Cristo

A 20 ans, avant d'être célèbre dans toute l'Europe et de venir à Londres se mesurer à Haendel, ce natif de Modène (1670-1747) composa cet oratorio précoce. Il y témoigne d'une capacité évidente à dépasser ses modèles: les airs sont inspirés, l'écriture instrumentale habile et la figure de Marie-Madeleine ainsi mise en musique a toute l'ambiguïté de la sensualité séductrice et du repentir édificateur.

The oratorio as a musical form emerged toward the end of the seventeenth century as a kind of "spiritual exercise" encouraged by the Congregazione dell'Oratorio in Rome. The performances took place in oratories (prayer halls) constructed above church naves and were intended to be attractive but edifying entertainments. Then as later, oratorios generally reflected the popular forms and styles of secular music – and in late Renaissance and Baroque Italy, this meant opera, though based on religious rather than mythological and heroic themes. The most prolific composer in this genre was Antonio Caldara (c1670-1736); New Grove lists 43 oratorios (in addition to many operas) and there are probably more that have been lost, written for patrons in his native Venice, Rome, Florence, Mantua, and Vienna.

Antonio Caldara, in this recently rediscovered church opéra, reaches a rare level of beauty and intensity. Beauty essentially due to the perfect blend and contrast between the various voices. The two alti and the two soprani are absolutely marvellous in their complementary values and hues, and they enhance the bass and the tenor in a unique way. Intensity due to the debate in Maddalena between carnal love and spiritual christian love. This debate is represented by the fight between the two alti, Amor Celeste and Amor Terreno, redoubled with the same debate between the two soprani…
Dr Jacques COULARDEAU

Portuguese composer Pedro de Cristo is nowhere near as familiar as Duarte Lobo or Manuel Cardoso, who may show up on general concerts of Renaissance choral music. Cristo's music was never published and was largely lost to history until some painstaking research work, described in the booklet of this Hyperion release. That is likely to change after this 2022 release by the eight-voice choir Cupertinos, which made classical best-seller charts late that year. The music is lovely, with the limpid, reverential treatment of text found in the works of Cristo's greatest Spanish contemporaries. There are long homophonic stretches in the motets that have a starkly emotional effect. The Missa Salve regina, whose motet exemplar is included, is more thoroughly polyphonic, but Cristo's orientation toward directness and clarity remains. Sample the gorgeous Crucifixus section.