Search - La Stagione :: Alessandro Scarlatti: Cinque Profeti - Weinachtskantate (Christmas Cantata)

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Giordano Bruno | Wherever I am, I am. | 12/05/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Even the potent economic engines of "high-tax nanny-state" Germany sputter sometimes when it comes to supporting the arts. Every significant musical ensemble in Germany is partially subsidized by some level of government, but that's not all; German private enterprise also supports music far more generously than business in most other countries. Still, it's not always enough to guarantee the survival of very fine ensembles. Case in point: La Stagione of Frankfurt, an ensemble that has thrived since 1988. This year, perhaps through a bit of weak management, La Stagione has fallen in financial distress and has canceled its concert season. It's certainly true that there are many fine ensembles in Germany, but one as excellent as La Stagione shouldn't have to struggle so close to the brink.



This performance of music by Alessandro Scarlatti and Arcangelo Corelli, from 1993, is representative of the outstanding musicianship that La Stagione has consistently shown. Cinque Profeti (Five Prophets) was composed in 1605, on commission from the great patron of Roman music Cardinal Ottoboni, as a Christmas cantata to be sung in the Papal palace. The libretto is by Silvio Stampiglia, a member of the Arcadian Academy and author of librettos used by Bononcini and Handel. This text takes a novel and charming form; rather than telling the Nativity story once again, it portrays an imaginary conversation between five Old Testament prophets - Daniel, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Abraham - who express their joy at the wondrous birth of the Holy Infant. It's a charming dialogue, full of colorful metaphors for Divine providence. The music among Scarlatti's most elegant and sprightly; even the dour Jeremiah gets a rare chance to exult. The 'flow' from recitativo to aria is particularly graceful; there's no flagging or sagging, every note adds to the whole, and the concise development of the continuo into and out of fully orchestral accompaniment is evidence of Scarlatti's mastery. Each prophet, of course, gets his moment of glory, his accompanied aria, with the most moving music of all in a duet between Daniel and Ezekiel. All five prophets round out the musical celebration together in a polyphonic chorus proclaiming the Reign of Peace, a chorus that demonstrates Scarlatti utter brilliance at making intellectually complex counterpoint both affective and beautiful.



The prophets are sung by sopranos Barbara Schlick and Heike Hallaschka, alto Kai Wessel, tenor Christoph Pregardien, and bass Michael Schopper. The five complement each other in style and timbre as smoothly as five fingers of a virtuoso's hand. Wessel deserves special praise; I've heard him on many CDs and he's never sounded better than here. This performance could be taken as a textbook model of "historically informed" vocal technique. La Stagione always performs on period instruments, in this case adding recorder, transverse flute, and oboe to the usual strings and continuo. If the singers are the five fingers of a single hand, then the orchestra is a fine kidskin glove encasing their beauty.



So, what can you or I do to ensure the fiscal recovery of this superb ensemble? Why, use your personal free market mechanism! Buy this disk, and preferably new, so that La Stagione gets its share. Then, according to your means of course, go ahead and buy everything else la Stagione has ever recorded! You won't be wasting a red cent, I promise."