Vivaldi: The Return of the Angels Ensemble Caprice & Matthias Maute

• Antonio Vivaldi (1678 - 1741): Juditha triumphans, RV 644
• 1Juditha triumphans, RV 644 / I. Coro: Arma, caedes, vindictae03:31
• 2Juditha triumphans, RV 644 / II. Coro: O quam vaga01:22
• 3Juditha triumphans, RV 644 / III. Aria: Armatae, face03:13
• 4Juditha triumphans, RV 644 / IV. Coro: Mundi rector02:55
• 5Juditha triumphans, RV 644 / V. Coro: Plena nectare non mero01:58
• 6Juditha triumphans, RV 644 / VI. Aria: Si fulgida02:29
• 7Juditha triumphans, RV 644 / VII. Coro: Salve, invicta Juditha01:14
• Concerto in D Minor for 2 Recorders, 2 Oboes, 2 Violins, Strings and Continuo, RV 566:
• 8Concerto in D Minor for 2 Recorders, 2 Oboes, 2 Violins, Strings and Continuo, RV 566 / I. Allegro assai02:23
• 9Concerto in D Minor for 2 Recorders, 2 Oboes, 2 Violins, Strings and Continuo, RV 566 / II. Largo02:49
• 10Concerto in D Minor for 2 Recorders, 2 Oboes, 2 Violins, Strings and Continuo, RV 566 / III. Allegro02:56
• Laudate Dominum (Psaume / Psalm 116) for choir and orchestra, RV 606:
• 11Laudate Dominum (Psaume / Psalm 116) for choir and orchestra, RV 60601:37
• Jan Dismas Zelenka (1679 - 1745): Gesù al Calvario (Dresden 1735):
• 12Gesù al Calvario (Dresden 1735) / Recitativo: O figlie di Sionne01:09
• 13Gesù al Calvario (Dresden 1735) / Coro: Misera Madre05:11
• Antonio Vivaldi:
• 14In exitu Israel (Psalm 113) for choir and orchestra, RV 60403:18
• Motet O qui coeli terraeque serenitas for Soprano, Strings and Continuo, RV 631:
• 15Motet O qui coeli terraeque serenitas for Soprano, Strings and Continuo, RV 631 / I. Aria: O qui coeli terraeque serenitas (Allegro)03:30
• 16Motet O qui coeli terraeque serenitas for Soprano, Strings and Continuo, RV 631 / II. Recitativo Fac ut sordescat tellus00:36
• 17Motet O qui coeli terraeque serenitas for Soprano, Strings and Continuo, RV 631 / III. Aria: Rosa quae moritur (Largo)05:24
• 18Motet O qui coeli terraeque serenitas for Soprano, Strings and Continuo, RV 631 / IV. Alleluia (Allegro)01:43
• Concerto in D Major for Trumpet, Oboe, Strings and Continuo, RV 563:
• 19Concerto in D Major for Trumpet, Oboe, Strings and Continuo, RV 563 / I. Allegro02:26
• 20Concerto in D Major for Trumpet, Oboe, Strings and Continuo, RV 563 / II. Grave01:49
• 21Concerto in D Major for Trumpet, Oboe, Strings and Continuo, RV 563 / III. Allegro01:53
• Gloria, RV 588:
• 22Gloria, RV 58804:33
• Total Runtime57:59

Info for Vivaldi: The Return of the Angels

Following Ensemble Caprice’s first recording of Vivaldi’s sacred music ( Gloria! Vivaldi and his Angels) we return to Vivaldi’s Venice and find ourselves yet again within the confines of the Ospedale della Pietà orphanage where, beginning in 1703, Vivaldi, the Red Priest, not only taught the orphan girls violin and singing (!), but also composed many of his most dazzling concertos as well as a substantial part of his highly inspired corpus of sacred music.

To this day, it seems almost unbelievable that these very demanding scores could be successfully performed by young women. However, their concerts must have been of a very high standard, judging from the celebrity status they enjoyed throughout Europe.

Of course the picturesque scenario of young women performing in church undoubtedly fired the imagination of countless listeners who would come from far and wide to hear the orphans perform musical miracles in Venice.

In 1720 an English traveler, Edward Wright, gives us the following account of those events:

Every Sunday and holiday there is a performance of music in the chapels of these hospitals, vocal and instrumental, performed by the young women of the place, who are set in a gallery above and, though not professed, are hid from any distinct view of those below by a lattice of ironwork. The organ parts, as well as those of other instruments, are all performed by the young women. They have a eunuch for their master, and he composes their music. Their performance is surprisingly good, and many excellent voices are among them. And this is all the more amusing since their persons are concealed from view.

It was both absurd and comical for Wright to assume that the composer was a eunuch, but it shows how the imagination of the male listeners got carried away when hearing those celestial angelic sounds produced by an invisible female orchestra and choir.

After having met Vivaldi in Venice in 1739, a French jurist, Charles de Brosse, reports that

…about forty girls take part in every concert. I vow to you that there is nothing so diverting as the sight of a young and pretty nun in white habit, with a bunch of pomegranate blossoms over her ear, conducting the orchestra and beating time with all the grace and precision imaginable.

Further proof of the incredible quality (and attraction) of these concerts is provided by no less a celebrity than the sophisticated French philosopher (and part-time composer) Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who in 1743 had nothing but praise for the achievements of the young girls:

Every Sunday, vocal music for a large chorus with a large orchestra, which is composed and directed by the greatest masters in Italy, is performed in barred-off galleries solely by girls, of whom the oldest is not twenty years of age. One can conceive of nothing as voluptuous, as moving, as this music.

Knowing for instance that J.S. Bach only heard his own sacred music sung publicly in church by boys and men and never by women, we can only assume how much the titillation of these exciting rumours about the female choir and orchestra in Venice must have stirred the imagination of music lovers north of the Alps.

During the course of the present recording, we move from Vivaldi’s description of war to his musical depiction of the joys of peace.

Gabriele Hierdeis, soprano
Shannon Mercer, soprano
Laura Pudwell, mezzo-soprano
Alexis Basque, trumpet
Matthew Jennejohn, baroque oboe
Ensemble Caprice
Matthias Maute, conductor

Ensemble Caprice
a baroque ensemble which performs on period instruments, was founded by acclaimed conductor, composer and recorder soloist Matthias Maute and has become known for its innovative and adventuresome approach to an increasingly expanding musical repertoire. In addition to its series of concerts in Montreal, the group tours extensively, giving dozens of concerts in Canada, the USA, Europe, and even Asia. The ensemble is a regular guest at many prestigious European festivals: the Lufthansa Festival of Baroque Music in London, the Bruges (Belgium) and Utrecht (Netherlands) festivals, the Felicja Blumenthal International Music Festival in Tel Aviv; and in Germany, the Musikfestspiele Potsdam Sanssouci, the Regensburg Early Music Festival, the Händel-Festspele in Halle, and the Stockstadt festival. In November 2009, the New York Times published a lengthy article hailing the musicians’ innovative and refreshing approach, praising them as “imaginative, even powerful; and the playing is top-flight”.

The Ensemble’s recording activity is every bit as impressive. Their albums have gained many honours and much critical acclaim. The CD Gloria! Vivaldi and his Angels received a JUNO Award and three prestigious Prix Opus awards. Ensemble Caprice was also recognized for its artistic approach and the quality of its performances by being selected “People’s choice” and was a finalist in the music category for the Montreal Arts Council’s Grand Prix de Montréal. The group also earned a nomination for the Echo Klassic award in Germany and the acclaimed publication Gramophone magazine chose the group’s CD Telemann and The Baroque Gypsies as one of its recommended recordings. Ensemble Caprice produces videos for the website noncerto which promote classical music in a new way.

Matthias Maute
JUNO Award winning conductor, composer, recorder and flute soloist Matthias Maute has achieved an international reputation. Impressed by his artistic approach, The New York Times described the orchestra he conducts, Ensemble Caprice, as being “an ensemble that leads the listener to rehear the world”. He regularly appears at major festivals. In Canada he has performed at the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival, the Festival international du Domaine Forget and the Elora Festival among others.

Maute’s recording of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos juxtaposed with (his own orchestral arrangements of) Preludes from Shostakovich’s Op. 87 was hailed by The New Yorker’s Alex Ross as standing out “for its fleet, characterful approach” and “its fresh, vibrant colors”. Matthias Maute’s compositions are published by Breitkopf & Härtel, Amadeus, Moeck and Carus. His compositions are featured in numerous videos on the noncerto website. In 2014 and 2015, Maute’s 1st Violin Concerto was performed by soloist Mark Fewer and the St. John’s Symphony as well as by I Musici de Montréal. Matthias Maute has made some twenty recordings. He currently teaches in Montreal at both the Université de Montréal and McGill University.

Sophie Larivière
has participated in the International Recorder Symposium in Stuttgart, the Recorder Series in Schwelm, and the Recorder Festival of Stockstadt in Germany. She has been a member of Ensemble Caprice since 1997 and is the artistic co-director. In this function, she has contributed to the enrichment of the Ensemble, leading audiences to musical discoveries featuring both virtuosity and artistry. She has also been a guest performer with several early music ensembles, including Arion, Le Concert Spirituel, Les Idées Heureuses, Les Violons du Roy, Rebel, Le Studio de Musique Ancienne de Montréal, the New York Collegium and the Theatre of Early Music. In 2003 and 2004, under Jeunesses Musicales du Canada’s tutelage, Larivière took part in some 30 concerts throughout Quebec, Ontario and New Brunswick. In June 2004, with Ensemble Caprice, she performed for the first time in Austria, and few months later took part in a series of concerts at the Boston Early Music Festival. In the fall of 2006, she made her debut in Israel with the Ensemble Caprice in a series of concerts in Tel Aviv and Yehiam.

With Le Concert Spirituel (Paris), she took part in an American tour that led her to Detroit, Chicago and Washington. She has performed under such renown conductors as Andrew Parrott, Hervé Niquet, Philipp Picket, Jaap ter Linden and Barthold Kuijken, She is second traverso of the REBEL Baroque Orchestra in New York under the direction of Owen Burdick. She has recorded with Ensemble Caprice, Arion, Rebel, the Theatre of Early Music, and the Violons du Roy.

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