Search - Vivaldi, Pinnock, English Concert :: Gloria

Same old Vivaldi, but exciting new Scarlatti

scott | Calgary, Canada | 02/10/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"We have all heard Vivaldi's Gloria more times than we care to count, and while it is a very good piece of music, one tends to get jaded after a while. Suffice it to say that Pinnock's version is totally adequate.



My real interest with this release is the Scarlatti Dixit Dominus which is quite worth hearing. We hear very little of Alessandro's sacred music, and if it is all of such high quality I don't know why. While it is not near as daring or energetic as the fantastic setting by a young Handel, none the less it has plenty of original ideas, beautiful melodies and inertia. All of the movements are ear-catching, and there is some very clever counterpoint, particularly in the concluding chorus. The performance is very fine, and I have no complaints with the string band, chorus or soloists. While it may not be very well known or appreciated, this Dixit is definitely the highlight of this disc to me."