The role of the River Seine is sung by a bass, Virtue by a mezzo-soprano, and the Golden Age by a soprano. The three “characters” are the River Seine, Virtue, and the Golden Age.
Many serenatas have mainly mythological characters, or symbolic ones, and that is the case of Vivaldi’s The River Seine Engages in Celebrations (as I might freely translate the title of the present work: the French equivalent is more compact, La Seine en fête).
Perhaps the singers sometimes held the notated music in their hands for ready reference, as tends to occur in “in concert” performances of operas today. The works were sometimes performed in the evening, outdoors ( serenata comes from the Italian word for “evening”: sera), with few or no costumes, sets, and staging. World-renowned mezzo Joyce DiDonato could well have sung on this recording, but the singer with the somewhat similar family name is a young Italian bass who is quite fine but, by the evidence, something short of a superstar.Ī serenata is a short opera, often composed for performance in a palace or other private residence to help celebrate an important event, such as a dynastic marriage or a visit from a foreign ambassador or clergyperson. This inadvertently risks raising inappropriate hopes. But first, a warning: The cover of the CD announces the singers by last name only, thus listing one as De Donato. I’m delighted to welcome this recording, one of a number of recent releases of operas by Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741), long known primarily for the Four Seasons violin concertos and other instrumental music. Gwendoline Blondeel, soprano Lucile Richardot, mezzo-soprano Nicholas Scott, tenor Luigi De Donato, bassĬhateau de Versailles Spectacles CVS064-81 minutesĪvailable on all major streaming services to purchase, click here. Revelations continue: a composer best known for his sonatas and concertos (the Four Seasons) is a master of vocal music as well.Īntonio Vivaldi: La Senna festeggiante (“serenata” - or short, festive opera)
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