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Track(s) taken from CDA67438

Currite populi a voce sola e B.c.

composer
Ghirlanda Sacra (1625)
author of text

The King's Consort, Robert King (conductor)
Recording details: February 2004
St Jude-on-the-Hill, Hampstead Garden Suburb, London, United Kingdom
Release date: April 2004
Total duration: 4 minutes 0 seconds
 

Reviews

‘Monteverdi is one of those composers who really does merit a complete recording of his output. The sacred works have been a little neglected, and this splendid new series, with its informed and intelligent booklet notes, is putting things right’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘There are joys here to melt icebergs … I want Volume 3 immediately’ (The Times)

‘Sumptuous surround sound and full-blooded performances from Robert King and Co combine to thrilling effect in the second release in their fabulous Monteverdi cycle’ (Classic FM Magazine)

‘Where this new disc really comes into its own is in the small-scale motets, where King's outstanding roster of soloists would be exceedingly difficult to better … The rarely performed motets alone should ensure the present disc its place in any Monteverdi collection, while John Whenham's notes prove as valuable an asset as those Michael Talbot provided for King's Vivaldi sacred music traversal’ (Fanfare, USA)

‘I'll say it straight out: the result is truly exciting! The music is magnificent, and so is the interpretation … the architecture of the programme is particularly remarkable, and the album is built on balance, variety, contrast’ (Goldberg)

‘The King’s Choir and Consort directed by Robert King made a complete series of the Sacred Music of Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) … this is music that I could listen to all day long. With Carolyn Sampson and Rebecca Outram (sopranos), Rogers Covey-Crump (high tenor), Charles Daniels and James Gilchrist (tenors) and Peter Harvey (bass) you could hardly wish for a more distinguished team of soloists’ (MusicWeb International)» More

‘This is an absolutely crack team of soloists, all of whom are completely at home in Monteverdi's idiom. The tenors in particular luxuriate in the ornamental roulades’ (Early Music)

«En effet, c'est avec un tact et une finesse sans précédent que King mène son corpus instrumental … la douceur séraphique de Sampson et Outram dans le Venite, Siccientes n'a d'équivalent que la parfaite maîrise de la diction, des sons enflés et de la souplesse de ces voix» (Classica, France)
This motet for solo tenor and continuo was published in a volume entitled Ghirlanda Sacra (1625) compiled by Leonardo Simonetti, a singer at St Mark’s, Venice. It is one of Monteverdi’s happiest inventions, beginning in a rapid triple time suggesting people hurrying to sing the melodious ‘alleluia’ that then follows in honour of the saint whose day is being celebrated. The two parts of this refrain are then used to punctuate the verses announcing the saint’s name, praising him, and petitioning him to hear the people’s prayer, before being coupled together again to end the piece. This is an all-purpose motet: in the text, the saint’s name is left blank for the choirmaster to fill in as appropriate to the Feast being celebrated.

from notes by John Whenham © 2004

Ce motet pour ténor seul et continuo a été publié dans un recueil intitulé Ghirlanda Sacra (Guirlande sacrée, 1625) compilé par Leonardo Simonetti, un chanteur de la basilique Saint-Marc de Venise. Voici une des inventions les plus heureuses de Monteverdi. Elle débute par un passage rapide en ternaire suggérant des gens qui se pressent pour chanter l’« alleluia » mélodieux qui s’ensuit en l’honneur du Saint dont on célèbre la fête. Les deux parties de ce refrain sont ensuite utilisées pour ponctuer les versets annonçant le nom du saint, faisant ses louanges et l’adjurant d’écouter la prière de la congrégation. Elles sont ensuite réunies de nouveau pour conclure l’œuvre. Ce motet était véritablement passe-partout puisque le nom du Saint est laissé en blanc dans le texte afin que le chef de chœur puisse inscrire celui convenant à la fête que l’on souhaitait célébrer.

extrait des notes rédigées par John Whenham © 2004
Français: Isabelle Battioni

Diese Motette für Solo-Tenor und Continuo wurde von Leonardo Simonetti, einem Sänger von S. Marco in Venedig, in einem Band mit dem Titel Ghirlanda Sacra (1625) herausgegeben. Es ist dies eine der fröhlichsten Kompositionen Monteverdis – sie beginnt mit einem schnellen Dreiertakt, der die Menschen darstellt, die herbeieilen, um das darauffolgende, melodiöse „alleluia“ zu singen, das zu Ehren des Heiligen erklingt, dessen Festtag gefeiert wird. Die beiden Teile dieses Refrains sind so arrangiert, dass sie zwischen den Versen, die den Namen des Heiligen ankündigen, erklingen. Der Heilige wird gepriesen und gebeten, die Bitten der Menschen zu erhören, bevor gegen Ende des Stücks die beiden Refrainteile wieder zusammengefügt werden. Es ist dies eine „Allzweck-Motette“: im Text ist der Name des Heiligen ausgelassen, so dass der Kapellmeister ihn, dem jeweiligen Festtag entsprechend, selbst einsetzen kann.

aus dem Begleittext von John Whenham © 2004
Deutsch: Viola Scheffel

Other albums featuring this work

Monteverdi: The Sacred Music, Vol. 2
This album is not yet available for downloadSACDA67438Super-Audio CD — Deleted
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