Angelo – Monica Piccinini, soprano Eresia – Roberta Mameli, soprano San Francesco – Delphine Galou, alto Inganno – Luca Tittoto, bass stuttgarter kammerorchester fabio biondi , conductor nm Recorded in Stuttgart (Stiftskirche), Germany, in April 2017 Engineered and produced by Peter Laenger (Tritonus, Stuttgart) | Assisted by Lukas Kowalski Producer, Glossa: Carlos Céster | Producer, Stuttgarter Kammerorchester: Markus Korselt Editorial director: Carlos Céster Editorial assistance: Andrea Friggi, María Díaz, Mark Wiggins Cover photographs: Anna de Labra English translation of the libretto: Sasha Zamler-Carhart Die Aufnahme wurde ermöglicht durch die großzügige Unterstützung von Lydia Drexler-Nanz und Regina Chur. © 2018 note 1 music gmbh francesco feo (1691-1761) San Francesco di Sales Oratorio. Bologna, 1734 cd i Parte prima [75:11] cd ii Parte seconda [62:41] 01 Sinfonia 4:17 01 Recitativo: Padre, ravvisi come di Francesco (Eresia, Inganno) 1:13 02 Recitativo: Eccoci giunti al fin (Angelo, San Francesco) 3:04 02 Aria: Tutte dell’Erebo (Inganno) 5:38 03 Aria: Nel verno più severo (Angelo) 7:22 03 Recitativo: Se già disperi, oh Dio (Eresia, Inganno, Angelo) 2:01 04 Recitativo: Colla celeste guida, Signor (San Francesco) 0:56 04 Aria: Serbi l’ardire istesso (Angelo) 5:44 05 Aria: Queste dolanti lagrime (San Francesco) 6:10 05 Recitativo: O Dio delle vendette (San Francesco) 1:06 06 Recitativo: E quai pensier funesti (Inganno, Eresia) 1:16 06 Aria: Sommo Dio, dal ciel discenda (San Francesco) 6:38 07 Aria: Già colla pallid’ ombra (Eresia) 5:15 07 Recitativo: Oh come lieto (Angelo, San Francesco) 1:29 08 Recitativo: E puoi temer (Inganno) 1:05 08 Aria: Con la virtude istessa (Angelo) 5:30 09 Aria: Questo che spirano (Inganno) 6:32 09 Recitativo: Ch’il crederebbe mai (Inganno, San Francesco) 1:39 10 Recitativo: Vedi, Francesco (Angelo, San Francesco, Eresia, Inganno) 2:10 10 Aria: Pallid’ognora in volto (Eresia) 7:18 11 Aria: Deponi un tanto orgoglio (Angelo) 7:38 11 Recitativo: Empii, conosco il vostro reo (San Francesco, Eresia) 2:48 12 Recitativo: E tu, che fai (San Francesco) 0:35 12 Aria: Intendi i sensi miei (San Francesco) 6:06 13 Aria: Tu serbi accolto (San Francesco) 3:51 13 Recitativo: Tu colle fole tue (Inganno) 0:29 14 Recitativo: E chi sei tu (Eresia, San Francesco, Inganno) 1:45 14 Aria: Come stridente fulmine (Inganno) 4:57 15 Aria: Se dalla chara fonte (Eresia) 5:31 15 Recitativo: Quale imrovvisa luce (Eresia, Inganno, Angelo) 1:43 16 Recitativo: Se che gli stessi (San Francesco) 0:47 16 Aria: Voi dell’eterno pianto (Angelo) 6:25 17 Aria: Tu sei la nube impura (San Francesco) 5:02 17 Recitativo: Noi fuggiremo (Inganno, San Francesco) 0:49 18 Recitativo: E qualia noi d’avante (San Francesco, Angelo) 0:49 18 Coro: Già l’Eresia (Coro) 0:57 19 Aria: Quando più s’alza (Angelo) 7:14 20 Recitativo, a4, Coro: Tu me paventa intanto (Inganno, Eresia, San Francesco, Angelo) 3:42 4 5 © E m i l e A s h l e y Monica Piccinini Roberta Mameli © © A d i r m a r i m n o B n a i r c d a e fi l l m Delphine Galou Luca Tittoto 6 7 © R e i n stuttgarter kammerorchester e r P fi s fabio biondi , conductor t e r e r violins i flutes Fabio Biondi Julie Stewart-Lafin Yu Zhuang Amanda Chominsky Piotr Szabat Luca Bognár oboes Wolfgang Kussmaul Andreas Vogel Elisabeth Wieland violins ii Klaus von Niswandt horns Małgorzata Keitel Gabriel Stiehler Dorothea Knell Paul Pitzek Onur Kestel harpsichord & organ violas Jens Wollenschläger Manuel Hofer Kamila Mayer-Masłowska theorbo Iiro Rajakoski Giangiacomo Pinardi Emanuel Wieck cellos György Bognár Nikolaus von Bülow Ulrike Eickenbusch double bass Renger Woelderink 8 9 english english was full and not exempt from earthly pleasures, a love which from an aesthetic point of view was connected death, the composer and music critic Johann Friedrich for work and a sense of dedication removed from all to the life of the court, was then at its apogee. It was Reichardt was continuing to regard him as one of the sanctimoniousness. The deep spiritual friendship which characterized by a succession of recitatives and arias as greatest European composers, placing him on the same linked him to the Baroness Jeanne-Françoise de Chantal well as by an emphasis on a bel canto style of a great vir - level as Johann Sebastian Bach and Handel. But after francesco feo led to the founding of the Ordre de la Visitation de tuosity. The musical forms found in opera seria can also that, the greater part of Feo’s output sank into neglect. Sainte-Marie, which is still in existence today. François be encountered in the oratorio, owing to the “porous - San Francesco di Sales de Sales also became engaged in a number of diplomatic ness” of the barriers between stage and church music. nm missions involving the Duchy of Savoy and the Kingdom Furthermore, Neapolitan musicians did not hesitate to of France, albeit only as intermediary, given that he introduce harmonic innovations – such as the The first performance of the oratorio San Francesco di rejected the notion that a bishop should become entan - “Neapolitan sixth chord” – and were to exert great Sales, Apostolo del Chablais took place on January 24, Born in the Duchy of Savoy, François de Sales (156 7- gled in political affairs. Despite all the efforts on his influence on such important composers as Handel, 1734 in Bologna, in the Chiesa di Filippini Madonna 1622) – Doctor of the Church, mystical writer and part, he was unsuccessful in convincing Cardinal Gluck and Mozart. A determining factor in such a blos - di Galliera e Filippo Neri. Some sources mention the fonder of religious communities – studied law and the - Richelieu to give up his political activities. His canon - soming was the support provided by patrons and reli - year 1746 and a church in Venice for the first perform - ology in the Universities of Paris and Padua before ization took place in 1665. In 1922, Pope Pius XI pro - gious orders to the Neapolitan conservatories (access ance of this work but this looks very much like a revival receiving Holy Orders in 1593. In the Chablais region, claimed him the Patron Saint of Catholic writers and to these was for the most part free), which can be con - – in any event, both the score and the text have been to the south of Lake Geneva, he led a large sector of of the Catholic press. sidered as the first higher musical schools in the modern conserved in a library in Venice. The scoring, for four the Calvinist population back to Roman Catholicism. Francesco Feo was one of the leading composers sense of the term. solo voices (Angelo/soprano, Francesco/alto, Inganno/ He was later to be consecrated Bishop of Geneva but, from the Neapolitan school which exercised a great Feo, son of an ordinary Neapolitan tailor, revealed bass, Eresia/tenor), a small chorus and an orchestra being unable to take up residence in this Calvinist influence, as much in the rest of Europe as in Italy, a substantial flair for music from an early age. He consisting of trumpets, oboe, strings and continuo, stronghold, he remained in Annecy. The success of his during an extensive period stretching from 165 0- 1800. studied in Naples, making his debut as an opera com - was consistent not only with practices of the time but missionary ministry came as a result of innovative pro - Naples, heart of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, was poser in 1713; within the space of another year he had also with the place for which the work was conceived cedures, including the printing of great quantities of one of the principal cultural centres of Europe. “In the produced his first oratorio. In the succeeding decades, (an oratory or small chapel). The missionary activity leaflets to be distributed among the people. The most eighteenth century, among the Italian cities, only Venice he became one of the foremost composers in the city of the Saint (who was perhaps the composer’s patron significant work by this important author, the and Rome could rival Naples in the realm of music”, – from among his sixteen operas, Siface, Re di Numidia saint) lies at the centre of the work, which consists of Introduction à la vie dévote , is still read today. An important commented the director, organist and music scholar (1723), to a text by Pietro Metastasio, was the one which reflections and imagery more than it does of “action”. concept which he developed relates to the harmony Lorenzo Ghielmi in his programme notes for the Passio brought him the greatest success. He also composed Inganno (Deceit) and Eresia (Heresy) are allegorical between a vocation in life and religion. A bishop, he secundum Joannem by Francesco Feo (which has also works to commissions from Madrid and Prague, but figures against which are opposed Francesco and the argued, should not live the solitary life of a Carthusian been rediscovered in recent times). “From all over remained loyal to his native land throughout his life. Angelo. Whilst the author of the libretto for this ora - monk, nor an artisan spend all day in church like a Europe young musicians hurried to these centres to During his final years Feo devoted his time almost torio remains unknown the music is of a great harmonic Capuchin friar. With the Bible as his point of departure, complete their studies and to meet the greatest living exclusively to sacred music. Even on the eve of the mastery and of a high level of melodic inspiration, all he advocated a fruitful balance between a life which composers”.