Giovanni Legrenzi (1626-1690) left behind an extensive oeuvre, consisting of church and chamber music, operas and oratorios. Legrenzi worked in several important Italian music centers and eventually became Kapellmeister of the San Marco in Venice. The development of the oratorio was strongly influenced by the opera. The usual style characteristics of the opera: division into recitative arioso-aria,
… the introductory sinfonia and the division of the total work into two parts also found their way into Legrenzi's oratorio. "La morte del cor penitente" dates from 1671 and has a well-known theme for that time. The main figure is the sinner who atones for his sins and thus pays his 'debt' to God on the way to eternal life. Especially the inner struggle is important here. Other characters are Hope and Penance. The text is rich in metaphors and especially the image of water as a symbol for cleansing plays an important role. In the arias, the affects and moods are mainly reflected in the music from the text. The instrumental ensemble consists of strings and basso continuo. "La morte del cor penitente" is on a CD by Mario Cecchetti, Roberta Invernizzi, Elisabetta de Mircovich and Sonatori de la Gioiosa Marca. (LW) _ Elisabetta de Mircovich and Sonatori de la Gioiosa Marca. (LW) _ Elisabetta de Mircovich and Sonatori de la Gioiosa Marca. (LW) _more
