Paolo Lorenzani (1640-1713)
Motets
Litanies à la Vierge
Dialogue entre Jésus et l'Ame
Le Concert Spirituel
Hervé Niquet
Naxos 8.553648
A favorite of Louis XIV and rival to Lully.
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It took a brave composer to challenge the total supremacy of Lully at the Versailles court of Louis XIV. Among the more notable of those who attempted and failed is the Roman composer Paolo Lorenzani, who was brought to Paris in 1678 by the Duc de Vivonne, marshal of France. Lorenzani remained in France for 16 years before returning home to succeed Francesco Baretta as maestro di cappella of the Capella Guilia in the Vatican, the same chapel in which he had received his training under Orazio Benevolo (to whose music Niquet devoted a earlier disc) nearly 50 years before. The first years in Paris augured well. One of Lorenzani's motets gained the approval of Louis, who appointed him surintendant of music to Queen Marie-Thérèse. But despite the patronage of several notable supporters, he never acquired a strong enough position to challenge Lully's hegemonic power, and with the death of the queen in 1683 Lorenzani's status at court was diminished to the point where he left Versailles to spend the remainder of his time in France at the Theatines, an Italian religious order similar to the oratories in Rome.
As the foregoing might suggest Lorenzani composed for both French and Italian tastes. With the exception of the Litanies the present disc is concerned with the former, presenting all five of the grands motets included in a collection (totaling 25 motets in all) published in 1693. Not surprisingly Lorenzani adopted the form familiar from similar works by Lully, Dumont, and others, multi-sectional settings with opening and interspersed instrumental symphonies for two choirs, one consisting of soloists, the other a larger body, strings, and continue All five are striking works of the highest quality, quite the equal of those of Lully familiar to me, and it seems astonishing that they have had to wait until now for revival. Unlike that of Lully, who of course became the complete monsieur, Lorenzani's writing presents a fascinating hybrid of French and Italian styles that at times brings to mind another composer who effected such a synthesis—Purcell. Although he proves a master of French récitatif '(in, for example, the opening section of the exceptionally fine "Elevation" Motet), Lorenzani's use of affetti, color, and exuberant dance rhythms never allows the listener to forget that he is at heart an Italian—a Roman in Paris. The choral writing throughout is especially notable, largely homophonic, but in such ravishingly beautiful passages as the closing section of that same "Elevation" Motet the harmony takes on a succulence worthy of the text—"for he is sweet and pleasant/above honey and the honey comb."
It is the choral passages that come off most successfully in these performances, with incisive, rhythmically alert singing that is always alive to Lorenzani's rhetorical demands. Some of the solo singing is not quite up to this level. This applies particularly to passages in which the composer is at his most Italian, some of the soloists giving the distinct impression that they are less than happy with the more florid writing. But overall the performances confirm the excellent impression previously made by Niquet and his extremely talented ensemble of singers and instrumentalists.
Once again one can only express gratitude to Naxos (and the several sponsors of the recording) for reviving such outstanding music and for offering it to the disc-buying public at such a low price. I'd be urging you to buy this disc if it cost three times as much. As it is no one remotely interested in Baroque music can afford to look such a gift horse in the mouth. -Fanfare