Caldara La conversione di Clodoveo ré di Francia
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Antonio Caldara
Label: Accord
Magazine Review Date: 1/1998
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 85
Mastering:
DDD
Catalogue Number: 20579-2
Tracks:
| Composition | Artist Credit |
|---|---|
| (La) Conversione di Clodoveo, Re di Francia |
Antonio Caldara, Composer
(Le) Parlement de Musique Antonio Caldara, Composer Delphine Collot, Soprano Jonathan Peter Kenny, Alto Martin Gester, Conductor Noémi Rime, Soprano Pascal Bertin, Alto |
Author:
Caldara, a contemporary of Vivaldi, worked first in his native Venice, then in Rome until 1716 when, in mid-career, he moved to Vienna. There he remained as court vice-Kapellmeister until his death in 1736. Almost throughout his working life Caldara produced a steady stream of Italian oratorios, one of which, Maddalena ai piedi di Cristo, directed by Rene Jacobs, was the recent recipient of a Gramophone Award (Harmonia Mundi, 11/96). Martin Gester and Le Parlement de Musique have chosen another such piece, La conversione di Clodoveo, Re di Francia (“The Conversion of Clovis, King of France”). But while Maddalena, Caldara’s earliest surviving oratorio, was written for Venice shortly after 1690, the present work, dating from 1715, was performed at Prince Ruspoli’s residence, the Palazzo Bonelli, in Rome, where Caldara was maestro di cappella from 1707 until his move to Vienna.
The text of La conversione di Clodoveo, in two acts, was written by Carlo Capece who had supplied Handel with a libretto for his first oratorio, La Resurrezione, also for Ruspoli, seven years earlier. The scoring is for two sopranos, two altos, three-part strings and continuo; two oboes, a bassoon and a trumpet provide additional colouring on occasion. The music of this oratorio, one of Caldara’s last offerings of Ruspoli before his departure to Vienna, is more unequivocally galant in style than that of Maddalena; and there are some splendid arias, often in dance rhythms, with simple instrumental accompaniments, sometimes without continuo support. Textures and rhythms are often decidedly pre-classical, as you can hear at once in San Remigio’s “Picciol legno” (disc 1, track 18) with an orchestral accompaniment for all the world like an early symphony.
There is much to enjoy in this performance which is both well sung and generally well played. Outstanding among the vocalists is Noemi Rime whose timbre, secure technique and effortless good taste in ornamenting da capos deserve special praise. My only complaint is that her role is not larger. Delphine Collot is also effective and her voice is clear, strong and appealing, but she has a marked tendency to swoop around and is, overall, less disciplined than Rime. The two countertenors, Pascal Bertin – who sings the title-role – and Jonathan Kenny, are both technically fluent and expressive, with a good sense of drama; and the instrumental ensemble is markedly more refined in sound than has been the case in one or two of their recent discs. Only intermittently, in the Second Act, did I encounter passages of edgy upper string playing. It is a pity that some of this, at least, could not have been remedied, above all, perhaps, in the radiant concluding duet for Clovis and Clotilde.
In short, this is a most worthwhile project, performed with a good all-round stylistic sense and with some above average contributions. I know I shall be listening frequently to Rime’s contribution but Caldara’s music, throughout, is engaging. This is a fascinating release and one well worth exploring. The libretto is in Italian and French only, I’m afraid, though the introductory essay, a very good one, has been translated into English.NA
The text of La conversione di Clodoveo, in two acts, was written by Carlo Capece who had supplied Handel with a libretto for his first oratorio, La Resurrezione, also for Ruspoli, seven years earlier. The scoring is for two sopranos, two altos, three-part strings and continuo; two oboes, a bassoon and a trumpet provide additional colouring on occasion. The music of this oratorio, one of Caldara’s last offerings of Ruspoli before his departure to Vienna, is more unequivocally galant in style than that of Maddalena; and there are some splendid arias, often in dance rhythms, with simple instrumental accompaniments, sometimes without continuo support. Textures and rhythms are often decidedly pre-classical, as you can hear at once in San Remigio’s “Picciol legno” (disc 1, track 18) with an orchestral accompaniment for all the world like an early symphony.
There is much to enjoy in this performance which is both well sung and generally well played. Outstanding among the vocalists is Noemi Rime whose timbre, secure technique and effortless good taste in ornamenting da capos deserve special praise. My only complaint is that her role is not larger. Delphine Collot is also effective and her voice is clear, strong and appealing, but she has a marked tendency to swoop around and is, overall, less disciplined than Rime. The two countertenors, Pascal Bertin – who sings the title-role – and Jonathan Kenny, are both technically fluent and expressive, with a good sense of drama; and the instrumental ensemble is markedly more refined in sound than has been the case in one or two of their recent discs. Only intermittently, in the Second Act, did I encounter passages of edgy upper string playing. It is a pity that some of this, at least, could not have been remedied, above all, perhaps, in the radiant concluding duet for Clovis and Clotilde.
In short, this is a most worthwhile project, performed with a good all-round stylistic sense and with some above average contributions. I know I shall be listening frequently to Rime’s contribution but Caldara’s music, throughout, is engaging. This is a fascinating release and one well worth exploring. The libretto is in Italian and French only, I’m afraid, though the introductory essay, a very good one, has been translated into English.
Caldara La conversione di Clodoveo ré di Francia
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