats cello (continuo) a No stè a condanarme 1:44 Sinfonia for trumpet, strings & continuo Adrian Chandler violin & director Michael Watson, 1993, Manchester, Rowland Ross, 1981, after Amati after A. Guarneri for soprano & continuo in D * g I. Allegro assai 2:43 Kathryn Parry violin 1 Vladimir Waltham cello Willibrord Crijnen, 1998, Marseille, after Stainer Kai-Thomas Roth, 2010, Bowlish, after Rugeri A Concert from the Ospedale della Pietà h II. Andante 0:37 j III. Allegro 0:53 Lisa Obert violin 1 Carina Cosgrave double bass Anon., C18, Romania Anon., c.1870, Germany Antonio Vivaldi 1678–1741 4:13 Concerto for violin, strings & continuo Helen Kruger violin 1 Paula Chateauneuf theorbo Giovanni Gagliano, 1782, Naples Martin Haycock, 1992, West Dean, in E minor RV278 Antonio Vivaldi after V. Venere, c.1610 s I. Allegro molto – Largo – 6:13 Arias for Marianino Nicolini Simon Kodurand violin 2 Christopher Rowe, 1993, Isle of Wight, after J. Guarneri Paula Chateauneuf guitar (5-course) Allegro molto – Andante Martin Haycock, 2001, East Dean, after Sellas, c.1640 d II. Largo 3:58 L’Olimpiade RV725 Camilla Scarlett violin 2 Edward Dickenson, 1764, London James Johnstone harpsichord f III. Allegro 4:43 k Recitativo: Pria dell’esito ancor 0:32 Oakki Lau violin 2 Willem Kroesbergen, Utrecht 1972, 14:54 l Aria (Largo): Il fidarsi della spene 6:30 after Bartolomeo Stephanini (1694) Jan Pawlikovski, 2008, after Stradivarius 7:02 Liv-Marie Fletcher violin 2 James Johnstone organ Motezuma RV723 Robin Jennings, 2005, Kent, after various originals Anon., Scottish, C18 ö Recitativo: Mi deride, mi sprezza 0:30 y Aria (Allegro): D’ira e furor armato 4:52 5:22 *First recordings 3 Venice by Night ThefinalcenturyoftheVenetianRepublic– La Serenissima –wasoneofmixedfortunesforthelagooncity.TheVenetianempireofthe AdriaticandtheMediterraneanwasindeclineanddespiteaseriesofvictoriesagainsttheOttomanEmpirein1716,thenavalmightthat emergedfromthe Arsenale wasashadowofitsformerself. Theretreatfromthetheatreofwarenabledotheraspectsofthecitytoflourish,andtheartsenjoyedunparalleledsuccess;Guardiand CanalettopaintedsumptuousscenesofthecityandthelikesofAlbinoniandVivaldicomposedmusicwhichachievedgreatsuccessat homeandabroad,whettingtheappetitesoftheEuropeanelitewhoflockedtoVeniceintheirthousands.Theabundanceofmusical entertainmentavailableduringtheeveningsthereforecateredforalargeandhighlyculturedaudience,aswellasacrowdofgondoliers and hoi polloi whoattendedthemanyoperatheatresofthecity. Thelargequantitiesofconcertos,sonatas,sacredmusicandoperasproducedinVeniceduringthisperiodhavealreadygaineda moderatefollowingamongmodernaudiences.The Canzoni da battello ,however,songsthatweresungina peota (alargegondola)by (usually)hiredsingersandmusicians,havereceivedlessexposure.Theinstrumentalaccompanimentforthesesongsincludedguitars, theorbos,archlutes,violins,flutesandharpsichords(laidflatonthebottomoftheboatwiththelegstakenoff);pairsofFrenchhorns werereportedlaterinthecenturybytheEnglishmanCharlesBurney.Thisrepertoireprovedsopopularthatitwasplayedinbourgeois salonsandevenbystreetmusicianswheremorecumbersomeinstrumentssuchascelloscouldbeaddedtothemix.Thesongs incorporatedelementsofbothhighbrowandpopularcultures;the galant styleoftheNeapolitancomposerswasmuchinevidenceand thetexts–nearlyalwaysinVenetiandialect–wereoftensatirical.Muchofthisrepertoirehasperishedovertheyears,butafew collectionssurviveinmanuscriptaswellasinthreevolumespublishedbyJohnWalshinLondoninthe1740s,atestamenttothe contemporarypopularityofthesesongs.Walshstatesthatthesongsare‘Compos’dbySig.HasseandalltheCelebratedItalianmasters’ althoughonlyonegivesHasseasitsauthor.Othercomposerswhoappear(mostlyonisolatedoccasions)includePergolesiand Lampugani,theothersbeinganonymous.Onesonginparticular, No stè a condanarme ,attractedmeonaccountofitsthematicsimilarities tothreeworksbyVivaldi.Moreevidencewouldbeneededbeforeonewouldhavethecouragetoproposethat il Prete rosso wasits composer. SomeofthemostimportantvisitorswhovisitedVeniceduringthisperiod–tonamebutafew–weretheGrandPrinceofTuscany, Ferdinandode’Mediciin1696,FrederickIVofDenmarkandNorway i in1708,thenewlyelectedHolyRomanEmperorCharlesVIin 1712 ii ,FrederickAugustusElectoralPrinceofSaxonyin1712,1713and1716 iii ,FerdinandMaria,DukeofBavaria,in1738andFrederick Christian,Prince-ElectorofSaxony,in1740 iv .Visitsfromsuchimportantstatesmennecessitatedlavishballs,concertsandentertainments. OthervenuestohostmusicalgatheringsincludedcertainprivatehomesandtheAccademiadegliAnimosi,whichafter1698became affiliatedtothefamousRomanAccademiadegliArcadi;thelibrettistApostoloZeno,thetwoMarcellobrothersandCarloFrancesco PollaroloallbelongedtotheAnimosi. 4 TheBresciancomposerCarloFrancescoPollarolo v wasactiveinVenicefrom1689untilhisdeathin1723.Hisopera La Vendetta d’Amore vi waswrittenin1707forperformanceinRovigo,ashortdistancefromVenice.Therecyclingofthesinfoniaandanoccasional ariafromsuchworksforuseinconcertswasquitenormalandprobablyaccountsforthelargestockofVivaldisinfoniasthatsurvive independentlyoftheirvocalworks.TheAlbinoniSinfoniainGminor,however,wasalmostcertainlyconceivedinitsownrightforthe visitofFrederickAugustusofSaxonyin1716. Mostconcertswouldalsohaveincludedoneormoresoloconcertos,suchasVivaldi’sBassoonConcertoinCRV477.Thelikelihood thatVivaldicomposedsomeofhis39bassoonconcertosfortheOspedaledellaPietà vii islow,sincethereisnoevidencethatthe instrumentwaseverplayedthere.Three(RV473,496and500)werewrittenfortheorchestraofhisBohemianpatron,CountWenzelvon Morzin,whilsttheotherswereprobablywrittenmostlyforuseinVenice;oneconcerto(RV502)isinscribedwiththenameofalocal player,GioseppinoBiancardi,whowaslistedasbelongingtotheVenetianinstrumentalist’sguild,theArtede’Sonadori,in1727. Formusic-loversofamorereligiousdisposition,thechoiceofchurchesthattheycouldattendtohearCompline,thefinalserviceofthe day,wassubstantial.Musicplayedalargepartinchurchservicesduringthe18thcentury–somesaidthatitplayedtoogreatapart,a trendwhicheventuallyledPopeBenedictXIVtoredressthebalanceinhisencyclical Annus qui of1749.Bothvocalandinstrumental musicwereinterspersedintheliturgy.Instrumentalpieceswouldoftenbewritteninaseriouspolyphonicvein,similartothatfoundin the Fuga, o capriccio con quattro soggetti byVeracini,aFlorentinecomposerwhospentmuchtimeinVeniceduringtheyears1711–16. SuchwashisprowessasaviolinistthathewasinvitedtotakepartasasoloistduringMassattheducalchurchofSanMarcoon24and 25December1711andagainatChristmas1712. Thepointsduringaservicewhereinstrumentalmusicormotetscouldbeusedwerenumerous,andthedemandfornewmusicwas accordinglyhigh.AntonioLottiwrotemanymotetsforSanMarco,wherehewasemployedfrom1689untilhisdeathin1740 viii andalso fortheOspedaledegl’Incurabili,wherehewas Maestro di coro duringthe1720s,probablytakingupthispostafterthedeathofthe previousincumbent,Pollarolo,in1723.Themotet Alma ride exulta mortali six ismorelikelytohavebeendestinedfortheIncurabili,since thetechnicaldemandsmadeonthesingerarelessstrenuousthanthoseonewouldnormallyencounteratSanMarco,aninstitution whosechoiroftenemployedretiredoperaticcastrati.Thiswork,describedasa‘motettoperognitempo,’couldbeusedtocelebrateany feastday;Lottiwrites‘N’for‘nomen’atpointswheretherelevantsaint’snameistobeinsertedbythesinger. Oneofthemostsumptuousofeveningentertainmentswastheperformanceofaserenata,a(normally)bipartitevocalwork,musically similartoanopera,butmostoftenperformedintheopenairandwithoutdramaticaction;sceneryandcostumeshoweverwere sometimesemployed.Theseworkscouldbecommissionedbyforeignambassadorstocelebratebirthdaysorotherimportantoccasions thatwereofrelevancetotheircountry.Noexpensewasspared,andthefinestfood(particularlysweetdelicacies)anddrinkwasservedto