Stabat Mater, RV 621
Concerto "Il Gardellino", RV 428
Sposa son disprezzata (Aria from Bajazet RV 703)
Svena uccidi abbatti atterra (Aria from Bajazet RV 703)
Sinfonia Al Santo Sepolcro, RV 169
Vedro con mio diletto (Aria from Il Giustino RV 717)
Da quel ferro che ha svenato (Aria from Farnace RV 711)
Sol da te, mio dolce amore (Aria from Orlando furioso RV 728)

The vast majority of recordings featuring the music of Italian baroque composer Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741), tend to group similar works together. Violin concertos with violin concertos, flute or recorder concertos with same, vocal works with vocal works, etc .... So it's nice here to have a contrasting mix of instrumental works, sacred music, opera arias and so on. Hence the CD's title "Entre ombre & lumière" (Between Shadow & Light), which brings together an upbeat flute concerto, a dramatic Sinfonia, opera arias and a highly evocative and solemn Stabat Mater.

And not only is there a noticeable difference of style and form between for example the opening Stabat Mater and the Concerto that follows, but I also very much enjoy how the musicians of the Ensemble Baroque de Toulouse expressively alter the timbre and tone of their instruments to suit the character of each piece. For example, one of these highly effective contrasts occurs between the cheerful and buoyant ending of Il Gardellino and the dramatic tone of Sposa son disprezzata. The way the instrumentalists convey and emphasize the character's desperation simply by adding extra weight and urgency to the music is quite effective. They show the same level of expressive diversity within the various movements of the Stabat Mater as well. And most impressive is how much of a darker tone their instruments take on during the Adagio movement of the rarely heard Sinfonia Al Santo Sepolcro.

This review would not be complete without mentioning that mezzo-soprano Caroline Champy Tursun's operatic and expressively flexible voice lends itself very well to the forlorn and reverent character of the Stabat Mater as well as the multifarious characters personified within each opera aria. This is the first studio recording production featuring the Ensemble Baroque de Toulouse under the direction of Michel Brun, an ensemble who since 1998 has been engaged with the audience through live presentations.