Worship in a Time of Plague
Sacred motets from the Venetian Baroque by Grandi, Schütz, Rigatti, Rovetta, and Cifra, recorded for Musica Omnia by Capella Intima and the Gallery Players of Niagara. Sheila Dietrich, Lindsay McIntyre, Jennifer Enns Modolo, Bud Roach, Paul Winkelmans, and David Roth of Capella Intima, with Julie Baumgartel, Andrew Dicker, violins, Margaret Gay, cello, Jonathan Stuchbery, theorbo, and Borys Medicky, organ. Kirk Starkey, Producer.
Physical CDs are available for purchase by contacting hammerbaroque@gmail.com, or via Musica Omnia. Audio is also available for streaming on Apple Music and Spotify.
Gli equivoci nel sembiante
The Canadian vocal quartet Capella Intima, joined by the Gallery Players of Niagara and Nota Bene Baroque Players, is proud to release the premiere recording of Alessandro Scarlatti’s “Gli equivoci nel sembiante”, from 1679, on the historical performance label Musica Omnia.
Mistaken identity, sibling rivalry, and love at first sight are the comic themes of eighteen-year- old Alessandro Scarlatti’s first opera, premiered in Rome in 1679. Despite papal decree against such scandals as women on stage, and a ban on the church’s employment of theatre musicians, the public couldn’t resist the charms of this new, youthful voice of opera. Gli equivoci nel sembiante (Folly in Love) is an intimate comedy for four singers and orchestra that became a hit that toured throughout the regions of Italy for decades.
Howard Dyck writes in the Waterloo Music Times:
”The performance is first-class in every way. The singing…is impassioned, stylish, with impeccable intonation and flawless diction…must listening for any interested in the Historical Performance Movement.”
Full English translation of the libretto available for download here
Physical CDs are available for purchase by contacting hammerbaroque@gmail.com, or via Musica Omnia, and Amazon. Audio is also available for streaming on iTunes and Spotify.
Special thanks to the financial supporters of this recording, including the City of Hamilton Enrichment Fund, the Ontario Arts Council, the Canada Council for the Arts, Paul Grimwood and Central Presbyterian Church, and patrons Peter McCabe and Rhoda Hassmann.
Canzonette Spirituali, e Morali
Capella Intima’s debut recording features canzonettas, solo arias and dialogues from the Oratory of San Filippo Neri in Chiavenna, attributed to Francesco Ratis (d. 1676), and published in Milan, 1657.
This fascinating volume borrows freely from the most popular dances and melodies of the previous decades, applying sacred texts that align with the founder’s teachings, encouraging a personal relationship with the Divine. Clearly written with young people in mind, the texts are sensual in their images of spiritual ecstasy, and often tinged with humour in their varied descriptions of the sinner’s inevitable fate.
The album is available to stream on Spotify and Apple Music. And for digital download via musica omnia. To purchase a physical copy, please email bud@budroach.com.
The complete booklet from the debut recording on the Musica Omnia label is now available. Full text translations here.
