Search - Alessandro Scarlatti, Arcadian Academy, Nicholas McGegan :: A. Scarlatti Cantatas, Volume III / McGegan, Brian Asawa

Best of the Three . . .

06/29/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you must have one CD of Alessandro Scarlatti's cantatas, here is the one to get. Cantatas I and II are collecting dust in my CD tower, but I gave this disc a permanent slot in my jukebox. Nicholas McGegan and the Arcadian Academy are competent as usual, but what makes Cantatas III shine is countertenor Brian Asawa's marvelously pellucid voice and his skillful interpreation. If McGegan plans to record a complete cycle of Alessandro Scarlatti's cantatas, he should look again to Brian Asawa, who is a master of early-music. Anecdotal addenda: I played Cantatas III at work, and fellow cubicle-dwellers who are not fans of classical or early-music went out and bought this CD. A co-worker plays Cantatas III during her rush hour commute. Asawa's soothing voice calms her nerves. That's quite a feat in Washington, DC traffic!"

Continuo Anyone? Anyone?

somebody | NYC | 05/21/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In the 17th century, Alessandro Scarlatti enjoyed great fame as a composer of opera and chamber cantatas popular in the salons of nobility. The cantata was considered higher art with an emphasis on the poetry that preceded the music. Much of Scarlatti's works are marked by unusual uses of form and harmony, which all served to better illustrate the text. This recording, his third volume of cantatas, is morose in spirit. Beginning with "Nel silenzio comune", the texts portray a young man suffering rejection, nursing the wounds of love. Characterized by a weeping motif "Ferma Omai" prompts harmonies that darken in the accompaniment. In "Clori Vezzosa" and "Piango Sospiri e Peno" chromaticisms are incorporated as a reflection of despair and loathing. The "Non so qual piu m'ingombra" deviates from typical chamber cantatas in that it's subject is not love, but the rapture of the birth of Christ. Recorded by the Arcadian Academy, conducted by Nicholas McGegan, this is an exquisite performance of these often-overlooked chamber works for voice and continuo. At the forefront of a new wave of countertenors, Brian Asawa has a purity of tone, resembling a transparent veil, through which he conveys the text and the meaning of the music with brilliance."