In Vivaldi’s time, serenata’s were written for special occasions such as the birth of a child, a birthday, a wedding, etc. The settings were generally bucolic and the characters based on gods and other well-known personage of Arcadia.

In contrast with operas, serenata casts were small, with a minimum of two singers, and rarely more than three or four, and they were of much shorter length. Of the eight serenata’s which are known to have been written by Vivaldi, the music for only three of them have survived.

Andrea Buccarella and his Abchordis Ensemble present Vivaldi’s Serenata a tre on March 24th, 2023, the 70th recording in naïve’s critically acclaimed Vivaldi Edition, following the thrilling and intimate Canate per soprano (Vivaldi Edition #68).

As noted, Serenata a tre is one of only three manuscripts that have reached us today of the eight serenades that Vivaldi is known to have composed.

The manuscript for this polished, lighthearted, miniature opera has been preserved in the Foà-Giordano collection housed at the Biblioteca Nazionale in Turin, where nearly 450 works of Vivaldi were rediscovered in the early 20th century, spurring the Vivaldi Edition’s pursuit to record all by the year 2022.

Serenata a tre, RV 690, Act I:
1. Mio Cor, Povero Cor!
2. Ben Che Ti Sembra, O Nice
3. Con I Vezzi Lusinghieri
4. Eccolo Che Con Passo Sciolto
5. Digli Che Miri Almeno
6. Mi Sento in Petto
7. Bella Ninfa, Ti Serbi
8. Se All’estivo Ardor Cocente
9. Sì Folle Non Son Io
10. Nel Suo Carcere Ristretto
11. O Quanto Folle Egl’ È
12. Alla Caccia D’un Core Spietato
13. Amica Eurilla, Dimmi
14. Ad Infiammar Quel Seno

Serenata a tre, RV 690, Act II:
15. Acque Placide Che Correte
16. Tenta, Lo So, Ma Più Lo Tenta Invano
17. Come L’erba in Vago Prato
18. A Suo Grado Scherzar Può Ben Eurilla
19. Dell’alma Superba
20. Alcindo, Alcindo; Io T’apro Il Sen, M’ascolta
21. La Dolce Auretta
22. Non Dileggiarmi Più
23. L’altero Bianco Giglio
24. Dove, Dimmi, O Indiscreto
25. Di Cocito Nell’orrido Regno
26. Almen Fingi D’amarmi
27. Vorresti Lusingarmi
28. No, Non Fingo
29. Si Punisca, Si Sbrani, S’uccida

This simply mesmerizing new recording opens with the first act of Serenata a tre, RV 690, and the veritably crystalline Mio Cor, Povero Cor! and the bright Ben Che Ti Sembra, O Nice, and continues onward with the spirited Con I Vezzi Lusinghieri, the dulcet yearn within Eccolo Che Con Passo Sciolto, the flourishing Digli Che Miri Almeno, and then comes the sterner fare of Mi Sento in Petto and the lovingly sculpted Bella Ninfa, Ti Serbi.

Next up is the statuesque Se All’estivo Ardor Cocente and the luxuriant Sì Folle Non Son Io and they are backed by the gently furtive Nel Suo Carcere Ristretto, the delicate gossamer within the orchestrations of O Quanto Folle Egl’ È, the firmer resolve of Alla Caccia D’un Core Spietato, and then come the thriving Amica Eurilla, Dimmi and the beautifully flamboyant Ad Infiammar Quel Seno.

Act II opens on the sheer elegance of Acque Placide Che Correte and the swooning within Tenta, Lo So, Ma Più Lo Tenta Invano and the perky Come L’erba in Vago Prato and they are followed by the lavish A Suo Grado Scherzar Può Ben Eurilla, the sternly uplifting Dell’alma Superba, the ardently cultured Alcindo, Alcindo; Io T’apro Il Sen, M’ascolta, and then we get brought forth the dance floor twirl of La Dolce Auretta, and the resolute stance felt within both Non Dileggiarmi Più and L’altero Bianco Giglio.

The recording then rounds out with the empowering Dove, Dimmi, O Indiscreto and the vibrancy of Di Cocito Nell’orrido Regno, and they are in turn followed by the harmonious Almen Fingi D’amarmi, the layered exquisiteness within Vorresti Lusingarmi, coming to a close with the profound No, Non Fingo and the joyful skip-bounce that lights up Si Punisca, Si Sbrani, S’uccida.

Featuring:
Marie Lys, soprano
Sophie Rennert, mezzosoprano
Anicio Zorzi Giustiniani, tenore

www.andreabuccarella.com