The best-known item here is the Salve Regina, a piece which has been recorded on several occasions before, usually by countertenors. Vivaldi intended it for a woman, however, and here Nathalie Stutzmann is given the chance to show off the depth and dark nobility of her contralto voice. She strikes a suitably reverential tone, one which King's orchestral accompaniment matches perfectly – the opening ritornelli of the first and last sections are both exquisitely done.
The psalm Laudate pueri presents 23 minutes of attractive music without really doing much to set the pulse racing. More interesting are Cursagittas, cur tela – which shows the soul maintaining stoical faith in the face of attack by 'the soldiers of hell' (with violins exuberantly chucking the arrows of the title), before enjoying the protected world of the believer – and the disc's star find, Sum in medio tempestatum. This is a bright, unashamedly operatic number, opening with a classic simile aria comparing the troubled soul to a storm-tossed ship, and going on to depict the safe haven that hoves into view when one has turned to Jesus. The virtuoso vocal writing is negotiated with stunning agility and lightness by mezzo Tuva Semmingsen.
Another well-executed Vivaldi disc, then, from King. The recorded sound is also just right.