The popular Canadian early music group
Tafelmusik, whose choral and orchestral arms here join forces, enters an extremely crowded field of recordings of
Vivaldi's Gloria for chorus and orchestra, RV 589. To its credit, it has managed to stand out from the crowd. The program is the most distinctive aspect of the performance: whereas most readings pair the Gloria with other
Vivaldi choral works, director
Ivars Taurins begins with
Bach's Gloria in excelsis deo, BWV 191 -- a neat counterpart to the
Vivaldi, in the same festive mood, but packed with characteristic polyphony. The
Bach piece is rarely performed, probably because it's recycled from earlier music and was itself on its way to becoming part of the Mass in B minor. In the middle comes a change of pace: the French grand motet Dominus regnavit by Jean-Joseph Cassanéa de Mondonville. It's as imposing as the
Bach and
Vivaldi pieces, but soberer, with dark outer choruses surrounding delicate movements for soloists (sample the trio "Et enim firmavit," track 5) and a representation of a flood that calls for virtuoso playing from both the choristers and the instrumentalists. All handle these difficulties confidently, and they switch to the French pronunciation of Latin for this little-heard but attractive work. In general the performance is spacious and smooth, with the 25-member choir sounding larger than it actually is. The sound, the product of a Toronto Centre for the Arts recital hall, is too distant for the operatic aspects of much of the music, especially the Mondonville storm movement, and it robs the fine soloists of some of the energy. Yet the program's tripartite structure casts new light on a very familiar work, and this remains a strong choice for anyone getting to know
Vivaldi's Gloria.