Search - Musica Pacifica, Linsenberg, Blumenstock :: Mancini: Concerti da Camera

Bravura in Naples

Giordano Bruno | Wherever I am, I am. | 06/07/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Orphan boys in 17th Century Naples enjoyed the possibility of a first-rate musical education at one of four charity institutions called "conservatorii." The boys earned their keep by performing for pay at religious services, the Church being still the great patron of music in Italy. Francesco Mancini (1672-1737) was such a musical orphan, who became the organist of his conservatory but who went on to serve as the assistant and eventual successor to Alessandro Scarlatti in the position of maestro di capella for the Austrian viceroy of Naples. The six concerto-sonatas by Mancini on this CD come from a 1725 joint publication with the great Scarlatti.



In the collection of 1725, both terms - concerto and sonata - are applied to the same pieces. Certainly the prominence of the alto recorder gives the impression of typical concerto virtuosity , but the integration of the recorder with the other voices and the structure of movements more resemble sonata form. In any case, the recorder sets the pace and dominates the musical affect with its glittering passages of fast notes and its mellow cantabile in slower passages. The two pieces by other composers, a concerto by Francesco Durante and a sinfonia by Domenico Scarlatti, offer the violins a share of the limelight. The Durante piece is reminiscent of Vivaldi in a harmonically wry mood.



There's more to playing the recorder than wagging one's fingers up and down. The instrument has suffered from its elementary school and Trapp Family associations. It is, indeed, the easiest wind instrument on which to play your first melody, but to achieve the technique necessary to perform these Mancini concerti requires as much aptitude and discipline as any other serious instrument. The art of recorder playing begins with the lungs, with the support of an air column capable of shaping a phrase and producing a beautiful tone. That tone is then modified and amplified by the mouth cavity, and formed into melodic phrases by the tongue. Nimble tonguing is the prime virtue of artful recorder playing. With proper coordination of fingers and tongue, what a lovely torrent of notes can pour forth! Recorderist Judy Linsenberg has such fluent technique, a total physical mastery of her instrument. Her tone on her Baroque recorder, made for her by Fred Morgan of Australia, is round and rich enough to partner eloquently with the violins and cellos.



Mancini's music, at least on this CD, is not the sort that requires deep emotional interpretation. It is pure entertainment, elegant athleticism in sound. Violinists Elizabeth Blumenstock and Lisa Weiss match Linsenberg's florid recorder note for note as naturally as if they'd played together at the same conservatory in Baroque Naples. A rich and sonorous continuo is provided by cellist David Morris, archlute John Schneiderman, and keyboardist Charles Sherman. Musica Pacifica is an ensemble well worth hearing, with several other CDs available, including music by Telemann and Alessandro Scarlatti."