Bononcini: La conversione di Maddalena La Venexiana
Album info
Album-Release:
2020
HRA-Release:
22.05.2020
Label: Glossa
Genre: Classical
Subgenre: Vocal
Artist: La Venexiana
Composer: Giovanni Battista Bononcini (1670-1747)
Album including Album cover Booklet (PDF)
- Giovanni Bononcini (1670 - 1747): La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 1:
- 1 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 1: No. 1, Sinfonia 02:30
- 2 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 1: No. 2, Lusinghe sonore dell'alma 03:39
- 3 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 1: No. 3, Dopo le voci uscite 00:43
- 4 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 1: No. 4, Sorgi omai dal fango immondo 03:44
- 5 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 1: No. 5, Del favellar divino 00:45
- 6 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 1: No. 6, Sin che ridon le rose odorose 02:40
- 7 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 1: No. 7, Sotto le rose ascoso 00:43
- 8 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 1: No. 8, Chi sol prezza la bellezza 02:24
- 9 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 1: No. 9, Maddalena non più 00:44
- 10 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 1: No. 10, Fugge il tempo 04:19
- 11 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 1: No. 11, Maddalena infelice 00:34
- 12 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 1: No. 12, Odi l'etera 01:44
- 13 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 1: No. 13, Al sibilar tremendo 01:03
- 14 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 1: No. 14, In tepidi fiumi 02:37
- 15 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 1: No. 15, Quella che di Bettania 00:23
- 16 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 1: No. 16, Tal disprezzo a tanti onori? 02:02
- 17 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 1: No. 17, Ah no, de' tuoi natali rammenta 00:38
- 18 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 1: No. 18, Su l'april del tuo bel viso 03:03
- 19 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 1: No. 19, Sì sì gradito amore 00:34
- 20 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 1: No. 20, Goderò; piangerò 01:05
- 21 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 1: No. 21, Cieli che mai risolvo 00:42
- 22 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 1: No. 22, Cor'imbelle a due nemici 03:39
- 23 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 1: No. 23, Maddalena, e pur anche 00:52
- 24 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 1: No. 24, Àrmati contro te 01:29
- 25 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 1: No. 25, Sì, sì, risolvo 01:13
- 26 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 1: No. 26, Sì, sì, risolvo sì col mio dolore 03:06
- 27 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 1: No. 27, Figlia non più sospiri 00:42
- 28 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 1: No. 28, Viver lieto fra i gigli le rose 02:15
- La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 2:
- 29 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 2: No. 29, Vivace 01:15
- 30 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 2: No. 30, Seguite, seguite 01:31
- 31 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 2: No. 31, Al mormorio gradito 00:53
- 32 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 2: No. 32, Fila d'oro 02:47
- 33 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 2: No. 33, Questo non è del Cielo 01:16
- 34 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 2: No. 34, Quel volto, quel labro 06:02
- 35 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 2: No. 25, Oh, di genio indiscreto 01:13
- 36 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 2: No. 26, Goderà ne' sacri ardori 02:58
- 37 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 2: No. 27, Dal soglio dell'empiro 00:39
- 38 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 2: No. 28, Oh d'un alma che non ha fede 03:38
- 39 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 2: No. 29, Nel periglioso agone 00:54
- 40 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 2: No. 30, Pensieri che dite 02:04
- 41 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 2: No. 31, Confusa, irresoluta Maddalena 00:40
- 42 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 2: No. 32, Di lagrime di gemiti 02:32
- 43 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 2: No. 33, Non più Cieli, non più 00:52
- 44 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 2: No. 34, Comincio a sospirar 05:26
- 45 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 2: No. 35, Pompe fallaci e vane 00:51
- 46 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 2: No. 36, Piangi, piangi pur 04:17
- 47 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 2: No. 37, Piangi, piangi pur 02:44
- 48 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 2: No. 38, Sotto laceri cenci 00:51
- 49 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 2: No. 39, Costanza, pensieri, costanza 02:19
- 50 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 2: No. 40, Dunque fian de le rose 00:46
- 51 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 2: No. 41, Tenerissimi sospiri 02:11
- 52 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 2: No. 42, Pur alfin dal tuo seno 01:57
- 53 La conversione di Maddalena, Pt. 2: No. 43, Al nume umanato 04:21
Info for Bononcini: La conversione di Maddalena
Giovanni Bononcini composed the four-part oratorio La conversione di Maddalena for the Habsburg emperor Leopold I in 1701. The musician from Modena, at the time at the apex of his European fame, had at his disposal the best forces of the Imperial Chapel: four singers (two sopranos, a contralto and a bass) of top rate and an instrumental ensemble, limited to strings but adequately consistent to articulate a concert dialectic with tutti-concertino, including soloist pages for the violin, the cello and the viola da gamba.
The extremely popular story of Mary Magdalene – a subject among the most fascinating in the Baroque spirituality of the Counter-reformation – is dealt with in original terms by the anonymous author of the libretto, who through a suggestive use of poetry “places on stage” the difficult journey of conversion of the sinner saint. Mary Magdalene is urged by the percussive incitement of her sister Marta (like in the painting of Caravaggio), who at the end of several stages of a contradicting drama plot, will succeed in winning her over to the field of Sacred Love, making vain the offers and threats of Profane Love.
Bononcini reacts to the suggestions of the text by producing a score that holds a wonderful variety and a constant novelty of invention, and in which immediate heartfelt expressiveness, conspicuous vocal requirements and many nuances of timbre and harmony concur to define a sculpted profile for each character.
Emanuela Galli, soprano
Francesca Lombardi Mazzulli, soprano
Marta Fumagalli, alto
Matteo Bellotto, bass
La Venexiana
La Venexiana
has been founded and developed by the internationally renowned counter tenor and Early Music expert Claudio Cavina. Under his dedicated artistic direction the group earned his worldwide reputation as one of today’s leading Early Music ensembles.
The name of the ensemble La Venexiana is taken from an anonymous Renaissance comedy which counts as a masterpiece of Italian theatre for its use of language, a combination of literate Italian and dialect, and for its insightful rendering of society and manners. It was, in fact, a precursor of the commedia dell’arte. By taking on this name, La Venexiana attempts to convey in its musical interpretations all the theatricality, attention to language in all its subtlety, and celebration of contrasts between the refined and the popular, the sacred and profane that characterizes our culture today.
The members of La Venexiana are some of the most experienced European performers in the Early Music field, especially in the Italian Madrigal repertoire. They have been working together for many years, and have established a new style in Italian early music performance: a warm, truly Mediterranean blend of textual declamation, rhetorical colour and harmonic refinement. Besides the interpretation of Renaissance and Baroque music in historically informed performances the ensemble offers programmes which include jazz elements as saxophone, drums and accordion. La Venexiana presented the very successful programme “Round M” among others in Munich and Stuttgart; a recording has been released in October 2010. In Halle they performed a programme called “Handel meets Jazz” in 2011.
By now, La Venexiana has performed with great success at almost all major festivals and concert series around the world including the Konzerthaus and the Musikverein’s Golden Hall in Vienna, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the Konzerthaus in Berlin, the Laeiszhalle in Hamburg as well as festivals in Schwetzingen, Potsdam, Regensburg, Herne, Rheingau, Graz, Vevey, Cremona, Van Vlaanderen, De Singel in Antwerp and Brugge Festival. The ensemble has given concerts in Barcelona, Brussels, Utrecht, Strasbourg, Amiens, Barcelona, Madrid, Montpellier, San Sebastián, Mexico City, Bogotá and Tokyo. In the United States, it has performed, among others, in New York City, Ann Arbor, Chicago, St. Paul, St. Louis, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle.
La Venexiana earned its reputation also due to the prizes it won for its highly commended records. The ensemble started recording in 1996 for the labels Opus 111 (Paris) and Cantus (Madrid). Since 1998, the ensemble has been recording exclusively for the Spanish label Glossa. Its recordings of madrigals by d’India, Luzzaschi, Marenzio, Gesualdo and the complete recording of Monteverdi’s books of madrigals and his Orfeo have won much notice and critical acclaim worldwide, including the Gramophone Award, the Diapason d’Or, the Editor’s choice of Repertoire, the Prix Amadeus 2000, the Caecilia Award, the Cannes Classical Award and the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik. Lastly, a recording of Luzzaschi’s “Concerto delle Dame”, a box-set of Monteverdi’s madrigals (former recordings), and a selection of duets by Cavalli (“Sospiri d’amore”) and Bonocini, Steffani, Marcello etc. (“A due alti”) have been released.
In 2007, La Venexiana performed Monteverdi’s “Orfeo” in a half-scenic version all over the world and recorded the opera at the same time. This recording won the Gramophone Award in 2008. In 2010, the ensemble presented the contemporary premiere of Cavalli’s “Artemisia” in Stuttgart, Regensburg and Paris and released its World premier recording in 2011. In the same year, La Venexiana performed Monteverdi’s “The return of Ulysses” in Regensburg, Stuttgart, Paris and Amsterdam. In the last seasons the ensemble had been invited to Potsdam, Bonn, Styriarte Graz, Stuttgart (Liederhalle), Schaffhausen (Bach Festival) and Halle (Handel Festival). After successful performances in St. Gallen, Bucharest, Antwerpen, Tokyo and Berlin (Konzerthaus), the ensemble has recently been reinvited to the Haendel-Festspiele Halle, to Venice and Krakow as well as to the Schwetzinger Festspiele celebrating Monteverdi’s 450th anniversary in 2017. Its latest concerts lead the ensemble amongst others to the Carinthischer Sommer, to Bratislava and the Heinrich Schuetz Fest, to Boulez Saal Berlin, Vevey (Switzerland) and Italy. Upcoming highlights are amongst others reinvitations to Landshut and St Gallen.
Booklet for Bononcini: La conversione di Maddalena