Istituto Per I Beni Musicali In Piemonte - Vivaldi Edition
opere teatrali volume 2
tesori del piemonte volume 16

The Istituto per i beni musicali in Piemonte has undertaken the task to record the over 450 pieces from Vivaldi's personal manuscript library, that was discovered at the National University Library in Turin/Italy. These recordings are being made with renowned accredited musicians in the field of historically informed performances.

Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (1678-1741) - La verità in cimento

(The truth in danger)

Dramma per musica. Opera in three acts to a libretto by Giovanni Palazzi. This is Vivaldi's thirteenth opera, and premiered at the Teatro San Angelo in Venice/Italy in the fall of 1720, after his stay in Mantua. This opera shows the special care Vivaldi employed: most of the arias and ensembles were newly composed, and never previously used. The opera shows Vivaldi's lavish inspiration and experience as a composer.

Rosane, princess, hair to kingdom of Joghe....Gemma Bertagnolli (soprano)
Rustena, wife of Mamud................................Guillemette Laurens (mezzo soprano)
Melindo, son of Mamud and Damira...............Sara Mingardo (contralto)
Damira, the Sultan's favorite..........................Nathalie Stutzmann (contralto)
Zelim, son of Mamud and Rustena.................Phillippe Jaroussky (countertenor)
Mamud, great Sultan of Cambaja...................Anthony Rolfe Johnson (tenor)

Ensemble Matheus, conducted by Jean-Christophe Spinosi

Recorded in September 2002 in the Eglise Abbatiale de Daoulas (Bretagne, France)
Label: Opus 111

Disc 1:
01. (1:38 min)  La verità in cimento: Sinfonia: Allegro
02. (1:46 min)  La verità in cimento: Sinfonia: Andante
03. (0:46 min)  La verità in cimento: Sinfonia: Allegro
04. (3:57 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto I, Scena 1 - Recitativo (Mamud, Damira) Non più, Damira, d'un error crudele
05. (4:12 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto I, Scena 1 - Aria (Mamud) Mi fè reo l'amor d'un figlio
06. (2:38 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto I, Scena 2 - Recitativo (Damira, Zelim) Men agevol sarà di ciò che credi
07. (3:20 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto I, Scena 2 - Aria (Damira) Vorrei veder anch'io
08. (1:42 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto I, Scena 3 - Recitativo (Zelim, Rustena, Rosane, Melindo) Poveri affetti miei quanto periglio
09. (2:10 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto I, Scena 3 - Aria (Rosane) Solo quella guancia bella
10. (0:49 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto I, Scena 4 - Recitativo (Rustena, Zelim, Melindo) Melindo, egli delira, omai vicina
11. (3:12 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto I, Scena 4 - Aria (Rustena) Ne vostri dolci sguardi
12. (0:53 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto I, Scena 5 - Recitativo (Zelim, Melindo) German, che tal mi sei
13. (5:49 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto I, Scena 5 - Aria (Zelim) Tu m'offendi
14. (0:18 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto I, Scena 6 - Recitativo (Melindo) Affetti mascherati vi conosco
15. (3:33 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto I, Scena 6 - Aria (Melindo) La del Nilo sull'arene
16. (6:52 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto I, Scena 7 - Recitativo (Mamud, Damira) Misero cor di Padre, e che farei?
17. (1:37 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto I, Scena 8 - Recitativo (Damira, Rustena) Amor di Madre all'opra
18. (3:31 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto I, Scena 8 - Aria (Damira) Se l'acquisto di quel Soglio
19. (0:32 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto I, Scena 9 - Recitativo (Rustena) Poca fede à costei prestar io deggio
20. (3:28 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto I, Scena 9 - Aria (Rustena) Fragil fior, ch'appena nasce
21. (3:07 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto I, Scena 10 - Trio (Rosane, Zelim, Melindo) Aure placide, e serene
22. (2:05 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto I, Scena 10 - Recitativo (Rosane, Zelim, Melindo) Cor mio.
23. (2:49 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto I, Scena 10 - Aria (Zelim) No, non ti credo
24. (0:46 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto I, Scena 11 - Recitativo (Melindo, Rosane) Rosane di tua fe'mal m'assicuri
25. (3:27 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto I, Scena 11 - Aria (Melindo) Mi vuoi tradir, lo so

Disc 2:
01. (0:33 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto I, Scena 12 - Recitativo (Rosane) E tosto gelosia vuole suo alberto
02. (6:32 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto I, Scena 12 - Aria (Rosane) Amato ben tu sei la mia speranza
03. (1:40 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto II, Scena 1 - Recitativo (Mamud, Rosane) Ell'è così, Rosane; un mio trasporto
04. (3:13 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto II, Scena 1 - Aria (Mamud) Vinta à pie d'un dolce affetto
05. (2:24 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto II, Scena 2 - Recitativo (Rosane, Melindo) Combattuta alma mia, chi più spietato
06. (3:28 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto II, Scena 2 - Aria (Rosane) Addio caro. Tu ben sai
07. (2:34 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto II, Scena 3 - Recitativo (Melindo, Rustena, Damira, Zelim) Infedele Rosane, ingiusto Padre
08. (0:43 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto II, Scena 4 - Recitativo (Melindo, Zelim, Rustena) Che bel vederti con due serti in fronte
09. (4:17 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto II, Scena 4 - Aria (Zelim) Un tenoro affetto
10. (1:10 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto II, Scena 5 - Recitativo (Rustena, Melindo) Madre, che far si deve?
11. (2:08 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto II, Scena 5 - Aria (Rustena) Quel bel ciglio, quel bel volto
12. (0:22 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto II, Scena 6 - Recitativo (Melindo) Chi vide mai più barbaro pensiere
13. (2:28 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto II, Scena 6 - Aria (Melindo) Occhio non gira
14. (7:06 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto II, Scena 7 - Recitativo (Mamud, Rosane, Zelim, Rustena, Damira) Altrui folle garrir dubbio non renda
15. (1:22 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto II, Scena 8 - Recitativo (Melindo, Rosane) No, fin ch'avrai Melindo
16. (2:54 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto II, Scena 8 - Aria (Rosane) Tu sei sol dell'alma mia
17. (1:20 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto II, Scena 9 - Recitativo (Mamud, Rustena, Damira, Zelim, Melindo) Non mi lasciar mio ben
18. (4:00 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto II, Scena 9 - Quintetto (Mamud, Rustena, Damira, Zelim, Melindo) Anima mia, mio ben

Disc 3:
01. (1:30 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto III, Scena 1 - Recitativo (Zelim, Mamud, Melindo) Padre crederti giova, e appena io credo
02. (4:23 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto III, Scena 1 - Aria (Zelim) Lo splendor, ch'à sperare m'invita
03. (0:44 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto III, Scena 2 - Recitativo (Mamud, Melindo) Troppo d'orgoglio
04. (4:06 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto III, Scena 2 - Aria (Melindo) Crudele, tu brami
05. (4:06 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto III, Scena 3 - Recitativo (Mamud, Damira) Da' rimorsi del Cor vinto lo sdegno
06. (3:30 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto III, Scena 3 - Aria (Mamud) Quando serve alla ragione
07. (1:37 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto III, Scena 4 - Recitativo (Damira, Rustena) Tu qui Signora. Ah t'apparecchia molto
08. (3:47 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto III, Scena 4 - Aria (Damira) Langrimette alle pupille
09. (0:35 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto III, Scena 5 - Recitativo (Rustena) O Marito crudel, dalle tue frodi
10. (3:48 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto III, Scena 5 - Aria (Rustena) Cara sorte di chi nata
11. (2:05 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto III, Scena 6 - Recitativo (Rosane, Zelim, Melindo) Cadrai, fellon
12. (1:07 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto III, Scena 7 - Recitativo (Rosane, Zelim) Di pietade è ben degno
13. (2:52 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto III, Scena 7 - Aria (Rosane) Con cento, e cento baci
14. (0:35 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto III, Scena 8 - Recitativo (Zelim) Almo mia non lagnarti
15. (2:59 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto III, Scena 8 - Aria (Zelim) Sia conforto alle tue piaghe
16. (0:12 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto III, Scena 8 - Recitativo (Zelim, Melindo, Rosane, Rustena, Damira, Mamud) Qual fede? A un soglio forse
17. (2:48 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto III, Scena 9 - Recitativo (Zelim, Rosane, Melindo, Damira, Mamud, Restena) Padre, e Signor d'un figlio
18. (1:09 min)  La verità in cimento: Atto III, Scena 10 - Coro Dopo i nembi, e le procelle

Customer Review:
Fantastic music, constantly inventive and surprising, November 24, 2003
By Andrew J. Sammut

I'm a huge fan of Vivaldi (instrumental and vocal music), and I just purchased this set and was overwhelmed by the variety and energy of the music. Most criticisms of Vivaldi center on a supposed sameness to his compostions, however this opera unveils aria after aria filled with interesting and surprising vocal parts and orchestration.
To be fair to potential listeners, this is not a very "natural" style of singing that one might find in Verdi or other Romantic-era composers; this is "Baroque" in a very literal sense of that word: the singing is very technical, elaborate and more concerned with a musical/technical aspect, rather than a dramatic approach that gives primacy to the words in the libretto. However, Vivaldi's highly technical style of writing for the voice never sounds like he's simply writing exercises based on scales and arpeggios, instead (aided by the gifted singers on this recording), the ornamentation, vocal lines and melodies are ear-catching, interesting and "snappy" in a way that one might compare to a well-constructed line in a jazz solo! The orchestration is similarly varied: just listening to the string parts, which are usually only a harmonic cushion or rhythmic accompaniment, provides different contrasts of texture or interactions with the singer(s) throughout the opera. This is Baroque-era string writing of a very high nature, imaginative tecnically, harmoically and orchestrally.
Aside from the compostion of the piece, the interpretation and playing of the singers/orchestra provide further interest and musically delightful results. In my opinion the best of the singers is the contralto who sings Damira, the sultan's mistress (sorry, I'm at work and don't have liner notes with me). She has the hardest music, and sings all of it with intense emotion. She doesn't exactly "nail" every note with precision, but the effect she creates and the feelings she conveys are dead-on. Sara Mingardo is the other contralto on this set, and a personal favorite of mine. As the supposedly legitimate son Melindo, she sings some highly ornate, furious arias, and while she sounds better on other recordings (Opus 111's "L'Olimpiade" for one), her singing is still of a high caliber. The counter-tenor who plays the supposedly illegitimate son Selim is amazing! His voice is like a piercing spotlight with great attack and a truly unique timbre; as far as counter-tenors, it's a vast improvement over the usually effeminate, nasal types recording so often. Both sopranos sing well, especially the flighy, coquettish part of Roxanne. Finally Anthony Johnson as the Sultan Mamud should get applause for even going near the material he has to sing. It is incredibly difficult music, and if he sounds as though he's straining at times, it really doesn't take anything away from the performace. Sometimes it's nice to know that a musician is actually working at what he's doing.
The conducting and orchestra provide the final touches to round off a completely satisfying and invigorating set of music. The sound of the strings, throughout Vivaldi's myraid orchestral voicings, is always impressive. The orchestra can be smooth, warm, icy, piercing, percussive, as the score requires, while always maintaining the fast, fleet passagework that comes up in Vivaldi's instrumental works as well as his operas. (A special treat is the work of the double-bass player: it might seem odd to point out this particular player/instrument, but I thinks he plays with a realy rhythmic flair, as his bass notes pop out and seem to boot the orchestra in just the right places.) Even the recitatives, which can be boring or bland, are engaging, as the singers' beautiful voices couple with a sensitive, lush continuo to provide results which are musically rewarding.
A distinguished work full of surprises, provided by exciting performers.