Charpentier: "La Peste de Milan" (Pestis Mediolanensis)
Frederic Waldman and the Musica Æterna Chamber Orchestra and Chorus perform "The Plague of Milan", circa 1684, by Marc-Antoine Charpentier in this 1971 recording from Alice Tully Hall. The soloists are Kate Hurney, soprano; Leo Goeke and Sydney Johnson, tenors; and Chester Watson, bass. The continuo is provided by Frederick Renz, organ; and Alexander Kougell, cello.
The motet centers on St. Charles Borromeo, the highly revered archbishop of Milan, who had declined a very prestigious assignment at the Papal court to remain in Milan. He was always on the move criss-crossing his diocese, travelling even to remote Alpine valleys to attend to ecclesiastical matters and visit the people. When Milan was visited upon by the plague in 1576, Borromeo was in the vanguard of those desperately trying to stem its ravages and alleviate its tragic effects and this is the chapter in his life that Charpentier refers to in the motet. The work is divided into two sections: the terrors of the pague and a hymn of praise to the Saint. Often, the second part is omitted, though it impairs the composer's intention. (from notes by Joseph Braunstein)
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• Frederic Waldman (1903-1995)
