Three serenatas by Vivaldi survive (he is known to have composed at least eight)‚ of which La Senna festeggiante is by far the most enjoyable. A serenata is a large­scale composition for vocal soloists and orchestra‚ operatic in style but essentially non­dramatic in subject. In function it is occasional and celebratory‚ usually deploying a cast of allegorical figures in a discussion on the greatness of some notable personage or event. We do not know what occasion demanded the paean to Louis XV of France that is La Senna festeggiante (which roughly translates as ‘Festival on the Seine’)‚ but certain details in the libretto – in which Virtue and The Golden Age come together to praise the wonders of the country of the Seine‚ then join with the latter in admiring the luminous nobility and wisdom of the French king – suggest that it marks Louis’s majority in 1723‚ an event which brought reconciliation between France and Italy and plenty of cause for celebration in Venetian diplomatic circles. One of the work’s most interesting features is Vivaldi’s deliberate use in places of elements of French style‚ for instance in the solemn ‘ouvertur’ which opens Part 2 and the courtly minuet of The Golden Age’s second aria‚ thereby adding to the richness of a work which for the most part is vintage Vivaldi at his most buoyant and irresistible. Those who like to mark his vocal writing down as ‘instrumental’ will nod knowingly at the veering melodic lines of The Seine’s ‘L’alta lor gloria immortale’‚ but overall the music flows with pleasing naturalness‚ simple but effective characterisation – Golden Age a radiant soprano‚ Virtue a dignified alto‚ the Seine a strongly wide­ranging bass – and much predictable pictorial flair (though Vivaldi wisely fights shy of the imaginative leap required to depict the ‘sweet song’ of the swan). Rinaldo Alessandrini directs an exemplary performance‚ paying as much attention to the details of this sycophantic creation as if it really meant something‚ and‚ as he does so often‚ maintaining the music’s energy and interest without drawing undue attention to himself. The three soloists sing with brightness‚ verve and technical agility‚ the orchestra is assured‚ and all are served by a clear and natural recorded sound. A delight all round.