Artaserse was his last opera, played in Rome shortly interrupted as full representation by the henchmen come to announce the death of Pope and sending everyone home. Three months later in the year 1730 Vinci died at the age of thirty four years, probably a victim of chocolate in which one of his many enemies had slipped poison in revenge of what the composer, womanizer and loving games, had made one of the women in his family his mistress. Strange coincidence indeed, whose veracity is not proven when we read the book and we know that the outcome of the complicated plot concocted by Metastasio, the must librettist of Italy of that time, is plays around the absorption of a poisoned chalice averted so that the drama that promised a happy ending ...
Forget a little booklet, as for most of the time works is not that there are more exciting and revels in an allegorical style bombastic, to devote ourselves to the essentials ie music . After more than three hours of listening dumbfounded, we understand why this opera was a huge success postmortem, asked body and cries throughout Europe and regarded as one of the essential works prefiguring the beginnings of the Italian pre-romanticism. The succession of arias that pepper the partition draws a bead masterpieces. What inventiveness, what lightness in the orchestral part of the service up to singing what was a major innovation at the time! Certainly, the form is conventional with the systematic exposition of the first stanza, their recovery, before the arrival of the Ochestre and its modulation for resumption of the theme of the second part and worms before giving rise to unheard changes allowing soloists to shine like never before. Even many recitatives show an unusual lightness and listen without any weariness.
It must be said that the singers summoned here are part of the cream of the current baroque singing. Jaroussky portrays to perfection a versatil and naive Artaserse; Cencic confirmed her star status against tenors camping solid Mandane. Two singers, that we did not know, surprise us and are the revelation of this dream cast. First, Franco Fagioli who embodies the role of heavy Arbace, at the relatively low range for a cons-tenor, and which pulls with incredible ease pirouettes and singing exercises which Vinci has littered the score, including the very formidable concluding air of the first act that leaves the seemly ... The other revelation for me Yuriy Mynenko, against another tenor who in the secondary role Megabise lets us see talent and potential which can be expected that it will probably soon better emphasized and exploited its proper level. Do not forget Valer Sarna-Banadus, also against tenor, who plays a very honest Semira (however minor role) and especially the tenor Daniel Behle who portrays an ideal Artabano, dark and wish manipulator.
Diego Fasolis at the head of the Concerto Köln leads all her little world at a cracking pace and get the best out of his orchestra as its singers. We understand that the representations in Nancy have made a great hit because if the stage performance was a reflection of the musical performance, is confined to nirvana! It may take many decades before their registration is just equaled. This means ...
Only one reserve: it is unfortunate that the sound saturates in the highest notes, many saw strong concentration against tenors .... Other than that, it's ALL SIMPLY PERFECT.
An absolute must for your library.
