Deborah Norman, James Gilchrist, Jonathan Lemalu, Stephen Cleobury, Choir of King's College - Cambridge, The Academy of Ancient Music - Vivaldi: Gloria in D (RV589), Dixit Dominus in D (RV594), and Magnificat in G Minor (RV610)

High Points, and Low Points.

Nothing beats authentic instruments for Baroque music. The ensemble here plays wonderfully well. Nice, crisp sound to help keep it light. I also thought the soprano sang beautifully. Normally, a boys' choir mixed with men's voices, soprano solo, and light orchestra (as in Duruflé's Requiem, chamber orchestral version) sounds terrific.

Here, however, the boys serve as a distraction. They are constantly slurring up to the note, as if they had been instructed to sing in that manner. I stomached it for as long as I could. I think that perhaps, for these Baroque pieces, I would prefer to hear a men's and women's chorus, as in Handel's Messiah. Luckily, these works of Vivaldi are quite popular, so I'll just have to be diligent in my search. July 24, 2008

this is superb Vivaldi

This is one of my favorite CDs. Vivaldi is one of my favorite composers and this is an excellent collection of three of his best choral works. It's great for Christmas listening, but (of course) also just fine any time of the year. The Academy of Ancient Music and the Choir of King's College (Cambridge) are superb. I find no fault with this recording. I highly recommend this CD if you are a lover of Vivaldi's music. The amazon price is the best I found anywhere, too. This is a fantastic bargain. December 31, 2007

Wonderful recordings!

I have found this particular CD to be such a gem for many reasons. The quality of the sound is superb, as it offers a crisp and deliberate sound, allowing you to enjoy the genious of this composer's meticulous Venetian counterpoint. Apart from the sound, these recordings will exceed your expectations simply because of the King's College's many efforts that come together to form a faithfully historical performance. Among such efforts are the use of period instruments, the careful interpretations of the tempi, and of course the stellar performances of the soloists as well as the male choir.

I strongly encourage this particular recording to both experienced listeners as well as those who are new to either Venetian Baroque music or Classical music entirely. August 3, 2007

Gloria in D is NOT in D on this recording

I am a violinist who bought this recording in preparation for playing "Gloria in D" with a local church group near Christmas. This recording is exquisitely beautiful... but GLORIA in D is NOT in D on this CD. I'm having to transpose down half a step on the fly to play with this recording, and am going to have to look for another recording that is true to the original key. If you're looking for a really lovely recording of this piece just to listen to and enjoy, this may be the CD for you... but if you're a musician looking for a piece you can practice with, look elsewhere. :-) November 19, 2006

a voice teacher and early music fan

THIS RECORDING IS A MUSICAL TREASURE FOR ALL VIVALDI LOVERS!
All three works are conceived on a grand scale, and would have graced important feast days in the Church calendar. The well known Gloria has l2 movements including choruses and two soprano solos and l alto solo. It opens with an energetic opening chorus and closes at the other end of the emotional spectrum with a beautiful meditative alto solo "Domine Deus, Agnus Dei"; a triumph of musical economy as far removed from the convoluted vocal style of this operas as Vivaldi ever ventured. However, it is his theatrical flare that really sets the work alight!

The "Dixit Dominus" is the grandest of the settings recorded here and one of Vivaldi's masterpieces. It belongs to a group of works which may have been written for the convent church of San Lorenzo in Venice. These 10 pieces were unusually ambitious: Vivaldi often calls for double choir and double orchestra, and he is keen to impress with the virtuosity of the solos and the contrapuntal ingenuity of the choruses.

The uniqueness of the "Magnificat" with its nine movements is a work more concise than the previous two,but it shares with them the highly successful method of involving the Orchestra in the graphic illustration of the text. The performance by the Choir of King's College is first rate and the soloists are of the highest quality. They are: Sarah Fox and Deborah Norman,sopranos-Michael Chance,countertenor-James Gilchrist,tenor-Jonathan Lemalu,bass. March 21, 2006

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