Stradella: Amanti, olà olà; Chi ressiste al Dio bendato

COMPOSERS: Stradella
LABELS: Chandos
ALBUM TITLE: Stradella
WORKS: Amanti, olà olà; Chi ressiste al Dio bendato
PERFORMER: Rosita Frisani, Cristiana Presutti, Anna Chierichetti (soprano), Gianluca Belfiori Doro (alto), Mario Cecchetti, Makoto Sakurada (tenor), Riccardo Ristori (bass); Alessandro Stradella Consort/Estevan Velardi
CATALOGUE NO: CHAN 0728

This is ravishing music in a decent,



sometimes moving, performance.



Because no one else has recorded



these works, the disc is worthwhile



– though I hope other specialists



will take up these cantatas.



Stradella’s prolific output is



largely unedited, which makes the



rapid appearance of alternative discs



unlikely, though his turbulent life has



long attracted biographers. Stradella



had what turned out to be a fatal



attraction to, and for, noblewomen



and mistresses of noblemen;



outrage against one conquest



caused his assassination at age 43.



In L’Accademia d’Amore Stradella



interprets love with an unacademic



intensity. His scoring is inspired, with



unlikely combinations of movements



(sinfonia, a cappella madrigal, arioso



recitative), fluid, unpredictable



shifts between concertino and



concerto grosso, and tender melodies



underpinned by a plangent continuo



that conjoin to overpower poetry with



music. The consort responds with



verve, contrasting percussive attacato



with soothing cantabile, while



continuo realisations always enhance



the dramatic moment.



However the singers capitalise



less on Stradella’s genius: Frisani’s messa da voce elegantly sustains her protracted phrases, but her top



range can be strained; among the



other vocalists, inconsistencies – in



vibrato, colour, or control – surface



throughout. The astringency of



the sound recording undermines



blending generally. These flaws



detract from, but do not overshadow,



a performance brimming with



enthusiasm. Berta Joncus