Vivaldi: Pietà - Sacred works

Philippe Jaroussky turns once again to the poignant meditation on grief that is the Stabat Mater — this time in Vivaldi’s searingly beautiful 1712 setting — along with a selection of the Red Priest’s solo motets and sacred works. But it’s not all solemn fare: Clarae stellae scintillate is an uplifting, light-filled motet in praise of Mary, and the sweet-toned ‘Domine Deus’ from the Gloria RV589 has an almost pastoral lilt. There are, of course, the vocal pyrotechnics characteristic in which Jaroussky excels, as in the blazing Alleluia of Longe mala, umbrae, terrores RV629. “After several recordings dedicated to lesser-known repertoire from composers such as J.C. Bach, Caldara and Porpora, I felt not only a musical need but also a physical yearning to return to Vivaldi,” says Jaroussky. “His famous Stabat Mater is one of the great masterpieces of the Baroque, but I also wanted to record the motet Longe mala, umbrae, terrores, a work I find utterly fascinating.” For Pietà Jaroussky reunites with Ensemble Artaserse, the chamber orchestra he founded in 2005, and almost a decade later he has come full circle, completing an important triptych of Vivaldi recital albums.