Lisette Oropesa / Il Pomo d'Oro / Antonello Manacorda OMBRA COMPAGNA

 

OMBRA COMPAGNA

Francesco Corti / Il Pomo d'Oro BACH Harpsichord Concertos II

 

HARPSICHORD CONCERTOS II

 

Francesco Corti / Il Pomo d'Oro BACH Harpsichord Concertos

 

HARPSICHORD CONCERTOS

 

Franco Fagioli / Il Pomo D'Oro / Zefira Valova VENI VIDI VINCI

                                                                VENI VIDI VINCI

Jakub Józef Orliński / Il Pomo D'Oro / Maxim Emelyanychev FACCE D'AMORE

                                                             FACCE D'AMORE

Francesco Corti / Il Pomo D'Oro BACH Harpsichord Concertos

                                                    HARPSICHORD CONCERTOS

Dmitry Sinkovsky / Il Pomo D'Oro VIRTUOSISSIMO

                                                                   VIRTUOSISSIMO

Joyce DiDonato / Maxim Emelyanychev / Il Pomo D'Oro AGRIPPINA

                                                                      AGRIPPINA

Il Pomo D'Oro / George Petrou HANDEL Ottone

Premiered at the King’s Theatre, Haymarket, in January 1723, Ottone was the first Handel opera to pair his star draws of the 1720s: the soprano Francesca Cuzzoni, making her London debut as Teofane, and the castrato Senesino in the title-role. Both were singers with attitude. But they met their match in Handel, who reputedly threatened to throw Cuzzoni out of the window until she agreed to quell her prima donna’s vanity and sing Teofane’s simple and touching opening aria ‘Falsa imagine’. Ironically, the aria made Cuzzoni’s London reputation as a soprano without equal in the ‘pathetic’ style. Centring on the attempts of the scheming matriarch Gismonda and her unlovely son Adelberto to prevent King Ottone from marrying the Byzantine Princess Teofane and assuming his rightful throne, Ottone’s pseudo-historical libretto is often hopelessly confused. This evidently mattered not a jot to Handel’s audiences. The combination of Senesino, Cuzzoni and Handel’s melodic fertility (Charles Burney reported that many of the arias soon became ‘national favourites’) made Ottone an instant success. With a total of 36 performances over five seasons, it was eclipsed in popularity only by Rinaldo during his lifetime.

These days Ottone ranks well down the Handel pecking order, not least because of the plot’s muddles and absurdities. On CD, though, it has fared relatively well, with two period-instrument versions appearing in quick succession from Nicholas McGegan (Harmonia Mundi, 3/93) and Robert King (Hyperion, 7/93). Both do the opera fair justice. But this new version, recorded in the sympathetic acoustic of the Villa San Fermo in the Veneto, easily surpasses them in consistency of casting and dramatic flair. Without pressing the tempos unduly (except when dancing on hot coals in the Overture’s fugue), George Petrou draws rhythmically animated, sensitively coloured playing from the crack Italian band. Abetted by an alert, unfussy continuo, recitatives are lively and naturally paced, though not even Petrou and his singers can save the final denouement from blink-and-you-miss-it perfunctoriness.

The cast is uniformly strong. Ottone is more mooning lover than strutting hero, always ready to buckle in a crisis. But Max Emanuel Cencic, with his unusually powerful, sensuous countertenor, rescues him from self-regarding wimpishess. He sings his tender opening siciliano and Act 3 lament ‘Dove sei?’ with intense beauty of line and tone, always responsive to the text, and throws off his bravura arias with unforced brilliance. As the patiently suffering (even by Baroque opera standards) heroine, the American soprano Lauren Snouffer has a warmer, richer voice than either of her CD rivals and a nimble coloratura technique. With a mezzo glint in her tone, she catches well the passionate undercurrents of Teofane’s music, whether in ‘Falsa imagine’, her yearning plea for peace ‘Affanni dei pensier’ or the nocturnal garden scena in Act 3. Some may find her quick vibrato slightly disconcerting in Handel, though I soon got used to it.

Gismonda’s inconsistently drawn character, veering between ruthless ambition and blithe exuberance, is softened by the lulling ‘Vieni, o figlio’, an exquisite outpouring of maternal love. Ann Hallenberg, always a superb Handelian, sings this with musing inwardness, using delicate ornamentation to enhance the intensity of the da capo. Elsewhere she musters all the imperiousness and, in the splenetic ‘Trema, tiranno’, venom that the matriarch’s music demands. In the role of Matilda, in love with the contemptible Adelberto in spite of herself, mezzo Anna Starushkevych sings with sensitivity and (in her fiery denunciation of Ottone) plenty of temperament, though her coloratura can be bumpy. Xavier Sabata, as Adelberto, is mellifluous in his quieter, lyrical music but tends to hoot when spitting out defiance in ‘Tu puoi straziarmi’. Eschewing mere bluster, bass-baritone Pavel Kudinov sings with fine, clean resonance and impressive agility – a hint of tenderness, too, in his final aria – as the jolly pirate Emireno, who eventually turns out to be Teofane’s brother in disguise (don’t question the maths – this is opera seria).

Despite minor provisos, this new recording is emphatically the version to have of an opera whose dramatic flaws are redeemed by magnificent individual scenes and any number of good tunes. It is also more complete than its rivals, including, as David Vickers explains in an informative note, all the music heard at the 1723 premiere plus two new arias added for Cuzzoni’s benefit night later that season and, as an appendix, three numbers Handel composed for Senesino when he revived Ottone in 1726. (Richard Wigmore / Gramophone)

Shunske Sato / Il Pomo D'Oro / Zefira Valova BACH Violin Concertos

It was never going to be a complete surprise to find these four concertos to be an exquisitely joyous and exciting listen, when on the ticket we have Concerto Köln’s concertmaster Shunske Sato and the always sparkling Il Pomo d’Oro. Still, the degree of exquisitely joyful listening has nevertheless completely bowled me over.

So much so, in fact, that it feels a little mundane to begin with talk of tempos. However, in the context of the many steeplechase interpretations of this repertoire out there, it is worth stating at the outset that this is not one of those. By contrast, all the speeds here just feel right: unhurried, but equally brimming with energy and flow.

What really makes this recording one to treasure, though, is the degree of uncontrived personality and artistry on display. Subtle rubato is a major factor in this: playful mini-tugs that catch and tease the ear without ever interfering with the momentum. Less subtle but equally spot-on touches then include the moment in the final Allegro assai of the E major Concerto (BWV1042) when, at 1'13", Sato suddenly digs deeper into his instrument, tipping over what was already lithely dancing energy into a full-on barn-dance stomp.

Another point I can’t shout loudly enough about is the exceptional blending. In fact sometimes you almost lose track of who is who, whether it’s Sato and the Il Pomo d’Oro violins tonally weaving in and out of each other in the Allegro assai of the A minor Concerto (BWV1041) or Sato and Valova’s duetting throughout the Double Concerto. Everyone is listening to and revelling in their musical colleagues, to the extent that hierarchies are deliciously blurred. Sticking with the Double, its central Largo is a stunner: clean, poised, measured, but also highly romantic.

Then there’s the glow to the overall sound, and its little timbral presents such as, in the Largo of the G minor Concerto (BWV1056R), the gentle luminosity of the pizzicato strings and the delicate harpsichord droplets supporting Sato’s song above. Have I sold it enough? I hope so. Because really, this is properly heavenly. (Charlotte Gardner / Gramophone)

Emőke Baráth, Il Pomo d'Oro, Francesco Corti VOGLIO CANTAR

The Venetian singer and composer Barbara Strozzi (1619-1677) was probably the most remarkable, talented, famous and successful woman of her times in the field of music. In 2019 we will celebrate its 400th anniversary with a new program performed by soprano Emöke Baráth under the direction of Francesco Corti.

The album, Voglio Cantar, present some of her most beautiful compositions for soprano, some works by her teacher Francesco Cavalli, and a delightful variety of contemporary instrumental pieces.

Barbara Strozzi grew up in a household frequented by illustrious intellectuals. In the year 1637 her father founded an academy exclusively focused on music, the ‚accademia degli unisoni’ – which was not only hosted and presided over by Barbara, but also became her stage to perform her own music. She received her musical education from Francesco Cavalli, who then worked in various important musical positions in Venice and was about to launch his career as an opera composer.

Barbara Strozzi published a significant number of music: 8 volumes of madrigals, arias, ariettas, canzoni – including one volume of sacred music. Most of the compositions are focused on the soprano voice, displaying its pure beauty in lyrical melodies. The only painted (supposed) portrait of Barbara Strozzi shows her as a musician in quite a lascivious pose, presenting the then typical association of female musician and courtesan. Barbara Strozzi died in Padova in the year 1677 under unknown circumstances.

Il Pomo d'Oro / Andrea De Carlo ALESSANDRO STRADELLA La Doriclea

Alessandro Stradella’s place in the annals of the history of music is not only due to the adventurous circumstances that marked his brief existence, but also to the reputation as an opera composer he has acquired since the 18th century. Inaccessible for many decades to specialists and scholars, La Doriclea is definitely the least known of all Stradella’s operas. However, it constitutes a particularly significant chapter in his overall output: composed in Rome during the early 1670s, to our knowledge La Doriclea represents the first opera entirely composed by Stradella. From the dramatic point of view, La Doriclea belongs to the comedy of intrigue genre typical of the 17th century Spanish theatre tradition. Refined and amusing, it alternates touching lamentos with irresistibly comic scenes, in which the character of Giraldo, a veritable precursor of the basso buffo, allows us to glimpse Rossinian atmospheres. Emöke Baráth (Doriclea) and Xavier Sabata (Fidalbo) alongside Giuseppina Bridelli (Lucinda) and Luca Cervoni (Celindo) and the comic couple of Delfina (Gabriella Martellacci) and Giraldo (Riccardo Novaro) bring a complex and fascinating role-playing game to life. This world premiere release of La Doriclea is a major achievement for The Stradella Project, which here reaches its fifth volume. “Through his festival and recording project, Andrea De Carlo is raising the profile of this pioneering Italian composer.” (Gramophone)

Franco Fagioli / Il Pomo D'Oro / Maxim Emelyanychev HANDEL Serse

Franco Fagioli has all the intensity and credibility to make him the perfect guide for listeners exploring the musical world of the eighteenth century. As the drama of Serse unfolds, they will discover an opera brimming with both moving and funny moments, and one which reveals the modernity of Handel, who here travels far beyond the conventional musical confines of eighteenth-century opera seria. In this new recording for the Yellow Label, Fagioli and the rest of the cast – Francesca Aspromonte, Inga Kalna, Vivica Genaux, Marianna Pizzolato, Biagio Pizzuti and Andreas Wolf – are accompanied by the renowned period ensemble Il Pomo d’Oro and conductor Maxim Emelyanychev, who give the singers every opportunity to display their vocal talents to the full.

The artists’ delight in historically informed performance practice shines like a beacon from start to finish. In the course of the three-hour production Fagioli brings all the many and varied aspects of the intriguing character of Serse (Xerxes) musically to life. Listeners will share his pain and feel for him as he falls for Romilda, his emotions alternating between loneliness, anger and love. The aria “Ombra mai fu”, with which the king serenades a much-loved plane tree in the opening scene with, is now one of the best-known pieces ever written by Handel. “I did my best to imagine exactly what Serse might have been feeling as he sat beneath the tree, and then tried to bring those feelings into my performance of the aria,” explains Fagioli. The role is one of two that Handel wrote for the celebrated Italian castrato Caffarelli (the other being the title role in Faramondo), an artist whose repertoire the Argentinian countertenor has explored to great acclaim both on stage and in the studio: as well as starring as Farnaspe in the Decca recording of Pergolesi’s Adriano in Siria, he has also released the solo recital album Arias for Caffarelli.

This new recording from Franco Fagioli and Il Pomo d’Oro is a wholehearted celebration of Serse’s many musical delights. Their performance, full of emotional complexity and expressive beauty, is a wonderful gift to the music world.

Jakub Józef Orliński / Il Pomo D'Oro / Maxim Emelyanychev ANIMA SACRA

This release, Anima sacra, marks a number of firsts. It is the debut album from countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński – born in Poland, trained at the renowned Juilliard School in New York and winner in 2016 of the Metropolitan Opera's prestigious National Council Auditions. It also features what are believed to be world premiere recordings of eight Baroque arias, notably by composers of the Neapolitan school. 

“Baroque style is about freedom and passion,” says Orliński. “There are lots of rules of style to follow, but there are also so many choices to make, starting with ornamentation that you can do in so many different ways. With those ornaments, you can show your creativity, but also get even deeper into the piece and show your artistic persona. It can all be filtered by your own life experiences, which will inspire your choices.” 

Warsaw-born Orliński, who has been praised by the New York Times for combining “beauty of tone and an uncommon unity of colour and polish across his range”, comes from a family in which, as he says, “almost everyone is a painter, architect, graphic designer or sculptor”. He began singing in choirs and became a particular fan of the British male vocal ensemble The King’s Singers, which, significantly, has always featured two countertenors. Before completing his studies at Juilliard, he took a Master’s degree in Vocal Performance at Warsaw’s Fryderyk Chopin University of Musicand became a member of the young artists’ programme of the Polish National Opera.

VALENTIN HADJADJ Girl

Passionate about film and film music, I decided to integrate the music class of the National Conservatory of Music in Lyon to train me. During this course, I honed my feeling about image, developed a personal musical language and worked with different animation schools like « ESIA 3D » or « La Poudrière ».

I also was awarded of the « Third Character », of the « Meridian Workshop » and « Master Class of composition » in Aubagne, but also in the artistic residency DUO, organized by « La Maison du Film Court ».

During my career, I worked on several kind of movies, with different directors by addressing a wide variety of formats : shorts films – with directors like Lukas Dhont, Ann-Julie Vervaeke, Thomas Scohy-, animated films, commercial advertisements, corporate movies and documentary films. Always open to other artistic dimensions, I dove recently into the world of Artificial Landscapes, pluridisciplinary movie putting together dance, architecture, music and video, directed by Jeremy Tran and selected among others festivals to the « Biennale de la Danse » in Lyon. I have also been led to compose several film concerts for orders, for full orchestra or smaller ensembles such as the Debussy Quartet.

In 2012, I had the pleasure of receiving the « Award for Best Young European Composer » at the World Soundtrack Awards of the FilmFestival in Ghent (Belgium), a distinction that gave me opportunity to work on many international projects : Gérard Corbiau (The King is Dancing, Farinelli) entrusted me the music of his last project, and I co-compose currently with Thomas Lauderdale -Pink Martini‘s leader- the music of the second feature film of Bavo Defurne.

In 2015, I composed the music for the animated film « April and the Extraordinary World » directed by Franck Ekinci and Christian Desmares with among others the voice of Marion Cotillard, Jean Rochefort, Olivier Gourmet and Marc-André Grondin. The film received in June the Cristal for Best Feature Film of the Annecy Film Festival. (Valentin Hadjadj)

Ann Hallenberg / Il Pomo d'Oro / Riccardo Minasi AGRIPPINA

The programme presented by Ann Hallenberg (Deutsche Harmonia Mundi) is a homage to the historical roman figures of Agrippina, one of the earliest historical women to inspire the fantasy of librettists and composers. Ann Hallenberg and her husband Holger Schmitt-Hallenberg, musicologist, researched the musical archives to unearth all surviving operatic manuscripts containing the figure of Agrippina (two sisters and one daugther).

Twelve the arias are WORLD PREMIERE RECORDINGS. Apart from Handel’s famous opera ‘Agrippina’ and Telemann’s ‘Germanicus’, all music on this album has been recorded for the first time. This album is also a fascinating journey through the history of baroque opera. The earliest piece, Legrenzi’s ‘Germanico sul Reno’ dates from 1676 and is a typical example of early baroque style. The latest work, Graun’s ‘Britannico’ from 1752, was written only four years before the birth of Mozart, at the very end of the musical baroque period.

The Swedish mezzo-soprano Ann Hallenberg regularly appears in opera houses and festivals all over the world. Her repertoire includes a large number of leading roles in operas by Rossini, Mozart, Gluck, Handel, Monteverdi, Vivaldi, Purcell, Bizet and Massenet. Equally at home on the concert platform she has built an unusually vast repertoire that spans music from the early 17th century with Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann, Brahms and Berlioz to 20th century composers such as Mahler and Waxman.

Violonist and conductor Riccardo Minasi was born in Rome in 1978. He has performed both as soloist as well as concertmaster with many period orchestras. As a conductor he directed the Orchestra and Choir of the Opéra National de Lyon, Kammerakademie of Potsdam, Zürcher Kammerorchester, Balthasar Neumann Ensemble. In 2010 he worked as assistant conductor, concertmaster, curator and editor of the critical edition of the opera Norma by Vincenzo Bellini with Cecilia Bartoli and Thomas Hengelbrock. Since its foundation in 2012 he is the conductor of the ensemble Il Pomo d’Oro, with whom he has a full calendar of performances and has already realized many highly awarded recordings.

Ann Hallenberg / Il Pomo d'Oro / Stefano Montanari CARNEVALE 1729

Where to begin listing the virtues of this gorgeous double-CD release by mezzo-soprano Ann Hallenberg? Perhaps with the unique programming concept, re-creating the operas staged during Carnival season in the year 1729 in Venice, a special year because all the big stars of Italian opera had come back home after disagreements with their impresario, Handel, in England. The arias, written for the likes of the castrato Senesino and the soprano Faustina Bordoni, have all the technical fireworks of the Handel operas of the 1720s that have gained popularity. And consider that the music is virtually unknown, with much of it here receiving its premiere on recordings; much of the research was done by Hallenberg herself, along with her husband, with performers once again leaving musicology in the dust. Is it second-order opera? Hardly, and here you can rely on the opinion of Handel himself, who dropped in to hear this remarkable stretch of music and took some of it back to London to make pastiches out of it. You can stop in anywhere for vocal heroics, but sample one of the more melodic pieces, such as "Bel piacer saria d'un core", from Semiramide riconosciuta of Nicola Porpora, Haydn's teacher. The program is intelligently put together, with most of the pieces grouped together by individual opera, but two altogether fascinating selections from Gianguir, by the all-but-unknown Geminiano Giacomelli framing the arias from Giuseppe Maria Orlandini's Adelaide on CD 1. The sharp, sensitive orchestral work of Il Pomo d'Oro under Stefano Montanari is a major attraction. And last, but certainly not least, is the voice of Hallenberg herself, arguably at its absolute peak, easily tackling arias across a wide range, delivering plenty of power in the big runs and yet entering into each character. Oh, yes, Pentatone's audiophile-quality sound, recorded at the entirely appropriate Villa San Fermo in Lonigo, is superb. Sit back and enjoy, says Pentatone's little logo. Indeed: this is one of those rare recordings that breaks entirely new ground yet remains a pure pleasure, fully realized on its own terms. (James Manheim)

Francesca Aspromonte / Il Pomo D'Oro / Enrico Onofri PROLOGUE

The prologue is a unique feature of early baroque opera: an opening scene where an allegorical figure enters the stage to prepare the audience for the musical drama to come. Thus Prologue is the musical introduction of Italian star soprano Francesca Aspromonte and her exclusive, long term engagement with Pentatone, promising great joy as well as drama in the years to come.

Prologue is a highly original album consisting of several prologues from early-baroque operas by Monteverdi, Caccini, Cavalli, Landi, Rossi, Cesti, Stradella and Scarlatti. Strung together, they form a representation in a single act, a theatre full of small, complete dramas: the opera before the opera.

Francesca Aspromonte is quickly establishing herself as a shining star in the Baroque firmament. She has curated this album together with musical director Enrico Onofri, who leads il pomo d’oro, one of the most important and successful period ensembles of today.

Franco Fagioli HANDEL Arias

Countertenor Franco Fagioli’s latest album, Handel Arias, is set to be released January 12 via Deutsche Grammophon. Recorded with specialist period-instrument ensemble Il Pomo D’Oro, the album features Fagioli’s personal selection of twelve arias from Handel’s rich and colourful operatic world including excerpts from Serse, Rinaldo and Ariodante.

“When I was recording,” Fagioli says, “it was as if I was taking snapshots of moments I wanted to capture for ever. In choosing the arias, my only criterion was this: which pieces move me the most when I sing them?” The result is a very personal selection revealing Fagioli’s deep veneration for this great Baroque composer. “Handel’s operas are a must for any countertenor,” he observes. “His inimitable style captivated both singers and audiences. You could say he was the Broadway star of the Baroque.”

Alongside highlights such as “Ombra mai fu” from Serse or the bravura aria “Venti turbini” from Rinaldo, Fagioli has also chosen miniature gems such as the radiant, ethereal “Ch’io parta?” from Partenope, or “Dopo notte” from Ariodante. Regardless of the popularity of the arias, he has arrived at his own individual interpretations with the awareness of his strengths. Fagioli was determined that the recordings should convey the emotional development of the various roles even without the context of the complete opera, and he succeeds so well in this that we hear even the most famous arias with fresh ears.

Franco Fagioli has found the perfect partners for his foray into Handel’s sound worlds in the musicians of Italian Baroque ensemble Il pomo d’oro. Since it was formed in 2012, the orchestra has been exploring the subtleties of historical performance practice and in their recordings with Fagioli its players let all the nuances of the scores shine through, showing the extraordinary, weightless beauty of his voice, with its three-octave range, to full advantage from start to finish.

The Argentinian countertenor is a dynamic performer as his vocal virtuosity brings the characters he plays to life while he harnesses his tremendous ability to express emotion. He is in his element in Handel’s colourful Baroque operas and is able to deploy his monumental talent to the utmost.

Joyce DiDonato IN WAR & PEACE

The pendulum of human history has continuously swung between despair and hope, horror and bliss, chaos and tranquility. We are a restless bunch, prone to desperation, isolation and violence in some moments, and yet, mercifully, to optimism and generosity in others.

As a citizen of the world in 2016, at times I am overwhelmed by the temptation to spiral down into the turmoil and pessimism that seemingly invades all corners of our lives, pulling me into the dispiriting din of upheaval which can devastate the spirit. And yet, I’m a belligerent, proud, willing optimist. I resist.

And so I ask myself: Is it possible to find a sincere and lasting peace within such deafening chaos? And if so, how can I access it? Is there an alternative to simply surrendering to the inevitable noise and our base fears, instead choosing serenity, audaciously silencing those fears?

For centuries, creators of great art have been depicting atrocity and pandemonium alongside tranquility and harmony for centuries, boldly showing us both our brutal nature and our elevated humanity. Art unifies, transcends borders, connects the disconnected, eliminates status, soothes turmoil, threatens power and the status-quo, and gloriously exalts the spirit. Art is a valiant path to peace.

With the help of Handel and Purcell, among other masters, I respectfully invite you look at the interwoven worlds of external conflict and serenity, internal war and peace, and to contemplate where you wish to reside within yourself.

As I have tried to convey in this selection of music, the power to bravely tip the scales towards peace lies firmly within every single one of us. (Joyce DiDonato)