Search - Alessandro Scarlatti, Antonio Caldara, George Frederick Handel :: Cantatas for Solo Countertenor

Dellightful Baroque performances from a masterful contralto

Barry D. Steben | Singapore | 03/28/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One wonders how Virgin Classics manages to produce and market these "Pleasure 4" 4-CD sets for such low prices, but prospective buyers need not worry that they might be getting an inferior product. While an avid lover of Baroque music, before buying this set I had never been aware of contralto Gérard Lesne's name, though I soon noticed that it appears on a number of disks that I already owned--along with the names of great Baroque maestros like Philippe Herreweghe and William Christie and outstanding performers like Fabio Bondi and Véronique Gens. The discography of Lesne and his Il Seminario Musicale is nothing short of astounding in quantity and range, including many disks that have received rave reviews from Amazon reviewers and customers. Lesne is certainly as versatile a countertenor as Andreas Scholl and David Daniels, though he is apparently a little less in the limelight. The cantatas presented here are well arranged so that there is considerable contrast in style and tempo from one piece to the next, assuring that the listener never feels a sense of monotony. Moreover, we have four disks of cantatas each by a different composer, and many of these works will be new to even the average Baroque aficionado. I myself was not even aware of Caldara (c. 1670-1736), ten years younger than Scarlatti, who though "one of the most prolific composers of his generation," gets less than eight minutes on Harmonia Mundi's 15-disk Les Lumieres du Baroque (on the CD called "The Golden Age of the Oratorio"). Bononcini (1670-1747) was an equally prolific writer of vocal music, a pioneer of Italian opera, and an associate--and later rival--of Handel (1685-1759) in London. It is a delight to be able to revel in and compare some of the many delightful cantatas produced more-or-less contemporaneously by these great composers, performed with an alternation of loving gentleness and sprightly vitality by Lesne and ISM with instrumental interludes and accompaniments that can stand with the best of Baroque period performances. Lovers of late 17th and early 18th century music will find these relaxing disks ideal not only for dedicated listening, but also for playing in the background while working, doing household chores, or driving. If you already have some of Lesne's recordings, you will want this set as well, and for those who do not, this set is likely to become the beginning of a Lesne collection you will cherish for years."

A voice teacher and early music fan

George Peabody | Planet Earth | 07/21/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"QUADRUPLE THE PLEASURE WHEN THE DISCS NUMBER FOUR; AND THE SINGING'S SO GREAT THAT YOU WISH THERE WAS MORE!!!



This is a four disc set that includes cantatas by:Alessandro Scarlatti-Caldara-Handel and Giovanni Bonancini. What a treasure trove of music!!!!The cantata, to some extent, is a development from the madrigal that appeared in Italy at the start of the seventeenth century. While the madrigal was refined and delicate, the cantata evolved because composers felt the need to introduce a dramatic narrative element into vocal chamber music and thusly the music took a lighter, wittier turn.



Scarlatti is considered as one if the initiators, and also one of the reformers of this genre, whose outlines he established. In his cantatas for a single solo voice and continuo, Scarlatti treats the latter as a true partner of the voice.



Caldara,who was Scarlatti's contemporary,played a large part in the development of the chamber cantata for one to five voices.



Bonancini,who was essentially centered on opera, nonetheless wrote innumerable cantatas for one or more soloists.



Handel's stay in Italy between the years 1706 and 1710 resulted in a time of intense creative activity, and he quite naturally gravitated towards the cantata. One of my favorites of Handels on this disc is:"Splenda l'alba in oriente",



Lesne does a very learned and skillful renditon of this music. Thelightness of his countertenor voice suits this genre very well. He has good diction and a nice emotional response to the varying moods of the music. Sandrine Piau (soprano) does a nice job of blending and complementing the countertenor tone quality. All in all it's a most enjoyable and varied listening experience."

Ecomonic guide to baroque vocal music

HSIEH CHENG CHUNG | Taipei, Taiwan | 08/14/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I remembered this album is my first purchased to know italy baroque cantatas, and I were attracted to enjoy the beautiful music. Think back this experience, I am so luck to touch the key composers in it and open my eye to vocal.

The value of album is described details from others, so I just insist that it is worth purchasing beacuse some are difficult to buy individually or find them from other place, ex caldara, bononcini and scarlatti. If you were a vocal music lover or just heared bach's cantatas, you should try these, I believe you would love them as me"