Search - Vivaldi, Rinaldo Alessandrini, Concerto Italiano :: Vivaldi: La Senna Festeggiante (Vivaldi Edition)

The Seine was NEVER this happy!

Dr. Peter J. Glidden | Gli Angeli, California | 06/21/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

""La Senna Festeggiante," or, the "Seine parties" is one of those glorious and goofy serenatas we can thank God any culture was frivilous enough to produce. Ostensibly the celebration of the restoration of amicable diplomatic relations between France and Venice after a fourteen-year break, the new French ambassador, Jacques-Vincent Languet, Count of Gergy, celebrated every year the feast of St Louis on August 25th, thereby honouring not only the patron saint of France but also its monarch, Louis XV. What the music or libretto have to do with any of this is precisely besides the point. Vivaldi excelled in these intimate (3 soloists) productions and when they are directed by the masterful Rinaldo Alessandrini, whose Concerto Italiano has spearheaded so many of these amazing and obscure Vivaldi works and sung by such consummate artists, you get a perfect disk. Juanita Lascarro is an excellent baroque soprano, superb technique (not too much vibrato!) and color, as is Nicola Ulivieri a great baroque Basso, coloratura and all. But, for me, the reason this performance/composition is due to the participation of Sonia Prina, a young and staggeringly talented true contralto. Unshakable technique, clean color that sparkles like some lustrous wooden instrument, and fearless unhurried passion. Miracle of miracles, there exists a choice here: this version or Robert King's. If you have come this far in learning this repertoire, the choice is obvious: get both."

V is for Verve

Giordano Bruno | Wherever I am, I am. | 03/28/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Dr. Glidden's review sets forth the historical context of La Senna Festeggiante very eloquently, so here's a quick musical impression: this is an "opera" that you don't need super-titles to enjoy. The music conveys everything you could possibly find in the words. One of the three characters is "The Golden Age" (L'Eta del Oro) and her message is festivity. Concerto Italiano has enhanced the festival atmosphere by "re-orchestrating" Vivaldi's score to make use of the woodwinds - oboes and flutes, especially - and Rinaldo Alessandrini conducts with proper verve throughout. This is Vivaldi, the virtuoso entertainer, in his sunniest mood. Dr. Glidden is absolutely correct that Sonia Prina steals the party; her final aria "cosi sol nell'aurora" is as stunning as daybreak over fields of flowers, which is precisely what the words portray. Juanita Lascarro is technically near perfect, though less expressive. My only reservation concerns the voice of the Seine, Nicola Ulivieri. His baroque technique is more than adequate, even in "coloratura bassa" passagework, but his basso profundo just isn't profound enough, either in timbre or in tuning of his lowest notes. Even so, this is a "must buy" recording; you can have no idea what an inventive composer Vivaldi was unless you do."