ALESSANDRO SCARLATTI (1660-1725): Passio secundum Johannem.
Catalogue Number: 04S015
Label: Ricercar
Reference: RIC 378
Format: CD
Price: $18.98
Description: This was the first Passion setting written in seventeenth-century Italy. Scarlatti treats the role of the Evangelist (composed in the mezzo-soprano register) in highly unusual fashion, giving his narrative numerous emotional passages. The Voice of Christ (bass) is invariably haloed by a string accompaniment. The version presented here by conductor Alarcón inserts meditations assigned to the chorus; these are taken from Scarlatti’s Responsories for Holy Week, polyphonic settings that reveal a little-known genre practiced by this composer. Giuseppina Bridelli (mezzo), Salvo Vitale (bass), Namur Chamber Choir, Millenium Orchestra; Leonardo García Alarcón.