Antonio Vivaldi, Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Johann Sebastian Bach - Stabat Mater - Theatre of Early Music - Emma Kirkby - Daniel Taylor - BIS Records BIS-1546 (2009) Antonio Vivaldi - Giovanni Battista Pergolesi - Johann Sebastian Bach Stabat Mater - Theatre of Early Music - Emma Kirkby - Daniel Taylor BIS Records BIS-1546 | Classical | Baroque | 2ch & Mch Hybrid | DR13 SACD-rip via Cambridge Audio CXU to iso (3.39 GB) | PDF Young Canadian countertenor Daniel Taylor combines a deliciously creamy voice with a keen dramatic sense, and his reputation in this small but nevertheless star-oriented field has been steadily growing. This beautifully recorded release from Sweden's BIS label seems certain to add to that reputation. Veteran British early music soprano Emma Kirkby gets top billing, but she appears only in the final work on the album, Bach's Tilge, Höchster, meine Sünden, BWV 1083, a transcription and fairly detailed revision of Giovanni Batista Pergolesi's somber Stabat Mater. This work might be worth the purchase price by itself; it's less often heard than Bach's more faithful Vivaldi transcriptions, and the process of remaking the Stabat Mater into a German cantata is interesting before one even gets to the marvelous interplay between Kirkby's now sharp-edged voice and Taylor's supple instrument. Pergolesi himself is represented by the Salve Regina, which offers several fine examples of Taylor's flair for catching hearers' attention with his text readings. Sample his way of entering with a striking vibrato-free tone in texts of supplication, and then broadening out into a warmer sound as the prayer gains strength. The opening Stabat Mater, RV 621, of Vivaldi, preceded by a short instrumental sonata, is a marvelous example of the dark but lush colors associated with this text in the Baroque, and Taylor's performances, not overwhelmingly powerful but operatic in their beauty, hang in the mind. Taylor's period-instrument Theatre of Early Music backs him quietly, with perfect sensitivity. A compelling program, in top-notch renderings. Booklet notes are in English, French, and German. allmusic.com There are at least half a dozen recordings of Vivaldi’s Stabat mater that I wouldn’t want to be without but this profoundly beautiful version leaps straight into their ranks. The Theatre of Early Music band is small (just single strings and simple continuo) but its playing never feels underweight, and rhetorical qualities in the music are clear yet unforced. The opening ritornello is immaculately played, with an ideal atmosphere of hushed melancholy; the affinity between the instrumentalists and Taylor’s gentle and deeply poetic singing is breathtaking. While some listeners may prefer gutsier or more “operatic” voices, or more obviously dramatic styles of lamentation, Taylor’s intelligent and stylish singing belongs in a select class alongside a few of the finest and sweetest voices of its type. There is plenty of understated dramatic weight in his interpretation of “O quam tristis”, and he tastefully moves through the few passages of more extended melismatic writing. “Eja mater” is often a stumbling block, but here the sparsely accompanied texture is enchanting. This beguiling performance frequently reminded me of recordings by Michael Chance and Robin Blaze (high praise indeed!), and the Theatre of Early Music’s dignified and flawless accompaniments play an equal part in the perfectly judged interpretation. Pergolesi’s Salve regina is also given an affecting rendition: the string-playing has the perfect juxtaposition of piety and sensuality, and Taylor’s soft singing is admirably communicative of the words. Violinist Adrian Butterfield leads an exquisite performance of the solemn Sonata “al Santo Sepolcro”, and the well chosen programme is rounded off by Tilge, Höchster, meine Sünden (Bach’s creative yet respectful adaptation of Pergolesi’s Stabat mater, using the text of Psalm 51), in which Emma Kirkby’s delicate singing elegantly blends with Taylor’s. The countertenor has recorded BWV1083 before, with soprano Karina Gauvin and Les Violons du Roy (ATMA), but the Theatre of Early Music’s poignant playing gives the newcomer an advantage over alternative versions. gramophone.co.uk Tracklist: 1. Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)- Sonata à 4 al Santo Sepolcro, for 2 violins, viola & continuo in E flat major, RV 130 04:30 Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) - Stabat Mater, hymn for voice, strings & continuo in F minor, RV 621 2. 1. Stabat Mater. Largo 03:23 3. 2. Cuius animam. Adagissimo 02:00 4. 3. O quam tristis. Andante 5. 4. Quis est homo. Largo 03:16 6. 5. Quis non posset. Adagissimo 01:57 7. 6. Pro peccatis. Andante 01:43 8. 7. Eia Mater. Largo 02:31 9. 8. Fac ut ardeat. Lento 01:31 10. 9. Amen. Allegro 01:05 Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710-1736) - Salve regina, for countertenor & strings in F minor 11. 1. Salve Regina. Largo 04:11 12. 2. Ad te clamamus. Andante 00:43 13. 3. Ad te suspiramus. Largo 03:33 14. 4. Eia ergo advocata. Andante 01:25 15. 5. Et Jesum, benedictum. Amoroso 02:22 16. 6. O Clemens, o pia. Largo assai 01:36 Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) - Tilge, Höchster, meine Sünden (Psalm 51), BWV 1083 (transcription of Pergolesi Stabat Mater) 17. Versus 1: Tilge, Höchster, meine Sünden 03:54 18. Versus 2: Ist mein Herz in Missetaten 02:07 19. Versus 3: Missetaten, die mich drücken 02:01 20. Versus 4: Dich erzürnt mein Tun und Lassen 02:06 21. Versus 5-6: Wer wird seine Schuld verneinen 02:15 22. Versus 7: Siehe! ich bin in Sünd empfanger 00:46 23. Versus 8: Sieh, du willst die Wahrheit haben 03:07 24. Versus 9: Wasche mich doch rein von Sünden 02:22 25. Versus 10: Lass mich Freud und Wonne spüren 02:09 26. Versus 11-15: Shaaue nicht auf meine Sünden 05:35 27. Versus 16: Öffne Lippen, Mund und Seele 03:38 28. Versus 17-18: Denn du willst kein Opfer haben 02:54 29. Versus 19-20: Lass dein Zion blühend dauern 02:01 30. Amen 02:13 Total playing time 74:50 Musicians: Vivaldi, Pergolesi: Theatre of Early Music Daniel Taylor, counter-tenor Adrian Butterfield & Cristina Zacharias, violins Douglas McNabney, viola Sarah MacMahon, violoncello Reuven Rothman, double bass Sylvain Bergeron, lute Christopher Jackson, organ Bach: Emma Kirkby, soprano Daniel Taylor, counter-tenor Theatre of Early Music Christine Moran & Cristina Zacharias, violins David Miller, viola Richard Campbell, violoncello Reuven Rothman, double bass Sylvain Bergeron, lute Christopher Jackson, organ Checksums: MD5: 3cd013bc6d160f4b6fba14bb08183ce8 *Vivaldi Pergolesi Bach - Stabat Mater.iso SFV: Vivaldi Pergolesi Bach - Stabat Mater.iso EAA1CB8F https://www.filefactory.com/folder/60b906ecac285617 Vivaldi Pergolesi Bach - Stabat Mater.torrent https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfmXh-cnZfA