Vivaldi – Nisi Dominus, Stabat Mater (FLAC)

Performer: Philippe Jaroussky, Marie-Nicole Lemieux
Orchestra: Ensemble Matheus
Conductor: Jean-Christophe Spinosi
Composer: Antonio Vivaldi
Audio CD (March 31, 2008)
SPARS Code: DDD
Number of Discs: 1
Format: FLAC (image+cue)
Label: Naive
Size: 198 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes

01. Nisi Dominus RV 608 (Nisi)
02. Nisi Dominus RV 608 (Vanum)
03. Nisi Dominus RV 608 (Surgite)
04. Nisi Dominus RV 608 (Cum Dederit)
05. Nisi Dominus RV 608 (Sicut)
06. Nisi Dominus RV 608 (Beatus)
07. Nisi Dominus RV 608 (Gloria)
08. Nisi Dominus RV 608 (Sicut)
09. Nisi Dominus RV 608 (Amen)
10. Credo RV 592 (Crucifixus)
11. Stabat Mater RV 621 (Stabat)
12. Stabat Mater RV 621 (Cuius)
13. Stabat Mater RV 621 (O Quam)
14. Stabat Mater RV 621 (Qui est Homo)
15. Stabat Mater RV 621 (Quis non Posset)
16. Stabat Mater RV 621 (Pro Peccatis)
17. Stabat Mater RV 621 (Eja Mater)
18. Stabat Mater RV 621 (Facut)
19. Stabat Mater RV 621 (Amen)

Crystal Countertenor and Sensual Contralto

These people are a team experienced in making beautiful music together, and it shows.
Director Jean-Christophe Spinosi
Ensemble Matheus
Philippe Jaroussky, countertenor
Marie-Nicole Lemieux, mezzo soprano

gave a series of celebrated concerts of Vivaldi’s Orlando Furioso in 2003 which got rave reviews. Listening to this CD, one realizes that Vivaldi was an incredible composer and a priest who happened to compose operas. The loveliness of the violin passages where the voices of the singer float above, the rich sensual abandon of Lemieux’s voice as she sings the Virgin’s lament, the crystal clarity of Jaroussky, the counterpoint as their two voices play off of one another–all this makes for an album I strongly recommend to people who think the only thing that Vivaldi wrote was “The Four Seasons”. This will blow your socks off.