The two Passion cantatas featured on this new CD, Hor ch'il Ciel fra densi horrori and Padre, Signore e Dio, were composed for Holy Week at the Borghese Chapel, and comprise miniature oratorios. Although the chapel was relatively small, the instrumental forces used at the time for large-scale oratorios could reach 150 players. Here, the forces are much more modest, but the richness of Pasquini's scoring and the textures he created make for a lush and sumptuous sound. The music is sensual, dramatic and extremely beautiful: Pasquini was a composer of great skill, and his depictions of thunder and lightening as well as stormy seas are truly impressive.
The two Passion cantatas featured on this new CD, Hor ch'il Ciel fra densi horrori and Padre, Signore e Dio, were composed for Holy Week at the Borghese Chapel, and comprise miniature oratorios. Although the chapel was relatively small, the instrumental forces used at the time for large-scale oratorios could reach 150 players. Here, the forces are much more modest, but the richness of Pasquini's scoring and the textures he created make for a lush and sumptuous sound. The music is sensual, dramatic and extremely beautiful: Pasquini was a composer of great skill, and his depictions of thunder and lightening as well as stormy seas are truly impressive.
