Canta in Prato (2007)

In contrast to the great number of historical-instrument recordings that aim to bring neglected music to life by exploring it in depth, this collection of pieces by the German group Cappella Stravagante takes the opposite tack, offering, in the words of the booklet, "compositions covering an enormous stylistic range stretching from the Renaissance to the height of the Baroque." The program is very loosely knit together by the idea of the pastoral, as the title Canta in Prato (Sing in the Meadow) suggests -- there are ... Read More

In contrast to the great number of historical-instrument recordings that aim to bring neglected music to life by exploring it in depth, this collection of pieces by the German group Cappella Stravagante takes the opposite tack, offering, in the words of the booklet, "compositions covering an enormous stylistic range stretching from the Renaissance to the height of the Baroque." The program is very loosely knit together by the idea of the pastoral, as the title Canta in Prato (Sing in the Meadow) suggests -- there are several instrumental pieces that don't have any particular connection with the theme, and the finale, Vivaldi's sacred cantata In furore iustissimae irae, is an operatic storm representing the concept of divine judgment -- a connection with the pastoral idea that an audience of Vivaldi's time might not have recognized. The idea is intriguing in that the dividing line between Renaissance and Baroque is to some extent arbitrary; there are ideas that straddle the boundary, and Phyllis the... Read Less