COMPOSERS: Stradella
LABELS: Virgin Veritas
WORKS: Christ Speaking from the Cross; Chare Jesu; Jesus, o vos omnes
PERFORMER: Gérard Lesne (contralto), Sandrine Piau (soprano); Il Seminario Musicale
CATALOGUE NO: VC 5 45175 2 DDD
Stradella’s colourful life of fraud and sexual scandals, and his death by assassination, have been more familiar than his music. This disc offers a sacred cantata (Christ Speaking from the Cross), three motets, and four lamentations. The high points are the early motet Chare Jesu, with delightfully predictable echoing between strings and voices and a final duetting jig on ‘Alleluia’, and the sensual declaration of love for Jesus, O vos omnes. A welcome revelation of neglected repertoire. George Pratt
Stradella: Christ Speaking from the Cross; Chare Jesu; Jesus, o vos omnes
Stradella’s colourful life of fraud and sexual scandals, and his death by assassination, have been more familiar than his music. This disc offers a sacred cantata (Christ Speaking from the Cross), three motets, and four lamentations. The high points are the early motet Chare Jesu, with delightfully predictable echoing between strings and voices and a final duetting jig on ‘Alleluia’, and the sensual declaration of love for Jesus, O vos omnes. A welcome revelation of neglected repertoire. George Pratt
Published: January 20, 2012 at 3:07 pm