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Reviewer: Charles
Brewer
This recording includes sacred music by three generations of Neapolitan
composers, each of whom were chapel masters in turn at the Church of Santa
Maria delle Anime del Purgatorio in Arco, established to pray for souls in
purgatory. The oldest member of this family was Francesco Feo (1691-1761).
His Italian cantata for solo soprano and continuo has the unusual title, La
Sinderesi, which refers to the theological concept of synderesis, which
Bonaventura defined as “the natural inclination of the will towards moral
good”. The evocative text set by Feo effectively portrays a sinful soul
seeking repentance. The two major works on this new release are settings of
the Tenebrae Lamentations for solo soprano and orchestra by two members of
the Manna family. Gennaro Manna (1715-79) followed his uncle Feo as chapel
master, and his ‘Lamentazione 3’ for Holy Thursday for solo soprano and
orchestra is written in the style of Neapolitan opera. Sometimes the meaning
of the text from the Lamentations of Jeremiah seems to be countered by the
rather upbeat music. This recording concludes with Gennaro’s short doxology
for soprano and strings, which is remarkable for its extensive coloratura
passages for the voice. Gaetano Manna (1751-1804) followed his uncle Gennaro
as chapel master. Gaetano’s approach to composing his ‘Lamentazione 2’ for
Holy Thursday is very different from his uncle. The style is even more
operatic in character and light in texture, favoring the major keys more
common in the galant style, and Gaetano’s is the most up-beat setting of
Jeremiah’s lamentations I have heard. Silvia Frigato’s voice is well suited
for both the virtuosity and expressiveness required by these works, and is
effectively supported by Talenti Vulcanici. These works deserve to be better
known, and this recording offers an interesting contrast to the few other
recordings of Neapolitan sacred music by these composers, such as a Mass by
Feo (J/A 2009) or Gennaro Manna’s more subdued choral Responses for Holy
Week (M/A 2011). In contrast to current trends, the booklet is informative
and offers full texts and translations.
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