Passionate Baroque Arias

Bertagnolli, Gemma, Ensemble Cordia, Veggetti, Stefano

94071

In 18th-century Italian opera the solo aria – a form of musical expression held in high favour by Humanist culture (owing to its close link with the word) – was the main, indeed almost the exclusive, vehicle for expressing the characters’ feelings and emotions. And the presentation of different expressive situations is surely one of the most characteristic features of Italian opera. Unlike its French counterpart, Italian opera showed little interest in any kind of realistic representation of the plot. Instead it focused on the music. Or more specifically, it concentrated on the capacity of the human voice to arouse emotions, of which love is naturally one of the most frequently encountered. As a result, the diverse facets of love (right down to its idealization or to its sacrifice for reasons of state) form the standard fare of opera plots.

Works:
• Handel: Arianna in Creta HWV 32
• Handel: Concerto Grosso Op. 3 No. 2 in B flat major, HWV313
• Handel: Concerto grosso, Op. 6 No. 6 in G minor, HWV324
• Handel: Giulio Cesare in Egitto
• Handel: Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno, HWV46a
• Handel: Ritorna, caro e dolce mio tesoro (from Rodelinda)
• Handel: Rodelinda
• Handel: Sinfonia from Giulio Cesare
• Handel: Son qual stanco pellegrino (from Arianna in Creta)
• Handel: Tu del ciel ministro eletto (Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno)
• Handel: Una schiera di piaceri (from Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno)
• Handel: Water Music Suite No. 1 in F major, HWV348
• Hasse, J A: Sinfonia from Astarto
• Veracini: Quel cor che mi donasti
• Vivaldi: Concerto for Two Horns and Strings RV538
• Vivaldi: L'Olimpiade RV725
• Vivaldi: Orlando finto pazzo, RV727

CD x 1

Brilliant Classics

2019-11-13

5028421940717