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Having recently heard and reviewed the recording under René Jacobs of Cavalieri's groundbreaking sacred opera, I have found that the present version by Christina Pluhar's L'Arpeggiata, recorded ten years earlier, offers a fascinating comparison. Just to recap on the nature and significance of this work - and with apologies to both of my regular readers for any repetition - Emilio de Cavalieri's extraordinary 'Rappresentatione di Anima e di Corpo' was a seminal work in European music. First performed in Rome in the 'Holy Year' of 1600, it is often referred to as an oratorio or sacred opera, but either way it was an utterly original work, composed before any other examples of those formats existed.
Whatever you choose to call it, it is by nature a dramatic work. As its title suggests, it takes the form of an earnest, often tormented dialogue between Body and Soul, with the participation of several other allegorical figures such as Intellect, Pleasure, World, Guardian Angel, Good Counsel - each of these being represented by a singer, of course, with additional choruses of Blessed Souls, Damned Souls or just plain chorus. And then there is the very substantial instrumental accompaniment. The various dialogue sections between the characters are conducted in a mixture of arioso and quasi-aria passages, choruses and instrumental interludes, the pace and mood of the music constantly varying in response to the text. There are also many lively and powerfully expressive choruses with instrumental accompaniment, and these are performed with vigour and imagination by Pluhar's singers and period instrument players.
The soloists, ranging from sopranos to bass, are all excellent and include a number of distinguished names including Johannette Zomer, Nuria Rial, Stephan MacLeod and Marco Beasley. They are extremely effective communicators, powerfully expressive and all fine, stylish voices. The instrumental ensemble including strings, woodwind, cornetti, sackbut, dulcian, percussion and substantial continuo section, here consists of around twenty players - a smaller ensemble than in the Jacobs recording, reflecting the more intimate nature of Pluhar's approach. The cornettists, Doron Sherwin and Gebhard David, are kept very busy indeed and do an outstanding job with their improvised embellishments. In Act 3, the scenes depicting the way to Heaven and the mouth of Hell are especially well depicted, the latter by the lower instruments.
Pluhar's approach to the work is generally more fleet-footed and more personal than Jacobs. Scoring is lighter - the mood more like an opera or masque than you would expect of the first sacred oratorio - and tempi are generally quicker, with the result that the present recording is a few minutes shorter than that of Jacobs. Since the composer himself did not provide his own instrumental interludes - or at least, none that have survived - there is a degree of freedom in choosing suitable passages from other composers, and here the two recordings differ noticeably. Pluhar opts for pieces by Susato, Vierdanck and Merula. Shortly before the ending, Pluhar brings us a gorgeous Ciacogna, stated in the booklet as being by Philipp van Wichel although to me it sounds exactly like Tarquinio Merula's Ciacona. Either way, it's wonderfully played and provides a spirited and engaging climax. Booklet notes and track listing are also unclear about the origin of the very last item, an Epilogo which may or may not be by Cavalieri - here again, booklet notes, libretto and track listing are contradictory. Anyway it provides a rather subdued close but, philosophically, this actually suits the work well. Evidently the conclusion of Cavalieri's work is problematic because Jacobs has trouble with it too.
All texts and translations are provided, and booklet notes are very good. The musicianship in both Pluhar's and Jacobs' recordings is superb. I am very happy to have both of these versions but, if forced to choose, I believe I would have a slight preference for Jacobs:
Emilio de Cavalieri: Rappresentatione Di Anima Et Di Corpo
. There is an air of spontaneity about Christina Pluhar's work, which is impressive and engaging here as in her other recordings. But in the present work I feel that the profound thought and care which Jacobs puts into everything he does, pays off extremely well and conveys even better both the philosophical weight and the ambitious musical substance of Cavalieri's extraordinary masterpiece.
他の国からのトップレビュー
Stephen Midgley
Spontaneous and engaging version of a groundbreaking work
2015年4月19日に英国でレビュー済みAmazonで購入
Alyssa Vetter
Lovely, Lovely Music
2012年6月10日にアメリカ合衆国でレビュー済みAmazonで購入
MR MICHAEL A LANNEN
Five Stars
2018年6月21日にアメリカ合衆国でレビュー済みAmazonで購入
Marie-Louise Göransson
Pluhar fan
2011年5月25日にドイツでレビュー済みAmazonで購入
