Jay Bernfeld, Fuoco e Cenere - Alessandro Scarlatti & Francesco Durante: Umana e Inumana (2010)

Posted By: ArlegZ

Date: Nov. 1, 2024

This disc brings together two composers from Naples, albeit from different generations. They are also different in that Scarlatti was an important contributor to the genre of opera, whereas Durante never composed anything for the theatre. They have also something in common: both were considered rather conservative - Scarlatti in particular towards the end of his career - and in the oeuvre of both the traditional counterpoint plays an important role.
The combination of Scarlatti and Durante is not just the result of an arbitrary decision. Durante is represented with five duets which are arrangements of recitatives from cantatas by Scarlatti. They can be considered as a token of his admiration for his fellow townsman, who was the most profilic composer of cantatas of his time. The disc starts with a duet by Durante, Dormono l'aure estive, which is followed by the opening arioso from the cantata by Scarlatti on which it is based. Next is the duet Amor, Mitilde è morto, which is followed by the cantata which begins with the recitative with the same text. This results in an interesting confrontation of two different ways of setting the same text. Durante makes use of the musical material by Scarlatti, but exactly what and how much he uses differs from one duet to the other. Mitilde, alma mia mixes the music of both composers. The two recitatives by Scarlatti are replaced by the duet arrangements by Durante. That is not such a good idea; the whole structure of Scarlatti's cantata is damaged and there is inevitably also a kind of stylistic clash.
This disc has another interesting aspect: the cantata Andate o miei sospiri by Scarlatti is recorded here twice. It is the result of a musical exchange between Scarlatti and his Venetian colleague Francesco Gasparini. The latter sent his setting of this text to Scarlatti, who responded with two settings of his own. The first he characterised as "based on a human idea" (con idea umana), to the second he added "based on an inhuman idea, chromatically in order, yet not within the grasp of every professor". Whether this was a case of rivalry, as the liner-notes of this disc suggest, or a friendly exchange of musical ideas, as New Grove indicates, is hard to say. The latter seems more plausible, since Scarlatti entrusted some of the musical training of his son Domenico to Gasparini.
Whatever, it is an interesting experience to hear these two settings together - apparently for the first time, as I couldn't find any other recordings on the internet. The use of chromaticism isn't unusual in Scarlatti's chamber cantatas but in the Cantata Inumana it is pretty extreme. The last aria from the 'human' version is offered in an alternative version, here played with recorder and bc. The only instrumental item is the Suite in G for recorder and bc, from which only some (unspecified) movements are played.
The cantatas by Scarlatti are highly expressive pieces, and that comes out perfectly in the interpretations by Isabelle Poulenard and Guillemette Laurens. These cantatas are a kind of pocket-sized operas, and therefore the theatrical interpretation of the two singers is fully appropriate. At the same time these pieces were meant to be performed in private homes and palaces, and therefore a certain kind of intimacy is required. That is the case here as well. The venue of the recording is not mentioned, but its acoustic serves the music well. The duets are interesting pieces, which shed light on a lesser-known side of Durante, although three of the duets on this disc have been recorded in 1978 by Concerto Vocale (Harmonia mundi). The two soloists have very different voices, but the blending is very good and they deliver engaging performances.
–Johan van Veen

Performer:
Isabelle Poulenard, soprano
Guillemette Laurens, mezzo-soprano
Fuoco e Cenere
Jay Bernfeld, viole de gambe et direction

Tracklist:
Francesco Durante (1684-1755)
01. Duetto: Dormono l’aure estive
Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725)
02. Arioso: Dormono l’aure estive
Francesco Durante
03. Duetto: Amor mitilde e morta
Alessandro Scarlatti
Amor Mitilde è morta
04. 1. Recitativo: Amor Mitilde è morta
05. 2. Aria: Mori ch’odesso
06. 3. Recitativo: Ma se qual Nume opponi
07. 4. Aria: Più non potrai tiranno
Alessandro Scarlatti
08. Suite en sol per flauto e continuo (extraits)
Francesco Durante
09. Mitilde alma mia - 1. Duetto: Mitilde alma mia
Alessandro Scarlatti
10. Mitilde alma mia - 2. Aria: Abbandonato e solo
Francesco Durante
11. Mitilde alma mia - 3. Duetto: O quante volte o quante
Alessandro Scarlatti
12. Mitilde alma mia - 4. Aria: Vagabondo fiumicello lascia
Andate o miei sospiri (Mitilde Umana)
13. 1. Arioso: Andate o miei sospiri al cor d’Irene
14. 2. Aria: Se vedrete il cor di lei
15. 3. Recitativo: Ma di che mi lusingo?
16. 4. Aria: Se non v’accoglie in seno
17. Aria alternativa (Instrumental)
Francesco Durante
18. Duetto: Andate o miei sospiri
Alessandro Scarlatti
Andate o miei sospiri (Cantata Inumana)
19. 1. Recitativo: Andate o miei sospiri
20. 2. Aria: Se vedrete il cor di lei
21. 3. Recitativo: Ma di che mi lusingo?
22. 4. Aria: Se non v’accoglie in seno

EAC LOG

Exact Audio Copy V1.3 from 2. September 2016

EAC extraction logfile from 14. March 2020, 22:51

Fuoco e Cenere / Scarlatti & Durante . Umana e Inumana

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==== Log checksum 4FE5CED9F78058A4F40A0E6CB4813D271D5271648FB9A9CBEDEB1492E8E2EBAB ====

Thanks to the original releaser

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