Siface Come nave in mezzo all'onde; Caldara, Antonio, Profezie, di me diceste; Araja, Francesco, Berenice.
Germanico in Germania. Parto, ti lascio, o cara; Porpora, Nicola, Usignolo sventurato; Graun, Karl Heinrich, Misero pargoletto; Porpora, Nicola, Semiramide riconosciuta In braccio a mille furie; Leo, Leonardo, Zenobia in Palmira. Qual farfalla; Porpora, Nicola, Nobil onda; Graun, Karl Heinrich, Adriano in Siria. Farnace It has been a long three years since Cecilia Bartoli's previous release, Maria, brought nineteenth century coloratura Maria Malibran into the public consciousness.
Decca's Sacrificium -- which reunites Bartoli with expert period band Il Giardino Armonico for the first time since 's The Vivaldi Album -- certainly makes clear that it was well worth the wait.
In keeping with her long series of themed collections of opera arias, in this release Bartoli explores literature associated with the long lost vocal range of the castrati, male singers who were surgically altered in puberty in order to retain the high end of their voices into adulthood. The outlawing of castrati in Italy in brought this vicious practice to an end, but it also condemned two centuries' worth of operatic and sacred music to obscurity owing to the unsuitability of ordinary voices to sing in this special range; since then, a number of male countertenors have come to grips with it, with varying degrees of success, and an increasing number of females -- usually altos -- have been adopting castrato literature, as well.
While there are plenty of male singers who can approximate female voice, for it to go the other way around is indeed rare. Also rare are the 12 selections on the main disc, every one of them a premiere recording of some kind. Bartoli has long established herself as an advocate for neglected or little known literature, and there is such a wealth of unused castrato literature that coming by such material probably wasn't difficult, but it also seems the album's producers were quite careful in finding examples that were representative of the theme, musically challenging for Bartoli and of generally excellent quality; even Il Giardino Armonico gets a great workout in "Nobil onda," an aria from Nicola Porpora's opera Adelaide.
It is Porpora who emerges from this material as the champion composer for castrati, which is gratifying; an increasing number of Porpora releases in the times leading up to Sacrificium makes clear that he was one of the greats among Western composers and it's nice to see a major label like Decca pay some homage to him. However, Sacrificium's compilers have not lost sight of the unique talents of the star performer; no one would accuse Porpora's "Usignolo sventurato" from the opera Siface as being a great aria, with its limited range and texture.
However, Bartoli's sensuous delivery and bold characterization of the piece makes something very special out of it, a major highlight of the program.
Bartoli's voice is of a quality that cuts through the veils of history and delivers this obscure music with absolute perfection; Decca's Sacrificium should easily please all comers. Listen to over 70 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan. Listen to this album and more than 70 million songs with your unlimited streaming plans. Germanico in Germania Nicola Porpora.
Demofoonte Carl Heinrich Graun. Zenobia In Palmira Leonardo Leo. La Morte d'Abel Antonio Caldara. Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions. The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit.
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A tremendous conductor, music was his vocation, a way of life and an art of thought. His recordings have conserved his art vocal music, intense but never sentimental, thanks to a clear linearity complemented by a versatile rhythm, ensuring clarity, coherence and vigour. It was a rainy October night in the Bugey. On October nights, it's always raining in the Bugey. My Profile. Advanced Search. Sacrificium Review by Uncle Dave Lewis. Track Listing. Act 2. Scene 4. Come nave in mezzo all'onde.
Nicola Porpora. Profezie, di me diceste. Antonio Caldara. Francesco Araia. Scene 8. Parto, ti lascio, o cara. Scene Usignolo sventurato. Act 3. Misero pargoletto. Carl Heinrich Graun. In braccio a mille furie. Scene 7. Qual farfalla. Leonardo Leo. Nobil onda. Scene 6.
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