Serenata A Tre

Description

The volume 70 of the Vivaldi Edition awakens a serenade from the "red priest" led with great energy by Andrea Buccarella, his Abchordis Ensemble, and a trio of fiery soloists.
Despite the warning from her friend Nicea, the nymph Eurilla loves the shepherd Alcindo, and, to punish him for his nonchalance, traps him in true love. The plot is simple, the trio of characters borrowed from the world of Arcadia, and the tone playful, as befits this type of outdoor cantatas composed for political, dynastic, or private celebrations. The Serenata a tre RV 690 nonetheless reveals, under Vivaldi's pen, all the qualities of a miniature opera crafted to perfection. With added lightness.
Only three manuscripts have survived to this day from the eight serenades known from the Venetian composer. The Serenata a tre, preserved in the Turin library, the source from which the Vivaldi Edition draws for its publications, has greatly inspired conductor and harpsichordist Andrea Buccarella and a large Abchordis Ensemble here. Enhanced by a trio of high-caliber soloists, they collectively and individually infuse an energy, a verve, and a humor that delight in this early marivaudage.
Eurilla, entrusted to the luminous Marie Lys, clearly has the composer's preference: not one of her six arias remains in the shadows. We find the great diversity of affects that Vivaldi knows how to demonstrate in every lyrical circumstance, offering the soprano the chance to masterfully traverse the registers of pure virtuosity ("Vorresti lusingarmi"), pastoral romance ("La dolce auretta"), meditative lullaby ("Se all’estivo ardor cocente"), or genre aria ("Alla caccia"). Nature also offers tenor Anicio Zorzi Giustiniani a charming imitative aria of the nightingale's song ("Nel suo carcere ristretto"), without preventing him from asserting nobility and pride in "Dell’alma superba." Nicea, sung by mezzo-soprano Sophie Rennert, is not to be outdone, particularly with the aria "Ad infiammar quel seno," in dialogue with the solo violin of Boris Begelman.