Catalogue

Summary:

“a delightful vignette of 18th-century Venetian nightlife…Lawson is, in turn, a gondola-borne singer…equally at home in the simplest syllabic songs, genlte cantabile and, at the end, a sparkling Vivaldi duet di agilita with trumpet. Peter Whelan is a virtuoso bassoonist…Simon Munday proves an impeccable trumpeter…With five ‘first recordings’, this is not to be missed” ★★★★★ – BBC Music Magazine

“This exploration of early-18th-century Venice functions cleverly on several levels. Time-travelling grand tourists are invited to spend an imaginary evening travelling around La Serenissima’s diverse musical attractions…and sensing some of the different types of public music the city has to offer…Peter Whelan’s feats of technical agility are astonishing” – Gramophone

Adrian Chandler’s and La Serenissima’s 10th release for Avie – coinciding with the label’s 10th Anniversary – has all the hallmarks that have made the Vivaldi specialists one of the best-selling and acclaimed period-instrument bands performing today. Adrian’s erudition and his ensemble’s crowd-pleasing performances combine to produce recordings that are at once popular and enlightening. Venice by Night evokes an era of the Venetian Republic when the arts flourished, attracting audiences from all over Europe including scores of royalty. Feeding the tourist trade, the resident composers revelled in creating everything from grand operas and serenatas, virtuoso concertos and sinfonias, motets and gondoliers’ ballads. As with the chart-topping Vivaldi: The French Connection 2 (AV 2218) which featured the world-premiere recording of the flute concerto Il Gran Mogol, Adrian has once again unearthed numerous works from this period that are recorded for the first time.

Tracklist:

VENICE BY NIGHT
Albinoni • Lotti • Pollarolo • Porta • Veracini • Vivaldi

Arriving by Gondola

ANONYMOUS (c. 1730)
1. Si la gondola avere (3:40)

A Private Concert

CARLO FRANCESCO POLLAROLO (c. 1753–1723)

Sinfonia to La Vendetta d’Amore for trumpet, strings & continuo* (3:10)
2. Allegro assai (1:32)
3. Largo (0:31)
4. Spiritoso (1:07)

TOMASO ALBINONI (1670–1751)
Sinfonia for strings & continuo in g, Si 7 (6:01)
5. Allegro (2:17)
6. Larghetto è sempre piano (1:27)
7. Allegro (2:17)

ANTONIO VIVALDI (1678 – 1741)
Concerto for bassoon, strings & continuo in C, RV 477 (11:20)
8. Allegro (3:50)
9. Largo (3:56)
10. Allegro (3:34)

Journey by Gondola

ANONYMOUS (c. 1730)
11. Cara Nina el bon to sesto for soprano & guitar* (2:00)

Music for Compline

FRANCESCO MARIA VERACINI (1690–1768)
12. Fuga, o capriccio con quattro soggetti in d for strings & continuo* (3:05)

ANTONIO LOTTI (c. 1667–1740)
Motet Alma ride exulta mortalis for soprano, strings & continuo* (12:28)
13. Aria – Allegro: Alma ride exulta mortalis (4:38)
14. Recitativo: Annuntiemur igitur (0:50)
15. Ritornello – Adagio (0:39)
16. Aria – Adagio: Venite ad nos (4:29)
17. Alleluja (1:52)

Serenata

TOMASO ALBINONI
Sinfonia to Il Nome Glorioso in Terra Santificato in Cielo for trumpet, strings & continuo (4:20)
18. Allegro (2:09)
19. Adagio (0:51)
20. Allegro (1:20)

Journey by Gondola

ANONYMOUS (c. 1730)
21. No stè a condanarme for soprano & continuo (1:44)

A Concert from the Ospedale della Pietà

ANTIONIO VIVALDI
Concerto for violin, strings & continuo in e, RV 278 (14:54)
22. Allegro molto – Largo – Allegro molto – Andante (6:13)
23. Largo (3:58)
24. Allegro (4:43)

At the Opera House

GIOVANNI PORTA (c.1690–1755)
Sinfonia for trumpet, strings & continuo in D* (4:13)
25. Allegro assai (2:43)
26. Andante (0:37)
27. Allegro (0:53)

ANTONIO VIVALDI
Arias for Marianino Nicolini

Il fidarsi alla spene for soprano, strings & continuo from L’Olimpiade, RV 725 (7:02)
28. Recitativo: Pria dell’esito ancor (0:32)
29. Aria – Largo: Il fidarsi della spene (6:30)

Act II Scene 5 for soprano, trumpet, strings & continuo from Motezuma, RV 723 (5:22)
30. Recitativo: Mi deride, mi sprezza (0:30)
31. Aria – Allegro: D’ira e furor armato (4:52)

Total Duration: 79:47

* world-premiere recordings

Mhairi Lawson, soprano
Simon Munday, trumpet • Peter Whelan, bassoon

Adrian Chandler, violin/director
La Serenissima

Producer: Simon Fox-Gál
Recorded 13 – 17 February 2012, at the Hospital of St. Cross, Winchester