DOMENICO SCARLATTI: Madrid Mass; Missa Breve, “La Stella”; Stabat Mater – Simone Gheller, organ/ Melodi Cantores/ Elena Sartori, conductor – Tactus TC 681906, 71:21 **** [Distr. By Allegro]:
All composers should have the success that Domenico Scarlatti enjoyed during his lifetime; rich, famous, and well-respected among colleagues, friends with the young Handel, tutored by his father Alessandro (one of the greatest names in Europe), and a keyboard virtuoso, he had it all. Later in his life he was able to acquire a position in Spain at the royal court both as tutor to the young Maria Barbara (appointed by Lisbon King John V) and as head of all general musical activities. Today we are familiar a few of his sacred pieces, but by and large it is his corpus of multitudinous (550+) harpsichord sonatas that so astound and capture attention.
And this is probably as it should be, for few in the history of music have made such an impact in the realm of keyboard music. But to focus all attention in this area would be to short-change him as well, for his choral music – while firmly rooted in the compositional processes and stringent rules lain down by his idol Palestrina – is full of many beautiful and ravishingly effective moments. The Madrid Mass is one of his most mature works, created near the end of his tenure in Lisbon at about 1749. The work charts no new course, but certainly is representative of a style about to fade from history, and is a wonderful example of his talent. Interestingly enough, the maverick who took so many wild chances in his harpsichord sonatas seems to bow to tradition in his sacred work.
The Stabat Mater is one of the composer’s most noted pieces of church music. Written for ten voices, it nonetheless features a contrapuntal complexity that tops any of his masses in its expressive capabilities – almost romantic in tendencies in some parts. The short mass “La Stella” (“the Star”) is an early work, though remaining one of his most popular, direct and appealing in its emotional simplicity.
We seem to be in a bit of a Scarlatti boom; Harry Christophers on Coro still holds reign in this music, and a recent Naxos review that I did may be a good introduction for those who don’t want to spend a lot of money. But this release by the Melodi Cantores is very fine indeed, probably a little cut above the Naxos, though it is close. I can say for sure that it will satisfy and meet your needs if you are just coming to this music. The sound is lightly resonant and quite close, though not offensively so.
— Steven Ritter
