Sacred Offerings From the Red Priest

Sacred music from Vivaldi on a cd by the countertenor David Daniels and the period instrument ensemble Europa Galante led by Fabio Biondi. There are three pieces on the cd, settings of the Stabat Mater and Nisi Dominus plus a motet Longe Mala. The music written for the orphans in the Ospedale della Pieta in Venice would probably have been sung by a contralto, so the fit with David Daniels' voice is a good one. The Stabat Mater is probably the first piece of sacred music that Vivaldi wrote and is a suitably sombre setting. The Nisi Dominus is more advanced Vivaldi and much more of a musical than emotional tour de force while by the time we get to the motet, it is clearly in an operatic style that may well have served as an advertisement for a forthcoming commercial production. Daniels sings splendidly and Europa Galante are fiery accompanists.