This world premiere recording of his oratorio Il Cuor umano all’incanto fills a huge hole in the catalog.

Written in the early 1670s, a 1673 performance date is mentioned in the archives of S. Maria della Consolazione. The text of the oratorio was written by Pier Matteo Petrucci, a priest of the Order of St. Philip Neri and a prominent figure in Italian mysticism.

Il Cuor umano all’incanto is divided into two parts (a sermon would have been inserted at the break) and is scored for four voices who take on the roles of six characters: the human heart, the guardian angel, vain pleasure, the world, Christ and the Devil. This is a masterful work. Legrenzi manages to make striking statements but does so with a marvelous sense of economy. His arias are delightfully melodic but rarely repeat text, his recitatives serve the text perfectly and the instrumental ritornelli are tuneful and tight. The singers and instrumentalists of Ensemble Legrenzi are very good. Soprano Carola Freddi impresses in her brief arias, but there are some lovely ensembles where she is joined by the rest of the cast. The keyboard (harpsichord and organ) work of Roberto Loreggian also deserves special attention. Let’s hope the ever daring Tactus label has more Legrenzi in store for us. CRAIG ZEICHNER

IL CUOR UMANO ALL’INCANTO (1673)
GIOVANNI LEGRENZI
Ensemble Legrenzi
Tactus TC 621201
2001 - 63:10 min.