A. SCARLATTI. Cantatas: Mentre su'l caro aurato;

Questo silenzio ombroso; E pur vuole il del° e amore; No, non ti voglio Cupido. Five Centuries Ensemble (Carol Plantamura, soprano; John Patrik Thomas, alto; Martha

McGaughey, viola de gamba; Arthur Haas, harpsichord and organ; Jurgen Habscher, lute, theorbo and chitarrone). Italia ITL70065 (£5.29). Texts included. UK distributor: Parnote.

I remember enjoying another recording by the Five Centuries Ensemble a short while ago; then it was music by Marco da Gagliano. Now these talented performers have turned their attention to four secular cantatas by Alessandro Scarlatti. Nobody listening to the melodies and part-writing contained in Scarlatti's vocal music could fail to recognize those qualities which made such a strong and lasting impression on the young Handel. There are plenty of such melodies here and I doubt whether many of us will be already familiar with these works. Scarlatti's chamber cantatas were written for intimate occasions, very often being those gatherings organized by Cardinal Ottoboni for his friends. The subjects are pastoral ones, by-and-large, though frequently the Arcadian setting acts as a background for characters in varying stages of amorous strife. The music contained in these cantatas is first-rate and still comparatively unexplored. I found it so rewarding that it compensated for one or two, but there are only one or two, bad lapses of intonation. Carol Plantamura, the soprano, has a pleasingly open and steady voice which matches well with the alto, John Patrik Thomas; he produces one of the best sounds I've encountered in this range of male tessitura. The recurring problem seems to be that the soprano too often sounds as if she is giving all she has in respect of voice production; in other words, there is nothing left in reserve and, on occasion, not even enough to cover the upper reaches comfortably. The three instrumentalists are versatile and responsive to the requirements of the singers, which makes for good ensemble, and performances only are marred by passages of vocal strain. A pity, for in other respects this is an issue which should make wide appeal among baroque specialists, and others too. N.A.