This work, a “serenata” (more than a cantata, less than an opera), may or may not have been written to commemorate the accession of Louis XV to the throne. Whatever the specific case, it clearly was composed to please the French. The three vocal soloists represent Virtue (alto), The Golden Age (soprano), and the river Seine itself (bass). Many passages are marked “alla francese”, many of the recitatives are accompanied (a French, rather than Italian speciality), and there are two overtures. And indeed, the flavor is somewhat French, arguing that it was composed for a public who would be made to feel at home with it.
All three singers have some virtuoso music to sing, with the bass being the most exposed. The text is uninteresting but it does allow for a certain expressivity: Flowing water is described in one aria, a storm in another, a nightingale’s song in a third, and so forth. In addition to a bunch of arias, there are three duets and three ensembles. The accompaniments are simple, and Rinaldo Alessandrini has opted to add oboes and flutes. The entire experience is delightful, whether or not it’s overpraising a French monarch.
This is the second time this work has been recorded. Fonit Cetra put out a set (with an extra aria and at slower tempos) under Claudio Scimone in the late ’80s: Sigmund Nimsgern was the superb Seine and the other soloists were good too. This current recording, on one CD rather than two (as was the Cetra set), is certainly more historically informed, brisker, better embellished, and overall more exciting. All three singers are fine, and the duets for the two women are particularly well sung, with nice trilling and riffing. The sonics are very good, but I wish the voices had been more prominently placed. As ever, Alessandrini and his band are flawless and perky. If you like any of Vivaldi’s vocal music–and who doesn’t?–and particularly his operas, you’ll find plenty to enjoy here.
