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Reviewer: James
V. Maiello
Since the label was founded in
the early 1990s, Arcana has striven to bring lesser-known works and
composers into the foreground. In this case, it is the music of Giovanni
Picchi, a contemporary of Monteverdi who was also regarded highly as a
keyboardist and lutenist. Indeed, it is mostly Picchi’s instrumental music
that survives. This is perhaps not surprising given the place of Venice as
the preeminent early center for music printing, which seems to have favored
disproportionately instrumental music for well-paying amateurs. Here,
Concerto Scirocco have provided the first complete recording of Picchi’s
1625 collection Canzoni da sonar con ogni sorte d’istromenti.
Picchi’s music is unmistakably
Venetian, full of sounds that recall the Gabrielis and Monteverdi, as well
as younger composers like Dario Castello. The canzoni for double choir and
for the particular solo instruments—violin, cornett, recorder, and
sackbut—also reflect Venetian tastes. The music is also sophisticated and
inventive, and it seems a shame that Picchi has been overshadowed by more
famous contemporaries. Because the canzoni increase in performing forces as
the collection progresses, the players have chosen to present the program in
the published order, letting the ensemble grow as the album progresses. From
the start, the canzoni show Picchi’s creativity, the first one marked by a
kind of thematic unwinding over an exotic-sounding continuo. Despite their
similarities, each canzona has a distinct character, and the players are
careful to maintain these identities in their choice of instrumentation and
by keeping in the foreground whatever gestures and musical features set a
given canzona apart.
Led by recorder and dulcian
player Giulia Genini, the ensemble is populated by talented
multi-instrumentalists trained at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis. They are
exceptional musicians and play this repertoire with near-native fluency,
though it was written centuries ago. The Canzon Seconda is a particular
delight. Genini is a skilled and sensitive dulcian soloist, paired with
violinist Alfia Bakieva, who provides a fluid contrast to the woody double
reed sound. The Seventh Canzona is a joyful affair, with cornet and dulcian
as soloists. When the double choir is finally introduced in the 10th Canzona,
the recorders and sackbuts are grouped together, another Venetian
predilection. This creates a very attractive sound, almost like an organ
using varied stops in combination; Genini has wisely chosen descant
recorders, though, to cut through the brass sound. The collection snowballs
until a finale in which Picchi seems to have outdone himself, throwing in
all the bells and whistles. It is virtuosic, grandiose, and wholly Venetian
in character. Throughout the recording, the playing is of the highest quality. The continuo ensemble is stable but unobtrusive, and the soloists are impeccable, delivering virtuosic flourishes with sprezzatura and clarity. In the era of modern recording, technical excellence is a sine qua non for a successful recording. Concerto Scirocco bring something extra, though. They seem to have a special ability to get all the stylistic intangibles right, diving right into the musical language of 17th-century Venice as if it were of their own and speaking it with fluency and eloquence. I noted in my review of Bernardi’s Requiem Mass (43:6) that if Concerto Scirocco were the future of early music, we’re in good hands. I stand by my words.
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