Italian Love Cantatas: Vivaldi / Scarlatti / Lotti / Steffani

Lotti, Antonio, różni kompozytorzy, Scarlatti, Domenico, Steffani, Agostino, Vivaldi, Antonio

Epoca Barocca, Vajente, Silvia

CPO 777 583-2

As one of the two »singing wind instruments, « together with the transverse flute, the oboe not only conquered orchestras during the early eighteenth century but also the more intimate ensembles, which were of considerable importance in forms such as the so-called chamber cantata for voice with a compact instrumental accompaniment. The oboe was often employed as a wordless partner of the singer – and the special appeal of such poetic dialogue is presented here in exemplary fashion by some of the best-known masters of the Italian baroque. Love offers music inexhaustible resources for the expression of the emotions, and a baroque master, for instance, could demonstrate his imaginative richness by drawing on musical affections in forms including the chamber cantata. The soprano Silvia Vajente, known for her temperamental declamation, joins the Epoca Barocca ensemble on the present CD, and in the cantatas with the oboe she engages in what are genuinely highly intensive dialogues – for example, in Antonio Lotti's »Ti sento o Dio bendato.« And she is very familiar with the oboe inasmuch as she was originally trained on this instrument. The vocalist captivates the listener above all with her tenderly swelling tones and with her gently finished, carefully cushioned phrase conclusions. Baroque artistry at its finest.

CD x 1

CPO

2/24/12

761203758326