Bernarda Fink: Virgin's Lament

Il Giardino Armonico / Giovanni Antonini

1. Sonata à 4 al Santo Sepolcro, for 2 violins, viola & continuo in E flat major, RV 130 4:49 Composed by Antonio Vivaldi Performed by Il Giardino Armonico 2. Il pianto di Maria (Giunta l'ora fatal), cantata, HWV 234 (spurious) 25:28 Composed by George Frideric Handel Performed by Il Giardino Armonico 3. Passacaglia à 4, for chamber instruments & continuo Op. 22 3:48 Composed by Biagio Marini Performed by Il Giardino Armonico 4. Pianto della Madonna, sacred song for voice & continuo (from Selva morale e spirituale), SV 288 7:16 Composed by Claudio Monteverdi Performed by Il Giardino Armonico 5. Concerto madrigalesco, for strings & continuo in D minor, RV 129 4:49 Composed by Antonio Vivaldi Performed by Il Giardino Armonico 6. Sinfonia al Santo Sepolcro, sonata for 2 violins, viola & continuo in B minor, RV 169 4:31 Composed by Antonio Vivaldi Performed by Il Giardino Armonico 7. Il Martirio di San Lorenzo, for voice, chalumeau & strings: Sento già mancar la vita 5:59 Composed by Francesco Bartolomeo Conti Performed by Il Giardino Armonico 8. Sonata da chiesa for strings, 2 oboes & continuo in C minor 4:09 Composed by Johann Georg Pisendel Performed by Il Giardino Armonico

Gramophone Editor's Choice - September 2009
Wholenote Discoveries - July 2009
Bernarda Fink is a singer of extraordinary measure and a brilliant match for two rare settings of the Virgin Mary’s lament: one originally attributed to Handel, but later discovered to be by Giovanni Battista Ferrandini, a composer in the court at Munich; the other by Monteverdi who took the music from his famous Lamento d’Arianna and inserted a sacred text. Rather than matching the impulsive fire of Il Giardino Armonico, Fink holds steady her natural grace and maturity, allowing the orchestra to express the undercurrents of torment and anger while she declares her sorrow with dignified acceptance. The effect is not diminished in any way, in fact, by maintaining her poise she resists all temptation to resort to showy hysterics; but at the same time there is an edge to her delivery that clearly informs us of the depth of her grief. Il Giardino Armonico performs with all the passion and vigour for which they are known, making for an exciting performance that keeps listeners on the edge of their seats during instrumental works by Vivaldi, Marini and Pisandel. In a world premiere recording of Francesco Bartolomeo Conti’s Il martirio di San Lorenzo, Fink and the ensemble join together for a deeply moving aria that features a rarely-heard ancestor of the modern clarinet, the soprano chalumeau, which adds a most tender and plaintive note. Dianne Wells

Price: $16.98