The French countertenor, Gerard Lesne is probably best known in the UK for his recordings with William Christie and Les Arts Florissants and with Philippe Herreweghe and La Chapelle Royale. This is the first solo recital by him that I have heard and it is a good one. He has chosen four sacred vocal pieces by Vivaldi which both individually and together underline the composer's considerable gifts in this sphere of creativity. Least familiar to listeners will be the motet Vestro Principi divino, whose text has Whitsuntide associations. Two arias, the second of them thematically akin to one of Vivaldi's Gloria Himeneo (RV680) as well as to the opening movement of the Concerto in F major (Op. 10 No. 5), are separated by a short unaccompanied recitative. The motet concludes with an Alleluia. It is an appealing piece without in any way being exceptional.
The G minor Filiae mestae is one of Vivaldi's so-called introduzioni, (for solo voice, strings and continuo). This one was intended as an introductory movement to a Miserere and was previously recorded in the mid 1960s by Aafje Heynis under the direction of Angelo Ephrikian (nla). Here the scheme is reversed with a single aria framed by two recitatives. Like the Stabat mater it is a deeply felt piece, darkly coloured throughout, and in this performance very affectingly sung.
The two principal works here are the Stabat mater and a setting of Psalm 127, Nisi Dominus; both are scored for a voice in the alto register, strings and continuo. Lesne's disciplined, well-sustained voice serves all this music uncommonly well. His softly coloured vocal timbre captures its spirit more faithfully than most, emphasizing its profoundly contemplative character. Indeed, his acute awareness of texture and balance within the ensemble and his refusal to project his voice to the detriment of Vivaldi's instrumental writing are among the features of his performance which I most admire. The instances of such sensibility are too numerous to list, but the ''Cum dederit'' of the Nisi Dominus is a particularly affecting one. Few singers treat this music with such tenderness as Lesne bestows on it and he is unfailingly well supported by the Il Seminario Musicale Ensemble.
In short, this is one of the finest discs of Vivaldi's vocal music to have been issued for some while. The motet Vestro Principi, Stabat mater and introduzioni here comprise a triptych of a sombre, griefstricken even oppressive character; but its beauty lingers long in the memory. Sympathetic recorded sound and full texts.
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