Try to imagine a world without Vivaldi’s Gloria. Hard to picture, and yet little more than a century ago his sacred music was virtually unknown. It was only in 1926 that a discovery near Turin brought around 300 manuscripts to light, including some 50 sacred works, an archive of almost immeasurable importance for our understanding of this repertoire.

This 11-CD set opens the door to this remarkable body of work. Alongside the well-known Gloria, it brings together pieces such as Beatus vir, the deeply expressive Stabat mater, and the striking Dixit Dominus, RV 594. Performed by an outstanding line-up including Joyce DiDonato, Nathalie Stutzmann, Carolyn Sampson, Robin Blaze, Sarah Connolly and many others, it offers a rich and nuanced picture of Vivaldi’s sacred music. At the same time, the collection reveals the full breadth of his style, from works written for the female musicians of the Ospedale della Pietà in Venice to the more virtuosic compositions of his middle period. These long-unavailable recordings from 1994 to 2002 are described by American Record Guide as “landmarks in the history of recorded music that are farther between than one might think.” They invite a fresh encounter with the full range of Vivaldi’s sacred music.

Tracklisting:

CD1
Magnificat, RV610a · Dixit Dominus, RV594 · Lauda, Jerusalem, RV609 · Kyrie, RV587 · Credo, RV591 - Susan Gritton, Lisa Milne, Catherine Denley, Lynton Atkinson & David Wilson-Johnson

CD2
In furore iustissimae irae, RV626 · Longe mala, umbrae, terrores, RV629 · Clarae stellae, scintillate, RV625 · Canta in prato, ride in monte, RV623 · Filiae maestae Jerusalem, RV638 · Nulla in mundo pax sincera, RV630 - Deborah York, Catherine Denley & James Bowman 

CD3
Dixit Dominus, RV595 · Domine ad adiuvandum, RV593 · Credidi propter quod, RV605 · Beatus vir, RV598 - Susan Gritton, Catrin Wyn-Davies, Catherine Denley, Charles Daniels, Neal Davies & Michael George

CD4 - CD5
Juditha Triumphans devicta Holofernes barbarie, RV644 - Ann Murray, Maria Cristina Kiehr, Susan Bickley, Sarah Connolly & Jean Rigby

CD6
In turbato mare irato, RV627 · Non in pratis aut in hortis, RV641 · Stabat mater, RV621 · O qui caeli terraeque serenitas, RV631 · Deus tuorum militum, RV612 · Confitebor tibi, Domine, RV596 - Susan Gritton, Jean Rigby, Robin Blaze, Charles Daniels & Neal Davies

CD7
Beatus vir, RV795 · Salve regina, RV617 · Laudate Dominum, RV606 · In exitu Israel, RV604 · Nisi Dominus, RV608 - Susan Gritton, Nathalie Stutzmann, Hilary Summers & Alexandra Gibson

CD8
Laetatus sum, RV607 · Laudate pueri, RV601 · Vestro Principi divino, RV633 · Jubilate, o amoeni chori, RV639 · Gloria in excelsis Deo, RV588 - Susan Gritton, Carolyn Sampson, Nathalie Stutzmann & Charles Daniels

CD9
Sum in medio tempestatum, RV632 · Laudate pueri, RV600 · Cur sagittas, cur tela, RV637 · Sanctorum meritis, RV620 · Salve regina, RV616 - Susan Gritton, Tuva Semmingsen & Nathalie Stutzmann

CD10
Laudate pueri, RV602 · Salve regina, RV618 · Ascende laeta, RV635 · Gaude mater Ecclesia, RV613 · Vos aurae per montes, RV634 · Gloria Patri, RV602a - Carolyn Sampson, Susan Gritton, Joanne Lunn, Joyce DiDonato & Nathalie Stutzmann

CD11
Gloria, RV589 · Nisi Dominus, RV803 · Ostro picta, RV642

Ruggieri: Gloria, RV Anh.23 - Carolyn Sampson, Joanne Lunn, Tuva Semmingsen, Joyce DiDonato, Robin Blaze, Hilary Summers, Julie Cooper, Simon Jones, Daniel Auchincloss, Cecilia Osmond & Robin Tyson