Vivaldi's Nisi Dominus, RV 608, and Stabat Mater, RV 621, have received several top-notch recordings, so the listener can pick on the basis of voice and stylistic preference. Here are countertenor
Philippe Jaroussky in the Nisi Dominus and a female contralto,
Marie-Nicole Lemieux, in the Stabat Mater. The Nisi Dominus is a more athletic work that benefits from the power of the male voice, while the Stabat Mater, especially in Vivaldi's truncated and highly dramatic setting, may require the audience to identify with a female singer.
Jaroussky is nothing short of sublime in slow sections, supported with sensitivity by the Ensemble Matheus under director
Jean-Christophe Spinosi. Hardly less effective is
Lemieux, with an extremely emotional reading. Superb examples of Baroque vocal art all around, with sound that captures the subtlety and the full dynamic range of the music.