SERENISSIMA A Musical Portrait of Venice around 1726 Perrine Devillers The 1750 Project Programme Ensemble English text German text French text Sung texts Imprint SERENISSIMA A Musical Portrait of Venice around 1726 Ein musikalisches Portrait von Venedig um 1726 Un portrait musical de Venise autour de 1726 Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741) Concerto for Oboe, Strings and B.C. in D minor, RV 454 (Il Cimento dell’Armonia e dell’Inventione, Op. VIII No. 9) 1 Allegro 3:04 2 Largo 2:05 3 Allegro 2:38 Antonio Vivaldi Cantata All’ombra di sospetto for Soprano, Traverso and B.C., RV 687 4 Recitativo All’ombra di sospetto 0:18 5 Aria Avezzo non è il core 5:32 6 Recitativo Ò quanti amanti 0:46 7 Aria Mentiti contenti 4:08 Antonio Vivaldi Sonata for Violin and B.C. in A major, RV 758 (Manchester Sonata No. VI) 8 Preludio Largo 3:36 9 Corrente Allegro 2:31 10 Andante 4:14 11 Corrente Presto 2:28 ^menu Domenico Scarlatti (1685–1757) Sonata for Harpsichord in E major, K. 162 12 Andante – Allegro 6:55 Nicola Porpora (1686–1768) (from the opera Arianna e Teseo) 13 Aria Pietoso Ciel difendimi for Soprano, Oboe, Strings and B.C. 7:17 Nicola Porpora Cantata Questo è il platano frondoso for Soprano and B.C. 14 Aria Questo è il platano frondoso 3:43 15 Recitativo O rimembranza al mio pensier funesta 1:48 16 Aria Se mai torna ò pianta amica 5:30 Giuseppe Sammartini (1695–1750) Sonata for Oboe and B.C. in C major, GSM 1323b (XII sonate a fl auto traversiere solo con il basso Op. II No. 2) 17 Andante spirituoso 3:33 18 Andante lento 2:21 19 Allegro 2:08 Antonio Vivaldi Cantata Che giova il sospirar, povero core for Soprano, Strings and B.C., RV 679 20 Recitativo Che giova il sospirar, povero core 0:58 21 Aria Nell’aspro tuo periglio 5:38 22 Recitativo Ma tu nume d’amo 0:39 23 Aria Cupido tu vedi 3:45 Total 76:13 ^menu The 1750 Project Perrine Devillers soprano Benoît Laurent oboe & artistic direction Jan Van den Borre traverso Jacek Kurzydło violin Salomé Rateau violin Nadine Henrichs viola Mathilde Wolfs cello Korneel Bernolet harpsichord 4 5 ^menu for many nobles and musicians from northern Serenissima Europe who sought to complete their training and education by making what came to be Th e 1750 Project proposes a journey from known as a Grand Tour around the Italian pe- 1720 to 1750, each stage of which will allow ninsula. Several German composers, notably us to discover the richness and specifi city of Pisendel, Quantz, Hasse and Händel, passed a city’s musical life at a key juncture in its his- through Venice at the beginning of the 18th tory. For the fi rst episode of the 1750 Project, century before returning to preach the gospel we would like to present the musical impres- of Italian music in their own lands. We shall sions that a traveller might have received on now imagine for a few moments that we are visiting Venice around 1726. Why 1726 in travellers who are exploring the musical life of particular? Because a visitor arriving in the the city around 1726. city of the Doges at that time would have witnessed a particular turning point in the It is diffi cult to imagine today the shock history of music: a meeting of two diff erent of arriving in Venice at that time. Aft er a boat styles. Several of the best Italian musicians trip over the lagoon the visitor entered a city were resident in Venice at that time; Antonio that was like none other. All of his senses sud- Vivaldi (1678–1741) was the dominant musical denly aroused, he was bombarded with new force in the city, although the Neapolitan com- impressions: the light refl ecting off the water, poser Nicola Porpora (1686–1768) had also the heady odours of the sea and the scents recently arrived. Porpora’s arrival introduced of spices, and the disconcerting tranquil- not only a certain sweetness characteristic of lity — instead of noise created by carriages southern Italy but also a new style that invaded on cobblestones there was only the lapping Venice before going on to conquer Europe; this of the waves. Th e political system was also was later termed the style galant, Rococo, or unique in Europe, for the city was a republic; preclassical. Another excellent musician who it had the curious particularity of allowing an was in Venice at that time was about to revo- extreme freedom of morality at the same time lutionise the world of wind instruments; this as it maintained a police force and network of was the Milan-born Giuseppe Sammartini spies who took note of every deed or gesture, (1695–1750). Although Venice had entered a whether made by a Venetian or a visiting guest. period of economic decline, it had remained a Th e Venetian way of telling time was also dif- musical metropolis; it was a compulsory stop ferent from the rest of Europe: midnight was 6 the time given to sunset and therefore changed programme, with one of the stars of the opera accordingly; performances and concerts could displaying his or her talents for a large fee. even be scheduled to start at 2am! Th e cantatas included on this recording were amongst the works sung at such Accademie; Another surprise awaited the traveller: they were intended for a singer accompanied there was music everywhere that he went. He simply by continuo (Porpora’s Questo è il pla- would fi rst have encountered the Venetians’ tano for soprano, either a castrato or a woman), love for song: the renowned writer Carlo Gol- or by another instrument (Vivaldi’s All’ombra doni, who also wrote libretti for Vivaldi, stated di sospetto, in which the voice dialogues with a that “they sing in the squares, in the streets and transverse fl ute), or even by a string ensemble on the canals; the merchants sing as they sell (Vivaldi’s Che giova il sospirar, povero core). It their merchandise, the workers sing as they is interesting to compare these works, for they leave work, the gondoliers sing as they await illustrate diff erent aspects of the new style their masters”. Anyone lucky enough to gain galant; Vivaldi, confronted with a new source entrance to the palazzi could attend private of competition, swift ly adapted his own style. musical evenings or even an Accademia. Th e Whilst the atmosphere of Porpora’s cantata city’s passion for music was such that people is sombre, this being accentuated by its key would go to church simply to hear the music of B minor, and the Neapolitan style can be that was being performed; there was much recognised in the fl exibility of the vocal line jealousy amongst the city’s parishes on this (its extremely long phrases clearly demanded a account. We should also not forget the seven singer with a solid technique), Vivaldi employs great opera houses, all of whom competed a galanterie that is possibly more superfi cial in keenly to attract the best composers, singers style; it is also characterised by ornamentation and instrumentalists. that requires great agility throughout. Th e transverse fl ute, used by Vivaldi in All’ombra Let us imagine that our traveller went di sospetto, had only recently become fashion- to listen to an Accademia: we see him in a able in Venice. Th e instrument had been fi rst magnifi cent palazzo, at one of the evenings developed in France and it was only during during which the nobility competed with each the 1720s that it began to be employed by the other in poetry and in music, even inviting a Venetians in general and by Vivaldi in particu- few professional musicians to join them. If he lar; his twelve concertos for fl ute op. 10 date were lucky, there would be vocal music on the from this time. 7 To attend the opera was practically com- wonder whether Sammartini’s intention was pulsory for every visitor to Venice — and it was to move towards a more vocal style and a there that the competition between Vivaldi structure that resembled Porpora’s cantata. and Porpora ran at its highest. Each com- poser had his own theatre (the Sant’Angelo for Vivaldi’s sonata for violin in A major is a Vivaldi, the San Giovanni Grisostomo — very surprising work in its own way. It contains four prestigious and reserved for the nobility — for movements (a sonata da camera of this type Porpora), singers, and audience. Pietoso Ciel could contain six or seven), two of which are difendimi, an aria sung by Carilda in Act II Corrente; these frame an Andante that is quite of Arianna e Teseo, is a good example of the astonishing because of its chordal passages. new type of Neapolitan aria that Porpora of- Th is technique and the timbres that it creates fered his Venetian public. Th e opera was fi rst were unusual for Vivaldi and foreshadow the performed at San Giovanni Grisostomo in No- pieces that Tartini would compose for the vember 1727 and contained a magnifi cent mu- instrument during the following decade. Th e sical dialogue between the soprano Giovanna sonata, currently preserved in Manchester, Gasparini and another exceptional musician, was copied out by Giovanni Antonio Mauro the instrumentalist Giuseppe Sammartini. (Vivaldi’s brother-in-law and principal copy- He, who we may consider to have been the ist) for the collection of the cardinal Pietro fi rst celebrated woodwind player, was also a Ottoboni, a noble of Venetian origins then composer and wrote at least sixty sonatas for resident in Rome; Ottoboni was a great lover treble instrument and continuo.