G.B. Pergolesi - La morte di San Giuseppe (2012) with Libretto 

Thanks for the subtitles. Edition of the autograph is in the mail from Ricordi, Milan. And I hope to see the autograph(!) in Pergolesi's own hand soon, the largest Pergolesi autograph. Details later.

New to opera, St. Joseph brought me here. This is fascinating.

The great Giuseppe Sigismondo observed that Pergolesi is the only composer whose every note matches the contents of the words. So true. So true. Seeing to words as one hears the music is just so important. The addition of the libretto to the subtitles is therefore of the highest importance, because you can try to get into Pergolesi's transcendental musical mind, or at least make the attempt, with every single note (just listen to the embellishments to brilla in brilla il ciel at around 40 minutes, and I could go on forever). The provider of these subtitles deserves universal praise for making an everlasting contribution to what the Germans would call "die Pergolesipflege." We will never forget it. Leo Depuydt PS What is also so remarkable with Pergolesi is that every melody is completely different from any other. Mozart always repeats himself, in a quite pleasant modulation to be sure, but it is always the same. Where he is original in his melodic developments, he just took it from the Italians.

Happy Fourth from the US of A! Found the picture. The great Paolo De Matteis (1662-1728), student of Luca Giordano. Died in Naples in 1728, just two years before Pergolesi began composing. But Pergolesi was in Naples, arriving from Naples in about 1724. De Matteis worked also outside of Naples but was mainly associated with Naples. He worked for the Viceroy. Here is the catch. Pergolesi must have seen some of his work, hard to miss, perhaps this painting. The painting is in Naples, painted in about 1700 to 1710. As a student of a musical school, Pergolesi performed in churches all over town with his fellow students. For example, on July 1, 1725, at age 15, he performed at Chiesa di Santa Patrizia. You should see this church. Clearly, they were not on a budget when they decorated it. Naples has like 400 churches, most of them lavishly decorated. No kidding. Maybe Pergolesi was inspired by this very painting as De Matteis was really big in Naples, like the top prize painter. Wait, there is more. I think the painting is in the Chapel of Saint Joseph at the Certosa in Naples. Need to verify for sure. Now, here it comes. De Matteis worked there together with the great Domenico Antonio Vaccaro. Now, Vaccaro in 1730-1736 painted the only portrait of Pergolesi that we have so that we know what he looked liked. It is at S. Pietro a Majella. Everybody is in it together. This starts sounding like a mafia. Well yes, of course, the Pergolesi Mafia! I knew it. Now, where does all this get us? Pergolesi composed the present work in 1730. We have a working hypothesis. I am suspecting that Pergolesi saw this painting and was inspired by it. He knew Vaccaro, who painted him. Vaccaro was friends with De Matteis and for this reason Pergolesi knew (about) De Matteis, but also because everyone knew De Matteis. I can't quite place Pergolesi right in the church in question studying this painting (not yet). But it must have been so easy for this to happen. PS On November 1, 1996, the US government issued a Christmas stamp with De Matteis's Madonna and Chlld in 93,512,000 specimens (I just bought three "mint" ones; won't you be happy to receive a letter from me).

Che bella realizzazione di quest'opera pergolesiana! Mi sembra più filologica di quella del 1990. Forse un'orchestra giustamente più ridotta, e le voci più attente ai chiaro scuri tipici napoletani e di Pergolesi in particolare. Ma devo ascoltare bene e per intero questa esecuzione. Grazie per averla condivisa

si esta fue su opera prima , con lo que nos podría habernos deleitado si no hubiera muerto tan joven , un genio!!!

I am sorry but the melodies in the tenor arias are unbelievable.