Vivaldi La Musique Sacrée / Vol. 2 - Beatus Vir

Released in 1977 on the Erato label, this recording of Vivaldi’s sacred music, featuring the Beatus Vir, stands as a hallmark of the mid-20th-century Vivaldi revival. Under the baton of Michel Corboz, the Ensemble Vocal de Lausanne and the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne sought to move away from the heavy, romanticized interpretations of the Baroque period. Instead, they embraced a clarity and textural transparency that mirrored the emerging musicological interest in historically informed performance, providing listeners with a nuanced look at Vivaldi’s vocal writing.

Michel Corboz was instrumental in bringing lesser-known Baroque choral works to a wider audience through his long-standing collaboration with Erato. The cover design and overall production reflect the aesthetic of late 1970s classical releases, which prioritized scholarly liner notes and high-fidelity sound quality for the serious collector. Upon its release, the recording was well-received by critics for its balance of rhythmic vitality and liturgical gravity, cementing Corboz’s reputation as a preeminent interpreter of Italian sacred music during that era.