Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (1678-1741) and Gian Carlo Menotti (b. 1911)

There is not much in common between these two very remarkable composers other than their shared birthright in the Northern Italian tradition of vocal music and their experiences of traveling far and wide. In almost every other respect they are like chiaroscuro – a study in opposites. Antonio Lucio Vivaldi was born in Venice in 1678 and died in Vienna 1741, having traveled extensively within Europe (as far as Amsterdam) from 1718 onwards. Gian Carlo Menotti was born in 1911 close to the Swiss border on the shores of Lake Lugano. He moved to Philadelphia in 1927 and has been living in Scotland since 1974.

Menotti is a quiet, modest man whose primary love is to make music which appeals to the people, and to Menotti this has meant opera. It is no accident that the first operas written especially for the radio (The Old Maid and the Thief) and television (Amahl) were by Menotti. His style is distinctly not of the avant-garde but recognizably derivative of Puccini, albeit for smaller forces. Listen for example to the opening passage of Amahl in the violins. Like his great predecessor, his music flows continuously, always underscoring the drama, and only occasionally interrupted by an aria. Furthermore, his own instrumental talent was never great, and always subservient to composition, just as in his operas the orchestra is never allowed to dominate the vocal line. His works number about 40, including 22 operas.

Vivaldi, on the other hand, was a brilliant violinist of universal repute and a relentlessly self-promoting and prolific composer with somewhat less unanimity of admiration. Although Vivaldi wrote nearly fifty operas (94 by his own probably exaggerated account) his reputation is built primarily on the huge body of instrumental work (there are almost 800 works according to the Ryom catalog, of which over 500 are concertos). His fiery red hair and notorious vanity made him one of the all-time great musical characters. His musical style was considered very unconventional at the time but today his music is appreciated more than ever, especially the ever popular Four Seasons, and is now considered the very epitome of Italian Baroque. Like Bach, who was a devotee though only seven years younger, Vivaldi was almost completely forgotten after his death. Vivaldi’s period out in the cold lasted even longer than Bach’s – until about 100 years ago.

His career in the priesthood was quite controversial. At some point not long after his ordination he declined to say Mass – for good. Ostensibly because of his lifelong ill health, but possibly because it afforded him more time for composition, the decision certainly lent him a degree of notoriety. Nevertheless he remained a religious man, though surprisingly little of his music was sacred, and devoted much of his life to teaching music to the orphaned girls of the Ospedale della Pietà. Sometimes, he was called upon to deputize for the Maestro di coro and it is to one of those periods that we owe this work. This is the second and better known of the two very similar Glorias which Vivaldi wrote, though it is not known for certain exactly when it was written. The Gloria was most recently performed by SPM in December 1992.

As befits a Gloria, it is an uplifting work, well suited to Vivaldi's art. It begins brilliantly in D major using all available forces, particularly the trumpet (which is then silent until the Quoniam, thematically a reprise of the opening). This is followed by a poignant Et terra, in B minor, the relative minor of D major. The Laudamus te is a joyful duet for two sopranos in G major. The very brief Gratias is in E minor (again the relative minor). Next comes the Propter, a vigorous fugue in the same key. The Domine Deus is a beautiful duet in C major for soprano and oboe, with a light and bouncy basso continuo. The Domine Fili is an F major chorus with an insistent dotted rhythm accompaniment. In the Agnus Dei (D minor, again the relative minor), a rather more upbeat work than we are accustomed to for its counterpart in a requiem mass, the alto and chorus alternate after a cello introduction. The mood becomes suitably penitent for the Qui Tollis (back to E minor), after which comes the reassuring Qui Sedes for alto solo in B minor. After the Quoniam, the setting concludes with a grand fugual chorus, Cum Sancto, closely related to the Propter, but this time in the home key of D major.

Unlike the "red priest" of the Baroque era, the very twentieth-century Menotti has chosen to serve people in different ways – by dedicating himself to writing popular, "Broadway" operas and by founding and devoting almost half his long life to the Spoleto Festival in Italy. Once part of the "Festival of two Worlds" (with Charleston, SC), it continues to promote art of every type, not just music, and remains one of the most prestigious events at which to launch a musical career.

Amahl and the Night Visitors is a Christmas classic that owes its existence to the "electronic revolution". Although the opera is now a standard for live theater, it was originally commissioned for performance on television, first as the NBC Christmas Eve special of 1951. It was an immediate hit and has never looked back. As with all of his operas, Menotti wrote both the words and music. By introducing the three Kings on their journey to the manger, he avoids having to represent religious personages on stage. In fact the characters are very human, with real-world emotions, foibles and problems. In its modern American verismo style, Amahl belongs to the mid-century celebration of the "common man" that also produced Bernstein’s West Side Story and the stage works of Copland (for example The Tender Land which Salisbury/SPM produced in 1996). Amahl was most recently performed by SPM and Salisbury Lyric Opera in December 1990.

The three Kings, following the Christmas star, stop for shelter at the home of a crippled boy and his mother. As the characters search their hearts, the visit gives rise to some surprising events that will change their lives forever. Always tuneful, concise and with its direct appeal through the English language, Amahl richly deserves its reputation as the ideal introduction to opera for children and adults alike.

Vivaldi: Gloria in D major, RV 589

Gloria in excelsis deo (Chorus - Allegro)
Et in terra pax hominibus (Chorus - Andante)
Laudamus te (Soprano I, Soprano II - Allegro)
Gratias agimus tibi (Chorus - Adagio)
Propter magnam gloriam (Chorus - Allegro)
Domine Deus (Soprano I - Largo)
Domine Fili Unigenite (Chorus - Allegro)
Domine Deus, Agnus Dei (Alto & Chorus - Adagio)
Qui tollis peccata mundi (Chorus - Adagio)
Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris (Alto - Allegro)
Quoniam tu solus Sanctus (Chorus - Allegro)
Cum Sancto Spiritu (Chorus - Allegro)