The Essence of Spring

More dancing singing flowers videoed in Sophia Garden Cardiff. Accompanied by part of a piece by Vivaldi called "Dixit" which I found at the Internet Archive in the public domain classical music collection (archive.org) Makes it all seem very Italian Renaissance.

The music can be downloaded from this page:
http://www.archive.org/details/lp-00988_BeG
The page also has scans of the original record sleeve, so has some information about the recording.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• spring
• cardiff
• wales
• flowers
• vivaldi
• choral
• classical
• music

[DannyDaWriter]

I'm interested in seeing if this record is available at eBay or at another outlet... I'm curious to see the introduzione that was partially recorded on Archive-dot-org (since I haven't heard it before until you posted it on YouTube, which is why I'm grateful) and also which Dixit Dominus they recorded: RV 594, a double-orchestra piece written in the late-1720s-early-1730s, or RV 595, the Dixit Dominus "di Praga" written in the late 1710's.

[DannyDaWriter]

True.

As a heads, you should also add the fact that this is the Introduzione al Dixit "Canta in Prato" RV 636 in the video information.

[artberry]

Well That's the wonder or immortality I guess. You keep getting re-invented. I sometimes wonder what the artist JWM Turner would make of the Turner prize in art. LOL :)

[DannyDaWriter]

True, and also the back cover fails to give mention the Ryom Verzeichnis numbers (the "RV" numbers appended to Vivaldi compositions), which would give this recording a date before the 60's, when Peter Ryom founded his own Vivaldi catalogue. The information given is also quite outdated by our times (ironic since Vivaldi is already outdated! =P)

[artberry]

Well I'm not a big expert on styles in classical music. :) But I've now updated the video information with a link to the download page for this track since I recently noticed there are scans of the original record sleeve, cover and back, which has a bit more information. Although I still can't find a date, but it certainly looks 40s/50s from the graphic design. :)

[DannyDaWriter]

True. What may pinpoint it at that age would probably be the use of a male tenor soloist (with the stereotypical 1940/1950's voice) instead of a female contralto, more suited for the singers of Vivaldi's time.

[artberry]

Well considering the possible variations of analogue valve electronics and the temperature sensitivity of analogue recording tape. The fact that the tenor and orchestra may even have been recorded separately. I dare say slight variation in pitch could be a result of the recording process rather than the musicianship of the performers. :)

[artberry]

It could be 1950s depending what country it was first published. Though sometimes things get released to the Public Domain earlier. So one can't always go by that.

[DannyDaWriter]

Reply: Part Two

I discovered that the singer here is a tenorist instead of the mezzo-sopranist (or contralto) scored in the original. While the tenorist does his job, the orchestra is a bit out of tune with their playing, specifically the violins. Also, unfortunately only the first part of the aria was recorded, a deep shame - not your fault though.

Sorry if this sounds too complex, but... I just had to get it out sometime. XD

[DannyDaWriter]

Reply: Part One

I checked the recording out on archive dot org, and with a lack of information on the recording's page (it even lists it erroneously as just "Dixit"!), I could only conjecture the possible history of this recording. This must have been a vinyl record, but most likely released after the 1940's, when Vivaldi's sacred music had more attention payed towards (since this was when Vivaldi's famous Gloria, RV 589, was re-released to the world with much jubilation).