If you thought composing somewhere around 500 concertos was an achievement, remember that
Antonio Vivaldi also composed 49 operas. Indeed,
Vivaldi probably thought of himself primarily as an opera composer -- with 67 productions in a career of 28 years, he may not have had a chance to think of himself as anything else. Yet, while
Vivaldi is well known as a composer of concertos, he is hardly known as a composer of operas. In the Naïve
Vivaldi Edition -- a comprehensive survey on 100 discs of the 450 works in
Vivaldi's library at the time of his death -- all 49 operas will appear; this recording of his Griselda is the sixth to be released. Written in 1735 for his protégée Anna Girò, Griselda takes a story from
Boccaccio and turns it into a hymn of praise to nobility and constancy. Yet though the story is tired and true,
Vivaldi's music is real and vibrant and as attractive as anything in his instrumental works. In this recording by
Jean-Christophe Spinosi leading the
Matheus Ensemble with
Marie-Nicole Lemeux in the title role, Naïve has released another strong argument for the high quality of
Vivaldi's operas.
Spinosi has a light hand but a dramatic touch and he keeps the music moving even while granting the soloists ample scope to develop their characters.
Lemeux is very impressive as the wife whose constancy is tried and
Stefano Ferrari as her husband whose nobility saves her reputation. Both can handle the range and difficulty of
Vivaldi's writing and still make their characters appear human and sympathetic. Recorded in bright, crystalline sound, Naïve's Griselda is well worth hearing by any fan of the composer or of Baroque opera.