The Habsburg Garden of Eden/Ο ΚΗΠΟΣ ΤΗΣ ΕΔΕΜ ΤΩΝ ΑΨΒΟΥΡΓΩΝ

This original concept program present works by Caldara, Bonporti, Händel, Biber, Ziani and Muffat, a mix of Cantatas on secular texts and instrumental sonatas, all bearing witness of the extraordinary high musical level of the period. Composer: Caldara, Bonporti, Handel, Biber, Ziani, Muffat Artists: Ensemble Arava 

 

 

Vienna, Salzburg and Rome were among the principal centres of power for the Holy Roman Empire of the late 17th and early 18th centuries, and they accordingly attracted the most talented and ambitious composers of the day.

 The Venetian-born Caldara

Antonio Caldara - Wikipedia

aspired to the post of Court Kapellmeister in Vienna, and composed the wedding music for Emperor Charles VI in 1708. 

He won huge success in Rome, where he followed in the footsteps of the young Handel, and eventually won the favour of the emperor himself, who even conducted some of Caldara’s operas. Secular cantatas by the two composers therefore form the centrepieces of this unique recital. 

The vocal writing by Caldara, in Risoluto son già tiranno amore, and Handel’s Un’alma innamorata,emphasises the vocal brilliance of the singers in bravura coloratura with finely elaborated instrumental accompaniment. 

The ostensible theme of both cantatas is the standard trope of thwarted and unrequited love in a pastoral context, but mainly to represent imperial power. Bonporti, Ziani, Biber and Muffat also won fame for the virtuosity as performers and composers in an Italiante style whether they came from north or south of the Alps. Bonporti’s Aria cromatica is as bold and innovative in its harmony as the violin sonatas of Biber and Muffat are in their extensions of violin technique. 

The featured work by the lesser-known Ziani is a setting of the Marian hymn Alma redemptoris mater, with closely interwoven parts for soprano and violin. Based in Germany, the four young musicians of Ensemble Arava gathered together specifically to explore the rich Baroque heritage of music for soprano, violin and continuo. 

They named themselves after the Hebrew word for willow as well as wilderness, symbolising both untamed nature and the annual rejuvenation of spring. They have won prizes at several international early-music competitions: this release marks their debut album. 

 The Habsburg Empire was a unique melting pot of cultural currents at the end of the 17th and beginning of the 18th centuries. Similar to the French court, the emperors in Vienna sought to distinguish themselves through music. In contrast to Versailles, however, there had already been a strong affinity to Italian music here. 

Coupled with the influences from the Bohemian region and the many travel movements across the Alps, this led to a marked flourishing of musical life in eastern Central Europe.

 Tracklist:

 Composer: Antonio Caldara Risoluto son già tiranno amore:  

00:00:00 I. Recitativo. Risoluto

 00:00:53 II. Aria. Armato di strali 00:04:27 III. Recitativo. Quel panico spavento

 00:05:17 IV. Aria. Guerra Guerra  

00:10:13 Francesco Antonio Bonporti: Aria cromatica, e variata No. 1 in A Minor Composer: George Frideric Handel Un’alma innamorata in D Minor, HWV 173: 

 00:17:33 I. Recitativo. Un’alma innamorata

 00:18:06 II. Aria. Quel povero core

 00:25:23 III. Recitativo. E pur benche

 00:25:45 IV. Aria. Io godo 00:31:03 V. Recitativo. In quanto a me

 00:31:21 VI. Aria. Ben impari

 00:33:21 Heinrich Ignaz Franz Von Biber: Sonata No. 6 in C Minor, C 143

 00:47:18 Marc'Antonio Ziani: Alma mater redemptoris  

00:53:09 Georg Muffat: Sonata violino solo in D Major: I. Adagio-Allegro-Adagio-Allegro-Adagio