Cantatas and Chamber Music - Alessandro Scarlatti

 Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725) is condered one of the greatest composers of the baroque period. Hi is best known for his chamber music output, his more than 700 cantatas confirms it, but his operas were also numerous and important, so that, A. Scarlatti is conseidered the founder of the Napolitan opera school. 

His style is unique and plenty of quirks with keen modulations and contrasts in his openings, as can be noticed in this recording. Also one thing that is remarcable is that the arias present in the cantatas here performed, are da capo arias-that is, in the orden A-B-A in wich a first idea is displayed and elaborated at the begining and at the end with a contrasting part (B) in the middle, most of the time as an adagio-, so, is a clue of  Scarlatti's abandonement of his early compositional preference in which his arias showed no repetitions at all.  

Enjoy!

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Hasse Reloaded

Johann Adolph Hasse (1699-1683) known as "Il caro Sassone" (The dear saxon) was an exceptional composer in his time. He composed a vast dramatic music and so with sacred one. He was higly respected and by some contemporaries assessed him even above Haendel, but that didnt impede to be forgoten he and his music after his death.

He mastered the Italian style to his operas, as was fancy in the XVIII century, except France that stuck to its french style made up by Lully and developed by his predecesors like Carpentier or Marais. 

Enjoy this magnifique cd that rediscovers music of Hasse concealed for about 250 years!

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Cantate d'Amore - Caldara

Caldara's love cantas "La costanza vince il rigore" and "La lode premiata" were composed early in the XVIII century when Caldara was appointed in Rome under Francesco Maria Ruspoli. This music is a clear example of the kind of imagination and creativeness that were required in Caldara's time. Unfortunatelly and despite of the great music that was Caldara, over the time his name was shadowed by other name, "Vivaldi", and by the Vivaldi effect that spread in many parts of Europe.

Enjoy!

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L'age D'or des Castrats (Aris Christofellis)

Aris Christofellis is one of the underlined countertenors in the range of male soprano of the late XX century. As singer, he has been broadly acclaimed, specially for his roles in the late baroque opera. As a musicologist he is very entusiastic in bringing to life ulterior works regarding baroque opera.

This cd is in all ways fantastic, not only because of the woks of Porpora's, Bononcini, etc, but because the Christofellis sopraniste voice that has no paramount.

Enjoy!

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La Musique au Temps des Castrats (Music from the age of Castratos)

Vocal music in the XVIII century belonged to castratos. Their voice were so unique and irreplaceable, they didnt have rivals, they knew they were the best (I mean the big names such as, Farinelli, Carestini, Senesiano, Guadagni, etc). Now we have countertenors as a proxy for their voice, but still we dont know how close to the original castrato voice are, because the voice of a countertenor is just an imitation, while castratos developed their voice in the phisiological way, so, making their voice more pure.

The cd is a jewel, since it containes works sung by acclaimed countertenors that Im sure their names will be written in history music books like James Bowman, Dominique Visse and Gérard Lesne. Not sure about  Derek Ree Ragin, but he will be remmembered because he and the soprano Ewa Mallas-Godlewska made the voice for Farinelly in the 1994 film "Farinelli". The last aria "Son qual Nave" of Ricardo Broschi, brother of Farinelli's (Carlo Broschi) comes from the film where their voices were electronically mixed.

Enjoy!

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Il Primo Uomo - Arias for Nicolini

Nicolini (Nicola Grimaldo (1673-1732)) was the first castrato in his time, he increased the popularity of Italian opera in England. The very Handel was astonished by Nicolini's voice, that he composed arias specifically for him. The same did others composers of first hand, such as  Alessandro Scarlatti, Caldara, Leo, etc.

All the time he performed, he raised the public entusiam not only for his singing, but because of his portent and good looking, and excepcional aptitutes to act. In few words, he was a super star in the very late XVII century and the beggining of the XVIII.

Enjoy!

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Arcadia - Andreas Scholl

To complement my last post, I decided to post also this jewel of pieces devoted for "castrati" made by composers members of  the "Accademia degli Arcadia" in Rome.

From my own experience, I have found that recordings after world premieres are better, but this is an exception among few. This recording brings to life composers that unfortunately have been relegated to obscurity, such as, Gasparini, Bencini or even more, Benedetto Marcello. Alessandro Scarlatti and Corelli were once relegated, but by the time of this recording, they were already greatly revived.  

Enjoy!

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Ombra mai fu - Haendel - (Andreas Scholl)

Handel was basically was a composer of dramatic music, in which opera was the most developed and required more attention. Some arias between his operas became relevant and his operas very famous, but certainly the aria "Ombra mai fu" of his opera Xerses is the most known of all. Andreas Scholl interprets it with great mastery and delicateness, thanks to his well educated alto voice.

Enjoy!

Flac       Mp3

Alexander's Feast or The Power of Musick - Handel

Alexander's Feast was completed in January 1736, and was intended to celebrate Saint Cecilia's day. It's a dramatic set in which Alexander the Great, in a night of drunkenness is induced by his mistress Thais to set fire to the Persian city Persepolis. The drama is accompanied by the music arousements on Alexander moods of Timotheus playing the lire and the flute, culminating in an apotheosis to "divine Cecilia", the patron of music.

Enjoy!

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Part1

Part2

"Thanks to the original releaser"

Music for the Royal Fireworks, Concerto a due cori, other works - Handel

Which are the most known works of an x composer? If one asks to a not very versed people in classical music that questions, sure in a certain way it'll depict how famous is and was that x composer. In the case of Handel, the answer will be his three more interpreted works: Water music, music for the royal fireworks and his Messiah. No doubt just few people will be able to answer, and the answers will fir just to few composers.

Handel also likes to recycle music ideas, as he took the main ideas of previous works to make up  a new work, that's the case with his concerti a due cori, where he took parts mainly from his oratorios to construct these orchestral pieces. Of course he did that to other works, like in his cantatas. 

Enjoy!!!

EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 208 MB | Scans

MP3 320 Kbps | 109 MB | Scans

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