Conti, F: David

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David is a great find - an exceptionally inventive dramatic oratorio, its action carried vigorously along in powerful and highly original recitative. Jonathan (sung by Birgit Christensen) begs... — BBC Music Magazine, August 2007, 5 out of 5 stars More…

Release Date: 20th Aug 2007
Catalogue No: 3788772
Label: Erato
Length: 2 hours 34 minutes

BBC Music Magazine

August 2007

Disc of the month

Conti, F: David, azione sacra, Parte Prima

Work length1:11:55

$24.70

$32.30

Marijana Mijanovic (contralto), Furio Zanasi (baritone), Simone Kermes (soprano), Birgitte Christensen (soprano), Vito Priante (baritone), Sonia Prina (contralto)
Coro del Complesso Barocco, Il Complesso Barocco
Alan Curtis
Recorded: 2003-10-13
Recording Venue: October & December 2003, Montevarchi

Sinfonia

Track length3:46

$1.30

$1.70

Recitativo (David Micol) 'Micol, diletta sposa'

Track length2:17

$1.30

$1.70

Aria (Micol) ' Al genitor mio Re'

Track length7:42

$1.30

$1.70

Recitativo (Gionata, David) ' Né t'imganna il tuo amor'

Track length1:15

$1.30

$1.70

Aria (David) 'Quale augellino al monte'

Track length5:50

$1.30

$1.70

Recitativo (Gionata, David, Micol) S'io t'ami, il sai.' Recitativo accompagnato (David) 'Eccelso Dio che sorgi' Recitativo (Micol, Gionata) 'Quasai al partir du lui'

Track length3:19

$1.30

$1.70

Aria (Gionata) ' Contra un padre ingiusto e crudo'

Track length4:03

$1.30

$1.70

Recitativo (Saul) E'si vile in Saul dunque un comando'

Track length1:20

$1.30

$1.70

Aria (Saul) 'Stringe Iddio l'ultrice spadda:'

Track length4:10

$1.30

$1.70

Recitativo (Abner, Saul) 'Signor, so per lung'uso,'

Track length2:49

$1.30

$1.70

Aria (Abner) 'Ah! Mio Re, pallida invidia'

Track length4:11

$1.30

$1.70

Recitativo (Abner, Saul, Gionata) 'David è scelta tua.'

Track length2:18

$1.30

$1.70

Aria (Gionata) 'Perché pecchi ingiustamente'

Track length5:08

$1.30

$1.70

Recitativo (Saul, Gionata, Micol, Abner) 'Dunque a David io debbo lo scettro?'

Track length3:14

$1.30

$1.70

Aria (Micol) 'O rendimi pietoso l'amabile mio sposo'

Track length6:06

$1.30

$1.70

Recitativo (Saul, Micol, Gionata, Abner) 'Non più. Già cedo.' Recitativo accompagnato (Micol) 'Tu Dio, in cui man son de'regnanti i cori' Recitativo (Falti) 'O troppo in sen di Re mobili affetti!'

Track length3:48

$1.30

$1.70

Aria (Falti) 'Agiterò la face dell'odio e del sospetto'

Track length5:03

$1.30

$1.70

Recitativo (Falti) 'Tanto si facci cautamente e presto'

Track length0:27

$1.30

$1.70

Coro 'Cor sano è vita, è vita delle carni'

Track length5:09

$1.30

$1.70

Conti, F: David, azione sacra, Parte Seconda

Work length1:22:56

Album only

Vito Priante (baritone), Mario Zanasi (baritone), Simone Kermes (soprano), Furio Zanasi (baritone), Marijana Mijanovic (contralto), Sonia Prina (contralto), Birgitte Christensen (soprano)
Coro del Complesso Barocco, Il Complesso Barocco
Alan Curtis
Recorded: 2003-10-13
Recording Venue: October & December 2003, Montevarchi

Coro ' Le rose di Gerico, le palme del Libano

Track length1:36

$1.30

$1.70

Recitativo (David, Gionata) ' O figlie de Sion'

Track length2:26

$1.30

$1.70

Aria (David) 'Giusto prezzo a iniquità!'

Track length6:07

$1.30

$1.70

Recitativo (Gionata, David) 'Piaccia al Ciel, che sincera pace qui regni,'

Track length0:40

$1.30

$1.70

Aria (Gionata) 'Caro amico, si caro mi sei,'

Track length4:56

$1.30

$1.70

Recitativo (Abner) 'Quanto nell'uomo, che invecchiò in mal uso'

Track length1:32

$1.30

$1.70

Aria (Abner) 'Al fianco anzi vorrei crudeli empi menici'

Track length8:42

$1.30

$1.70

Recitativo (Falti, Abner) 'Ite a David in traccia: ite veloci.'

Track length2:56

$1.30

$1.70

Aria (Falti) 'Non so se al sussurrar magiche note'

Track length5:23

$1.30

$1.70

Recitativo (Abner, Falti) 'Vecchio costume degl'iniqui è questo'

Track length0:52

$1.30

$1.70

Recitativo accompagnato (Saul) 'Lasciatemi a me stesso, furie d'abisso'

Track length1:36

$1.30

$1.70

Preludio

Track length1:31

$1.30

$1.70

Recitativo accompagnato (David) 'Quanto mirabil si dilata e spande

Track length1:07

$1.30

$1.70

Aria (David) 'Quanto mirabile, signore o quanto'

Track length11:47

Album only

Recitativo accompagnato (Saul) 'Più non resisto' Recitativo (David, Falti, Abner, Saul) 'O Dio sempre rifugio mio'

Track length1:59

$1.30

$1.70

Aria (Micol) ' Padre, ascolta, ascolta...'

Track length5:07

$1.30

$1.70

Recitativo (Micol, Gionata, Falti) ''Sopra il mio sposa sta implacabil mostro'

Track length3:45

$1.30

$1.70

Aria (David) 'Dì al mio Re che per lui sono senza colpa'

Track length7:05

$1.30

$1.70

Recitativo (Saul, Gionata, Falti) 'Dov'è? Dov'è l'iniquo?'

Track length2:31

$1.30

$1.70

Aria (Saul) 'A passo di gigante l'avida mia vendetta'

Track length2:53

$1.30

$1.70

Recitativo (Falti, Saul, Gionata, Micol) 'Signor, siamo delusi, e siam traditi.'

Track length2:27

$1.30

$1.70

Recitativo accompagnato (Saul) 'Me lo spirto di Dio visita ancora'

Track length1:58

$1.30

$1.70

Coro finale 'Anche Saul è tra profeti?'

Track length4:00

$1.30

$1.70

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Recording of the Week, Exciting new baroque rediscovery - Conti's David

20th August 2007

Alan Curtis and Il Complesso Barocco record the Italian baroque composer’s ‘azione sacra’ (which predates Handel’s Saul by 15 years), with contralto Marjana Mijanovic as the eponymous hero and Furio Zanasi as Goliath.

David tells the story of David and Saul, covering very much the same ground as Handel’s magnificent Saul written fifteen years later. The tenor role of Saul in Conti’s work was taken by Francesco Borosini, who later sang for Handel in London and Alan Curtis speculates that Borosini may have shown the libretto to Handel. Certainly Handel, like Conti, includes the scene where David tries to calm Saul’s rage with a harp (in both works, David’s harp is represented by a theorbo), and Saul’s subsequent attempt to kill David with his javelin. Such comparisons were also made in Handel’s day.

Reviews

August 2007

David is a great find - an exceptionally inventive dramatic oratorio, its action carried vigorously along in powerful and highly original recitative. Jonathan (sung by Birgit Christensen) begs Saul to accept David in an aria brimming with musical ideas... Christensen... has a most alluring and versatile voice, equally at home in fast coloratura as in the purest of motionless sustained high notes in her highly-charged outburst pleading either for David's life or her martyrdom with him. Furio Zanasi as Saul is outstanding. He's powerfully characterised and vocally magnificent, thrilling but controlled in his ferocious anger... sound quality is excellent - spacious and with thoughtful placing of characters across the spectrum. Quite simply, a revelation.

2010

The Florentine Francesco Bartolomeo Conti (1682-1732) was the finest theorbo player in early 18th-century Europe, and spent almost his entire career at the Habsburg court in Vienna. He composed sacred and secular vocal works special enough to warrant the attention of both Bach and Handel. Conti's oratorio David, a setting of a dramatic libretto by Apostolo Zeno, was first performed at Vienna in March 1724. The cast of singers included the tenor Francesco Borosini, soon afterwards a principal cast member for Handel in Tamerlano and Rodelinda (Conti's writing for Borosini descends to a low G, hence the decision here to cast baritone Furio Zanasi as Saul). Alan Curtis speculates that Borosini might have shown Conti's score to Handel because Conti's use of the theorbo to portray David playing the harp to soothe the insanely jealous Saul is neatly reflected in Handel's use of solo harp in his oratorio Saul (1738). Conti's difficult obbligato theorbo part in David's 'Quanto mirabile' is entrusted to the safe hands of Jakob Lindberg; the vocal part is sung by Marijana Mijanovic´, whose tuning and phrasing are better here than in her Handel recordings. Furio Zanasi's top register is stretched a notch too much for comfort at times but this never gets in the way of a convincing performance. Simone Kermes is beautifully emotive as Micol, Birgit Christensen's sparkling soprano is impressive, and Sonia Prina sings with exemplary sense of proportion and melodic line.
Curtis has edited the score himself, and writes an illuminating essay. This labour of love reveals that Conti's arias are strikingly apposite to the dramatic situations and invested with sincere musical depth and richness. This is essential for lovers of Italianate Baroque vocal music.

Conti’s David is the CD rediscovery of the year.

Conti, F: David

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Recording of the Week, Exciting new baroque rediscovery - Conti's David

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