Guest
Barbara Strozzi's sacred song, “O Maria quam pulchra es,“ sung by soprano Sophie Junker. Live, 4K video from our award winning Concerto delle Donne concert, October, 2019. This program won “Best Vocal Recital“ and “Best Chamber Music Concert“ in the Bay Area Audience Choice Awards, 2020. Barbara Strozzi was one of the finest composers of the 17th century, her work embodies a wide ranging, vituosic style that melds word painting, ritornello techniques, motivic development and balanced harmonic structures. In her scared song, “O Maria“, the invocational ritornello acts as a litany leavened with contrasting and passionate devotional scenes. Voices of Music Hanneke van Proosdij and David Tayler, Directors Elisabeth Reed, viola da gamba Hanneke van Proosdij, baroque organ David Tayler, archlute O Maria quam pulchra es (Per la Madonna) O Maria quam pulchra es, quam suavis, quam decora, quam pulchra es. Tegit terram sicut nebula, lumen ortum indeficiens, flamma ignis, Arca federis inter spinas ortum lilium. Tronum Sion in Altissimis in columna nubis positum. O Maria quam pulchra es.... Ante sæcula creata girum cœli circuivit sola, profundum abissi penetravit. Et in fluctibus maris ambulavit, omnium corda virtute calcavit, et in hereditate Domini morata est. Tegit terram sicut nebula.... O Maria quam pulchra es. Alleluia. To the Madonna: O Mary, how lovely you are, how sweet, how beautiful, how lovely you are. She touches the earth like mist, a light risen that never fails, a flame, a fire, the Ark of the Covenant, a lily among thorns. The throne of Sion placed high in the clouds. O Mary, how lovely you are.... Before creation, she circled the arc of heaven, and transfixed the depths of the abyss. And she walked among the waves of the sea. She gathered the hearts of the virtuous, and she delights in the heritage of the Lord. She touches the earth like mist…. O Mary, how lovely you are. Alleluia. Copyright Voices of Music 2019 #BarbaraStrozzi
