Search - Leonarda, Doni :: Tesori Del Piemonte, Vol. 5 - Leonarda, La Musa Novarese: Magnificat, Motets, Beatus Vir / Monticelli, Musica Laudantes

The aristocratic nun Isabella Leonarda (1620-1704) was among the last and most prolific of the convent composers of 17th-century Italy. On the evidence of the works presented here, her style was a bridge between the relatively free, rhapsodic music of the early 17th century and the more rhythmic, form-based style of the 18th. Leonarda's music sounds rather like proto-Vivaldi--but without the imaginative effects and flights of virtuosity. In particular, the choral passages in the Magnificat and the two psalm settings on this disc come across as simple, bland music; one wonders if these works were chosen because the choir couldn't manage anything more difficult. (Their singing is flat--in both senses--and their tone is raw; the sections for soloists come off somewhat better.) The Litanies of the Blessed Virgin Mary for four soloists and Ave suavis dilectio for solo soprano (beguilingly sung by Loredana Bacchetta) are much more appealing, as are the three small, graceful sonatas for two violins included on the disc--again, not very virtuosic, but charming and well-played. --Matthew Westphal