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Editorial Reviews

With the furor attendant to the multi-lateral attribution of the newly recorded pasticcio opera "Andromeda Liberata," there is still a very fine and tasty all-genuine Antonio Vivaldi disc that may well get lost in the shuffle, namely Patrizia Ciofi's Virgin Veritas disc of Vivaldi's "Motets" with Europa Galante under Fabio Biondi. A motet was not the same thing to Vivaldi as it was to Josquin; in Vivaldi's time it had metamorphosed from a type of sacred choral piece into a work for solo voice based on a non-liturgical sacred text, ending with an "Alleluia." The church was none too excited about this development, as the Latin in these texts was often badly written and sprinkled with rather secular and dubious purple phrases such as "Make me weep, my beloved Jesus, and my tears will kindle joy in my heart." Nevertheless, Vivaldi persisted in the practice because it afforded more variety in terms of text settings to accommodate his intense and dramatic musical style than the standard liturgical texts. In Vivaldi: Motets, soprano Patrizia Ciofi delivers an electrifying recital of four Vivaldi motets that is fully realized in the dramatic idiom that Vivaldi preferred, and it will keep listeners on the edge of their seats as well.

Collaborating with Ciofi is period band Europa Galante in what is probably the best recording they have ever made. Leader Fabio Biondi has worked hard to vary the color in his realization of Vivaldi's instrumental parts, and chooses not to smooth over some seemingly abrupt and explosive elements in the music. Virgin Veritas' recording is outstandingly well made; clear, with a hint of room sound and striking an ideal balance between soloist and ensemble. While there is no shortage of good recordings of Vivaldi's solo motets (a terrific Chandos recording with Catherine Bott and the Purcell Quartet comes to mind in this context), it is still a relatively new field of interest and this is a particularly exciting entry. Vivaldi: Motets has excellent notes by premiere Vivaldi scholar Michael Talbot and full translations of the unique and sometimes amusing motet texts. If you liked The Vivaldi Album of Cecilia Bartoli, this is guaranteed to knock your socks off. Uncle Dave Lewis, All Music Guide

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