Music |
Vivaldi “Gloria” and Handel “Dixit Dominus”
John Eliot Gardiner and the Monteverdi Choir
By
Published: Dec 05, 2019
Category:
Classical
Vivaldi’s “Gloria” and Handel’s “Dixit Dominus” on a single disc? That’s the eighteenth century version of a concert with The Who doing “Tommy” and The Beatles performing “Sgt. Pepper.” That is, killer harmonies, dazzling melodies and an overt sense of exaltation. High-energy, feelgood music. And the inventiveness never lags. [To buy the Vivaldi/Handel CD from Amazon and get a free MP3 download, click here. To buy the MP3 download of the Vivaldi/Handel CD from Amazon, click here. ]
You may know the story of Vivaldi: a famous composer and choirmaster dies poor and out of fashion, and his music is largely forgotten for two centuries. Then, in the 1920s, 300 concertos, 18 operas and 100 vocal-instrumental pieces turn up, among them the “Gloria.” Eventually every restaurant and Four Seasons Hotel is playing his “Four Seasons,” and the “Gloria” joins the repertoire of popular choral works.
As it should. Vivaldi uses the fullest range of voices, and the lower ones define “robust.”
Of the two composers, Handel was the bigger star — but then, he was less interested in church music than in commercial opera. He could crank out a score in two weeks; like a pop composer, he knew exactly how to manipulate an audience.
This is why it’s no surprise that his “Messiah” — which Handel wrote in just 24 days — is the world’s best-known piece of choral music. Handel knew what he accomplished even before its premiere; he sobbed after finishing the “Hallelujah” chorus. “I did think I did see all Heaven before me, and the great God himself.”
Handel’s “Dixit Dominus” is as crisp as a morning in Heaven. It’s loud, brassy, self-assured to the point of preening. Handel knew fewer tricks than, say, Bach, but he knew just when to pull them out of his hat. Watch and listen:
Of the two choral works, I have deeper affection for the Vivaldi “Gloria” — in part because I once played the attention-getting C-trumpet solo in a school concert, but more for its sheer excitement. What they share: In their shiny precision, they’re among the most exciting choral pieces I know. Cheap thrills? Probably. But when you’re looking for music that jacks you up, shows you hope and suggests glory ahead, rousing crowd pleasers are just what you want.
