Ars Lyrica Houston: Alessandro Scarlatti: La sposa dei cantici
Acis

According to Matthew Dirst, the Artistic Director of Ars Lyrica Houston, the astonishingly prolific Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757) produced more than 500 sonatas while his father, Alessandro (1660-1725), brought forth no less than 30 oratorios, 100 operas, and almost 600 solo cantatas. Complicating matters, several of the latter's oratorios played in different cities under different titles whilst being essentially the same work. One such, Cantata per l'Assunzione della Beata Vergine, was premiered in Rome in 1703 before reappearing seven years later in a somewhat revised form under the title La sposa dei cantici (“The bride of songs”). Adding to its appeal and importance, Ars Lyrica Houston's is the world premiere recording of the work.

In liner notes, Dirst clarifies that its libretto “celebrates the Assumption of Mary by exploring her devotion to God, God's love for humanity, and the gift of human affection.” Love is, obviously, the primary topic, with spiritual fulfillment also strongly emphasized. The main characters are Sposa and Sposo, literally bride and groom though the two could also be regarded as Mary and God or the Soul and the Church (in referencing a serpent, the libretto also suggests connections to Adam and Eve and Orpheus and Eurydice). Rounding out the dramatis personae are Amor Divino and Eternità, who help the lead characters achieve eternal bliss.

Whereas Scarlatti assigned the two leads to sopranos and the supporting roles to altos (Dirst notes that castrati likely sang all of the roles originally), the Ars Lyrica Houston recording couples soprano for Sposa with three countertenors. The instruments accompanying the singers are thirteen strings, Italian triple harp, theorbo, Baroque guitar, organ, and harpsichord, the latter two played by Dirst, also credited as conductor. No ensemble would seem to be better equipped to tackle the work than the Texas-based Ars Lyrica Houston, which has specialized in performing music from the Baroque era (and doing so on period instruments) since its 1998 founding by Dirst.

Consistent with the form of the Italian Baroque oratorio, La sposa dei cantici consists primarily of recitatives and da capo arias. Spread across two discs, the tracks, forty-seven in total, are almost all in the one- to three-minute range, making for a fast-changing programme lasting about eighty-five minutes. Given the nature of the subject matter—divine love—and the emphasis on high voices, it hardly surprises that the tone of the work is joyful and uplifting (Dirst describes its as “a mixture of the heavenly with the playful”). In the most critical role, soprano Meghan Lindsay soars terrifically as Sposa, and much the same could be said of countertenors John Holiday (Sposo), Jay Carter (Amor Divino), and Ryland Angel (Eternità).

Seduction begins immediately with a Sinfonia that alternates between slow and high-velocity episodes before a graceful dance movement sets the stage for Lindsay's captivating entrance as Sposa and her first of many arias. From the outset rapport between the singers and instrumentalists is evident, with Dirst directing the proceedings masterfully. The recitatives are as entrancing as the arias when they're not dryly spoken but expressively sung. When Holiday (Sposo) enters after Lindsay, one might for a moment think it's still her singing when his voice shares the upper register, but the change in vocalists quickly reveals itself (the difference is marked all the more when the two duet in “Dunque fa chal alto impero”). Soon enough, Carter (Amor) joins the leads and establishes his own distinct presence; the quartet's completed when the stately aria “Meco al pari e chi disprezza” is arrestingly delivered by Angel (Eternità) twenty tracks into the set. Like the leads, the contrast between their voices is pronounced when they co-deliver the recitative “Ne' chiusi Regni mie” and duet on “Che costei ch'oltre il costume.” Carter and Angel figure prominently, but understandably Holiday and Lindsay get the lion's share of the vocal material. They make the most of it too, as evidenced, for instance, by her spellbinding turn in the aria “Fortunati miei sospiri” and his in “Se l'invitta mia guerrilla.” Fittingly, the work concludes with a rapturous Sposa-and-Sposo duet.

January 2024