Quella pace gradita: The Recorder & Violin Cantatas

Featuring

Josetxu Obregón
Giuseppina Bridelli
Alicia Amo
Filippo Mineccia
La ritirata
Alessandro Scarlatti

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Historical Context

References to birds, such as the turtledove and nightingale, were constant in cantatas and operas of this era, offering opportunities for both birdsong imitation and vocal virtuosity.

Compositional Technique

In Scarlatti's cantatas, the recitative is not merely a link between arias but a musical organism that matches the expressive intensity and variety of the melody, similar to the approach of early Baroque monody pioneers.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Scarlatti's cantatas were considered an archetype by his contemporaries due to his perfection of a complete formal and expressive model, notably the da capo aria.

Interpretation

For the cantata Quella pace gradita, La Ritirata uses tenor recorders to resolve an issue with the original scoring that suggested a transverse flute, which would be incompatible with the early composition date.

Compositional Technique

The four cantatas on this album are unique in Scarlatti's vast output for combining the recorder with the violin.

Composer Biography

Alessandro Scarlatti, the composer, wrote around 700 cantatas for voice and continuo, 30 for two voices, and 80 with instruments.

Instruments

In Scarlatti's compositions, the term 'flauto' (or similar) invariably refers to the recorder, as the transverse flute only became common in Italy later, from the 1730s onwards.