This is evident in pieces like 'Et Misericordia' from Vivaldi's 'Magnificat.' That means the tighter harmonies more strongly impact the dissonances we hear. The intervals between the vocal registers of the different female voices on this recording are smaller than you might hear in a mixed gender choir.

The choir offers major surprises on this recording, too. The lilting soprano voice of Shannon Mercer is otherworldly in this performance. The simple instrumentation of organ, oboe and solo soprano in the 'Domine Deus, rex coelestis,' from the Gloria, is another example of how Vivaldi uses individual musicians to the fullest. We hear that same effervescent agility in the solo soprano voice of Shannon Mercer in 'Ostro Picta,' a motet which, in concert, served as an introduction to Vivaldi's Gloria. This skill is evident throughout pieces like, 'Laudamus te.' Monika Mauch and Shannon Mercer are the dueling sopranos who soar through this duet with melodic lines similar to virtuosic violin music. Vivaldi artfully showcased the talent of each singer and musician who interpreted his music. The young musicians at the Ospedale were extraordinary their talent matched the best orchestras at the most prestigious courts of the day. In this performance Ensemble Caprice has a gentler sound that affords them plenty of flexibility when it comes to dramatic loud and soft dynamics.

Looking at the historical circumstances however, it's apparent that Vivaldi composed this work originally for his 'angels' at the Ospedale. Hearing it with an all-women's choir seems odd at first because the notation of the choir's parts indicates it was designed for a conventional choir with an added bass and tenor line-and that's how we usually hear it. The Gloria (RV 589) is one of Vivaldi's best-known works for choir and orchestra. You might say, they were Vivaldi's 'angels.' Matthias Maute and his Canadian-based Ensemble Caprice pay homage to the incredible music Vivaldi composed for the young women of the Ospedale on their new recording, 'Gloria! Vivaldi's Angels.' This exceptional small group of talented young women became a sensation in Italy. There were some one thousand orphans, yet only fifty were chosen to study music under Vivaldi. For almost 40 years, Antonio Vivaldi taught at the Ospedale della Pieta, an all-female orphanage in Venice.

Vivaldi gloria best recording